MY JOURNAL

My thoughts on the new music video by Oasis

Written: 29 January, 2000

I saw that new Oasis video again today, and I have to admit that I liked it. It's very listenable, and the video is your good basic Oasis video, as enjoyable as the other ones I've seen by them. I still can't remember the exact name of the song though -- I think it's called "Go Let it Out." The chorus goes something like "Go Let it Out, Don't Let it in, Go Let it Out." Like most other Oasis lyrics I've heard, the words don't really grab me but like I said it's enjoyable. I was a little hard on Oasis before on this board when the new song came up, so that's why I'm posting this now, to say that the new song is good.

One of the bits of the song goes something like "We're the keepers of their destiny" and then later in the song, "We're the builders of their destiny." It makes me wonder if that's the group's way of saying that they are the heirs of the Beatles' legacy, and intend to build upon that. (Also in the video there is a sign saying something like "We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants.") As I said before, if they really want to be "the builders of their destiny," they're going to have to work a little harder at creating more memorable songs.

But even if they never get nearly as good as the Beatles, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Orson Welles' career was considered a disappointment because his films after "Citizen Kane" were deemed not as good. (Critics in later years have been more generous to his post-Kane work, of course.) People wanted him to have every movie he made be as good as Kane -- which is often called the greatest movie ever made! So, because he only made one "masterpiece," his career was considered a disappointment by some people! So, likewise, if Oasis' career ultimately fails to eclipse the Beatles (obviously Oasis doesn't stand a chance of doing so, and neither does practically anybody else), at least they were trying to be "the best."

Back in the mid-1980s, the Monkees had a revival of popularity when their TV show began re-airing on MTV. I recall reading a rock magazine at the time (Creem probably) which explained their appeal by saying that today's bands were trying to be like Duran Duran, whereas the Monkees were trying to be like the Beatles. In comics, this is comparable to the situation with Jose Ladronn, former Cable artist, who is trying to be like Moebius and Jack Kirby, so the intelligence shown by Ladronn's choice of influences gives him a respect and interest among fans that he might not have if he was just trying to be the next Michael Turner. If he fails to be as good as Moebius or Kirby, at least he had high goals and shouldn't be punished for having failed to be better than those deemed to be all-time greats. Same with Oasis.


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