Adam Pugh

The television has begun to suck my soul. And the radio, well, that can't get much worse, and I am beginning to wonder about the Internet, too. Where are things headed? What are the new trends? Is art even art anymore? These questions provide my mind with an impending sense of doom.

So what is happening in the world of music, art and culture? I can tell you one thing: It is not a pretty sight, and I don't think people will be picking up Staind's second album in 30 years and saying, "Man these guys really made an impact, a real difference in music."

No sir, I think people will be sweeping these past few years under the rug, like a bad relationship we all just want to forget.

But "hey," you say. "You can't just write all of this off as crap!" My answer to that is, "Have you been paying attention?"

I do agree there are some great underlying acts that really are changing music, but the change has not happened yet and until it does, we will all be force-fed our everyday run-of-the-mill media crap.

A perfect example comes from a band that is more down in the dumps than Oscar the Grouch. Ah, Aaron Lewis from Staind, you move me.

"It's been awhile/ Since I could hold my head up high."

Yeah, well it's been awhile since I sold a million records. So stop moaning about the plight of the introvert and show some real emotion, instead of beating a dead horse like Jonathan Davis from Korn has been for the past three albums.

Speaking of whining and terrible music (where would we be without them?) I happened to be channel surfing the other day when I saw Christina Aguilera's new pile of trash. And by trash, I mean you-make-yourself-out-to- be-a-little-sleaze trash. But the one thing that I am sure people are not paying attention to is her lyrics.

"Sorry that I break the mold/Sorry that I speak my mind."

Uh · correct me if I am wrong, but since when is being a "Genie in a Bottle" speaking your mind? What a girl wants · no · what a guy wants is for a girl to have a brain, maybe some originality and not so many extensions.

And the only mold I saw her breaking in her video had something to do with her barely-there undies. Her video is full of, well, gyrating, orgy-minded individuals who want to get "Dirrty."

Is it "Hot in HERRE?" Or is Nelly just influencing way too many people nowadays (and teaching poor spelling, I might add)? Doing a song with Joe Perry from Aerosmith doodling around on his guitar? What is that about? And of course he has to collaborate with 8,000 artists, when all he is doing is singing his ridiculous "Oh, Oh," on whatever he thinks needs Nelly-fying.

Where is our culture going with this absurd excuse for music? Well, for one thing, I hope it is pissing some kid off who plays a guitar and wants to start a real band.

Then I want him to do something about it and come up with some original rock for all to enjoy. I am not talking about the recycled '60s invasion of The Hives, The Strokes and The White Stripes kind of rock.

I am talking about losing yourself in the music and putting some real raw emotion into it. What is original? Not conforming to some retarded fashion trend of wearing a tie with a T-shirt. And not going to shows because it is cool.

This is a call to all wanna-be artists: Either tell the big corporations to stop feeding us crap, or put on a bib, open wide and start shoveling ÷ because this is going to get messy.