The readers of the PaisleyJournal are most likely not tracking the day to day affairs of Justin Bieber. I, for one, hold everything produced by the tabloids at arms length, with two pinched & horrified fingertips, as if disposing of some rank and bloody maggot infested carcass. I cannot stand the soul-sucking leaches and whorish media trolls who make up the global paparazzi. The creators & purveyors of the fourth-estate’s ever growing celebrity gossip segments are societies lowest form of “journalist” and those who consume said media are, if not diseased, completely deficient in the necessary human emotion of empathy.
While not the most stylish of traits, empathy has seen a resurgence lately. From anti-bullying campaigns to the It Gets Better Project; citing positive popular trends in women’s, immigrant’s, & LGBT rights; and even, perhaps, to the falling ratings of Fox News, compassion is on the rise. These are necessary emotions, they cause us to act in the defense of the weak, to rescue injured animals, to care for the sick, the elderly, & the blind, and to fight against miseries of all kinds…
Rather than rant about the “grown” man whose job it is to harass Canada’s most popular 19 year-old with a camera, or the fact that he revels in threatening a boy 20 years his junior, calling Biebs a c*ck – hoping to provoke a more salacious segment for the mindless masses, I will instead focus on the reasoned response by John Darnielle, the creative genius behind The Mountain Goats & The Extra Glenns/Lens, and long the enemy of injustice.
Did I really spent half my lunch hour writing a song called "Short Song for Justin Bieber's Paparazzi"? As of this tweet you cannot prove it
— The Mountain Goats (@mountain_goats) March 9, 2013
Within 24-hours of the incident, a wise and paternal JD, utilizing lyrics and his guitar, uploaded this short song:
The simplicity of Darnielle’s message adds to its power, and in his authenticity and honesty (both hallmarks of every Mountain Goats recording I have ever heard) we find a captivating role model – a heroic man worthy of emulation. Fame should not destroy us. Those blessed/cursed by fame, be it Justin Bieber or John Darnielle, deserve to be treated with the same grace as every other creature on Earth.
In the words of Foster The People:
https://twitter.com/fosterthepeople/status/308771366952382466
Yes, even if that kid is Justin Bieber, do what is right and this whole world will be a better place. John Darnielle will be proud of you for it, and so will I.
And now you know.
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On behalf of musicians everywhere. *nod