Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Sledgehammer Response: No Stupid Medleys at Oscars



So. As for the players of progressive rock, a minute is nothing, Gabriel should have been offered enough time for a 75 minute solo.

No, really, just kidding. The lame 65 secs must be an offending offer. Please read the following piece of news from the Independent.

Gone in 65 seconds: Gabriel quits Oscars

Musician furious at decision to shorten his performance to a little over a minute
By Guy Adams in Los Angeles

There's a week to go, but this year's Oscars have already spawned their first major celebrity hissy-fit. Peter Gabriel, the laid-back king of progressive rock, has abruptly withdrawn from next Sunday's awards show after his performance there was shortened to just 65 seconds.

The former Genesis singer had expected, in keeping with tradition, to have several minutes in the spotlight to perform his song "Down to Earth". Composed by Gabriel for the computer-animated film Wall-E, it is shortlisted for an Academy Award in the best original song category.

But in an attempt to revitalise ratings, the event's organisers decided to jazz up this year's ceremony by blending all three of the nominated tracks together in a short, sharp medley.

As a result, Gabriel announced yesterday that he was refusing to participate. He said in a video posted on his website: "Songwriters, even though they're a small part of the whole film-making process, we still work bloody hard, and I think deserve a place in the ceremony. So I think ... I'm an old fart and it's not going to do me a lot of harm to make a little protest. For some of the other artists, it wouldn't be so easy."

* * *

...and the story as a whole is in here.

Hey, don't give up.
cos you have friends
Dont give up
Youre not beaten yet
Dont give up
I know you can make it good

2 comments:

Jesús said...

Good for Peter! Maybe He need a bit of tolerance or understand about the show business, but Good reaction! Do you are agree with he?

Anonymous said...

Dear Jesus

Thanks for your comment. I hate medleys. They destroy music. So yes, I do agree with him.

IStori