Culture & Media

In this series of articles from IndieUpdate, we will be looking at the history of indie music from the sixties to the new millennium. Keep an eye out for each article chronicling a decade of independent music and independent artists. Now on to indie music in the sixties...

Are we living in an era of commercial hip-hop or the raw and lyrical presence that creates self expression to the streets.

Beyond their obvious attraction for the torrid and sleazy, does the news media have a moral responsibility to honestly report? Does spinning and selectively reporting on events mean dishonesty or just disingenuousness? Since the press not only reports and comments but actually forms and affects events and legislation, should they be held to a higher standard?

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue and declared that the world was round. 514 years later, Thomas L. Friedman is declaring the world is flat. Friedman's book, "The World is Flat," is a brief history of the twenty-first century.

Although I'm very passionate about my music, my guitar playing and blues, I don't in any way consider myself an expert on any of these topics. I'm always open to new artists and a lot of artists that have received high praise from other musicians I simply haven't had the chance to listen to yet. This will explain to some why I had never listened to Roy Buchanan till recently.

If you asked a Rap artist where the term rap originated you may be told it came from hip hop music in the 1970’s. They may explain it as rhythmic beats or modern urban music. If the truth be known, Rap originated in South Africa.

The term "global village" had remained largely the mantra of academics and philosophers and it was not until the arrival of the Internet that the phrase started to enjoy common usage.

Censorship is alive and well in many Muslim nations, and a great deal of the effort to control the flow of images and information relates to pornography. Censorship also relates to sites that deal with sexuality in less obvious ways. For example in Yemen, blocked sites include those that offer sex education, advertise "provocative" fashions, dating sites and gay information. So internet filtering has become a tool of cultural control in many cases.

Stratton’s Sesame Street approach to pan-Arab politics and lifestyle is frustrating; it’s all so unthinkable and peculiar to her, yet finding the Middle East’s losers or aspiring, dream-fuelled youth with a beef or two is hardly groundbreaking and I soon wondered how amazed we would be if an Arab woman went to the US and the UK and talked about all of the awful things she heard about.

I can describe the release from Pop Music sensation, and American Idol contestant Taylor Hicks for you with just one word… Outstanding!

America may not have had a hit single in more than 20 years, but the band that won the 1972 Grammy Award for Best New Artist is not forgotten.

The Battle's raging between Blockbuster and Netflix. Both want your loyalty. So who wins? Blockbuster or Netflix?

Many of the Beatles best songs were never officially released on an album but were instead released only as singles. They did this because they felt that by releasing their singles again on the albums they would be "cheating their fans." If you want to have all of the Beatles official originally releases on CD then you must purchase the Past Masters sets Volumes 1 and 2 which collect all of the Beatles singles that were never released on an official Beatles album.

My Chemical Romance is an American rock band hailing from New Jersey that's been around since 2001. It's not easy to categorize exactly what type of music they play, although 'alternative rock' would be a good place to start.

Every band in New York would stop in at the Savoy either to take part in the "battle of the bands", or just have a drink and check out the "King". Through the 30's the list of musicians that frequented the club is a who's who of the swing era; Duke Ellington (photo), Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa - just imagine being there!