this is why i love facebook. it's not the only reason i do, but it illustrates perfectly the power of networks and it proves that the rebel in us all is not dead. and that alone is worth celebrating.
it's also, in a slightly convoluted way, a classic david versus goliath story, except that in this case goliath's bigger brother actually supplies the stones that david uses in his sling and so benefits from every shot that's fired, but this hardly matters, since we are talking about a symbolic battle and what's at stake here is of such immense importance that a bit of collateral profit for the enemy can surely be justified.
we are, after all, talking about the christmas number one!
judging from the tone of posts and discussions on the facebook group that started this epic, it might as well be about the right to breathe. and that's what makes it all so very entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable not just to watch but to become actively involved with. i for one have purchased my download of killing in the name of by rage against the machine, and found to my pleasant surprise that i like it. a lot. but what i like even better is the fact that with, at the time of writing, 788,000 members (and steadily counting), the 'rage against the x-factor' group on facebook - started by two people who, but for their daring, bold and inspired act of capturing the other half of the nation's mood, could probably be called 'ordinary' - stands a real and realistic chance of preventing joe mcelderry's intended chart-topper the climb from reaching its scheduled summit by the end of next sunday, when this year's official christmas chart is compiled.
not that i have anything against joe mcelderry, don't get me wrong: the boy is adorable and he clearly can sing. i wish him the best of luck for a long and prosperous career. i wish the same to olly murs (who i preferred by some margin, simply because unlike joe who is excellent but a bit dull, olly is in fact also a truly gifted natural entertainer) and most emphatically i wish john & edward all the very best. they made me laugh, they made my jaw drop, they gave me many a minute of televisual pleasure. from which confession you can readily infer that i actually watched the x-factor (almost every instalment of the live shows) and predictably became a little addicted to it. it's top-notch tv of its ilk, if you ask me, and i do not for one moment begrudge joe his success or simon cowell the multiple millions he makes at every turn from it. good for him, i say, he will, i'm sure, in time find worthwhile uses for his wealth. that's not the issue with the x-factor.
the issue with the x-factor (and we all realise how enormous an issue it is, particularly when viewed in the context of, for example, the war in afghanistan or the copenhagen climate summit) is that it is so good and so successful at what it sets out to do, it leaves no margin for error. no room for surprises. it sifts genuinely talented performers from the pool of the bland and mediocre and then moulds them into bland and mediocre products that it can sell back to the pool. with absolute professional efficiency. and in the process it has committed a cardinal crime against the british psyche: it has made the christmas number one predictable.
but we don't want the christmas number one to be predictable. we want it to be a fresh contest, every year. we want it to be open to something as godshockinglyawful as mr blobby in 1993, as charmingly retro as somethin' stupid (2001), as yucky as any cliff richard or as unparalleled as bohemian rhapsody, back in '75. yet ever since the x-factor started, the most coveted place in popular music has been occupied by self-referential dirges with titles like that's my goal, a moment like this or when you believe, except of course last year's unforgivable assault on the leonard cohen classic hallelujah.
and that's why tracy and jon morter are heroes of our time. they just said to themselves 'it doesn't have to be like this', and then told their friends on facebook. and if by christmas a million people have joined them, i shouldn't be in the least surprised. so do! do join the group, do go to the info tab and see where to get your download and do use the link you find there (or below) to give to shelter, the charity the group has adopted to make sure something tangibly positive really does come out of it all. as i'm typing this, supporters of RATM4XMAS have given more than £35,000. music to the ears of those who care for the homeless and a good source for much seasonal cheer.
have a happy festive, all.
love & peace
sebastian
join the facebook group RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE FOR CHRISTMAS NO 1 here
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