October 2004
WUGGIE'S MUSIC, MEDIA AND MORE!
Ratings System:
++ Christian - made specifically by Christians for Christians
+ Secular - but contains nothing offensive to most Christians, probably made by Christians trying to exert influence in secular media.
M Mature content. Not necessarily offensive, but parents should be careful before allowing exposure to children and pre-teens.
X Mature content. For mature teens, firm in their convictions and morals, who have received much parental guidance.
XX Contains very mature, problematic content. Parents should seriously consider restricting exposure to teens.
XXX Completely offensive. Not only should teens be restricted, but adults may want to question their own exposure.
Remember, my reviews are strictly my opinion, and no substitute for your good judgment
Ashlee Simpson / Autobiography / X
Ashlee holds nothing back as she spills her most personal feelings to millions on her debut disc. If you think that is a contradiction in terms, then you are beginning to understand teen culture in 2004. This generation is growing up on the Internet, text messaging, weblogs and Instant Messaging. They are dazed and confused and often completely inept at interpersonal relationships. Ashlee sings about this. She is addicted to impersonal media and yet desperate for intimacy. She is wanting to be known for who she is, and yet loving a culture that rewards distance. She is holding everything back until it gushes forth without control. She is overly emotional, searching for something real and lost as to how to find it.
Nothing typifies this problem this generation is immersed in than the weblog, or 'blog' for short. A blog is an on-line diary: A 'log' on the 'web', on which teens record the events, feelings, frustrations and thoughts of their lives - just like a diary. The only difference is that a blog is on-line and open to the entire Internet public! If you're thinking that a blog could not possibly be as intimate and revealing as a 'real' diary, then you must be over 21! I've seen bloggers (the term for someone who keeps a blog) write about their most intimate relationships, feelings and thoughts. I've seen teens in our own youth group use their blog to communicate feelings to their friends they see every day by writing them in their blog instead of talking with them in person. The paradox is that while their interpersonal relationship and communication skills are stunted in 'real life', they over compensate by spilling more than is appropriate in a blog. Teens now ask each other for dates and break up via text messages and Email. Trained to be terrified of face to face intimacy, they make up for it with over the top electronic intimacy. I recently heard of a girl who attempted suicide because her boyfriend of 9 months broke up with her. The problem was that their entire relationship was electronic. She had never met him.
Ashlee Simpson's lyrics show either a keen awareness of this phenomenon, or more likely, she is so immersed in the phenomenon herself that the lyrics betray her entrapment. There are very few bad words, and mild ones at that. She doesn't even push the envelope sexually as do many of her peers. But the teen who relates to Ashlee the strongest is likely the teen who is feeling emotionally ready to burst because she or he can only manage to find electronic surrogates for a deficiency of real interpersonal relationships.
Now that you know what's going on, you're prepared for a good conversation with your teen or pre-teen. If your kid likes Ashlee, use it as a starting point. Print out the lyrics (do an Internet search: Ashlee Simpson Lyrics), and ask them, "Have you ever felt like this? If your teen isn't into Ashlee, that doesn't matter. You can still ask questions like, "Do you have a 'blog'?, Do any of your friends? What do you think of them? What is appropriate to write in one? What's not? What kinds of things are better said in person than electronically?
The things we challenge the teens with in Youth Group: Don't use electronic devices to say personal things. Don't ask someone out with text messaging. Don't Email someone your feelings. Why is it easier to do these things hiding behind an electronic device? What are the consequences of electronic intimacy? Parents can follow up on these things at home.
Los Lonely Boys / Autobiography / +
This review is by parental request. Send requests for reviews to: Wuggie@wuggie.org!
Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza are the three brothers who are the Los Lonely Boys. They are pretty benign lyrically, but musically they are a powerhouse of energy and fun! My favorite song, of course, is Heaven, which is a prayer, and a good one at that. I don't find anything objectionable in their other songs. They are developing quite a following, and my prediction is that they will soon find it's lonely at the top of the charts. (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it.)
Josh Groban / Closer / +
This vocal virtuoso is no manufactured-for-MTV one-hit-wonder. He's the real deal, with a classically trained voice and producers and collaborators that read like a who's who of Grammy winners. Best of all, his lyrics seem to be pulled right from scripture. In the hit, Remember (When it Rained), Groban could easily be recalling his baptism: "Wash away the thoughts inside / That keep my mind away from you. / Ohhhhhh Remember when it rained. / Felt the ground and looked up high / And called your name." The song, You Raise Me Up, makes a great prayer in times of trouble: "When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary / When troubles come and my heart burdened be / Then, I am still and wait here in the silence / Until you come and sit awhile with me." Who knows? Am I reading too much into Groban's lyrics? Maybe. His website offers no clues to his faith, which is sad. But then again, maybe not. Maybe he just wants to have a positive impact on secular music and then let people discover his faith as they really get to know him. Either way, Groban's music is a welcome breath of fresh air on the polluted music scene.