Offmessage

The record industry may well be dead (or so they say), but there are some fine ideas being tested out at the moment…

Mos Def is selling t-shirts that come with download codes for his latest album, while The Flaming Lips are selling gig tickets that come with a download code for a ‘bootleg’ taken from the mixing desk on the night you went (quoted from their latest mailer):

the bundle will come with a ticket to see the band live along with an exclusive online digital EP that will contain 3 songs from the upcoming record – “Convinced of The Hex,” “The Impulse,” and “Silver Trembling Hands” plus three additional rare b-side tracks that we’ve selected. In addition to the ep, the bundle includes a digital download bootleg of the same show that you attend, which will be available after the show.

I have to say the Lips idea is awesome – I’m always on the look out for bootlegs, and to get one from the night I was there? well…

For some reason I can’t quite identify I’ve ended up watching some fascinating rockumentaries over the last week. First up was Don Letts’ amazing “Tales of Dr Funkenstein” (a George Clinton/P-Funk film). Then last night a frank view of Paul Weller and tonight Artsworld showed “Fearless Freaks“, which turned out to be a really moving film about the Flaming Lips. I was expecting it to be a little overblown (like some of their recent TV appearances) but actually it was really close to the bone and utterly enthralling. As one reviewer of the movie over at Amazon says – “there is a fine line between hope and despair in small town America”. All 3 films are well worth a watch, but both Tales of Dr Funkenstein and Fearless Freaks are highly recommended.