SHIT YOU NEED

Read this now. Make note. If I happen to write this column again next month (Submit, people!), it’ll all be different. My fascinations change. Just be aware of that.
1. Willie Nelson
I’ve been listening to The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan because I like stories, and he tells 'em better than most. In his youth, he was quite the profound dude. Dare I say, “brilliant.” Never in a million years would I imagine that I’d discover a similar profoundness in Willie Nelson. No offense to old Willie. I grew up on his music. Maybe that’s why I took it for granted. Give “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” a listen. I used to think it was just a fun little ditty to be sung on road trips and in dusty bars. Then I really paid attention to the lyrics, and realized I was underestimating the intelligence of what he was singing. Same thing with “On The Road Again”. Willie is as gypsy as they come. An Earth-wandering minstrel. And “You Are Always On My Mind” ranks right up there with the aforementioned tunes, despite its goofy studio production tricks making me shiver. Strip that bitch down to Willie’s vocals and his trusty acoustic guitar, and you got yourself a beautiful little song.
Does this mean I’m a hillbilly?
2. Live From Death Row by Mumia Abu-Jamal
Along with Leonard Peltier and countless others, Mumia sits in a jail cell, awaiting his execution for a crime he more than likely didn’t commit. His trial is proof positive our justice system is corrupt. Two decades after his bullshit conviction for allegedly killing a Philadelphia police officer, witnesses are coming forward, admitting they were coerced into testifying against him. And with a notoriously crooked judge helming all the proceedings appeal after desperate appeal, Mumia continues to wait out his wrongful execution. Live From Death Row is a collection of letters and stories written by Abu-Jamal from his prison cell, explaining the horror and sadness surrounding him in his day-to-day. Read this book, and every other book he’s written. Educate yourself on his case. Look up the numerous organizations established worldwide, working to free him from wrongful captivity.
3. Kazaa, Limewire, and any other means of downloading free music
Fuck the RIAA. Fuck the big industry labels and executives suing 12-year-old girls because “...downloading music is a crime.” Rape is a crime. Murder is a crime. Supporting our current Administration is a crime. Downloading music is not. If it weren’t for programs like Napster (R.I.P.), Audiogalaxy (R.I.P.), Kazaa, and Limewire, a lot of really great bands might not have half the audience they do now. I know I discovered a lot of really awesome music through it, and even bought some CDs because of it. Yes, I bought the music I downloaded. People actually do that. If music industry giants weren’t so fucking greedy, they’d realize this isn’t hurting the artists. They’re hurting the artists, giving them peanuts on the royalty scale, forcing them to charge ridiculous prices for compact discs. Everybody’s poor these days, and downloading music is no different than dubbing albums on to blank cassettes for your friends. We did that, and we’ll do this. Keep downloading, and fuck corporate strong-arming.
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