REASONS not TO BE CHEERFUL, 1,2,3...

I've been in a Dury mood lately, especially fixated on the Kilburn days. But when I checked my copy of the Dury "SONG BY SONG" book, I found it did NOT include the lyrics to any Kilburn songs (even though Ian wrote all the lyrics). Everything other single or album track, yes.

I checked the "Official Website" where artistes usually allow their lyrics to be reproduced. Uh, no.

I did see that one of Dury's kids is hawking her book of lyrics complete with "loving" annotations. How "loving?" Does it have the original 15 minute manuscript version of "Sweet Gene Vincent?" Since Internet browsing is not easy, and this book is NOT in an American store, I suppose I'd have to just buy it "for the collection," and if it really proved a stinker, try to re-sell on eBay?

The website wasn't big on fresh news. They noted a "memorial bench." But...

Watta surprise, a musical bench with headphones VANDALISED. As if some brat stomping all over it wouldn't also do some damage. WHO didn't see this coming? It's a fucking wonder the bench itself isn't all marked up, or just a pile of ashes, but that's not a recent photo.

Note the interesting opening line to this cheerless bit of info: "Ian's family has donated a bench (sponsored by Warner Chappell Music)..."

Meaning, those BASTARDS in the suits and ties bought the bench and paid for installation, right? Those creeps who "RUIN THE FUN?" Good thing kindly, generous people like SPOTIFY are on the scene now! Oh, but they don't find or nurture new talent OR promote artists, they just take a percentage and expect the artist to hire a manager, agent, Web Sheriff, etc. etc.

Meanwhile, Warner (and every other hapless music company) says "oh, it's whack-a-mole" regarding all those "come here for the lyrics" websites. The songwriters don't get a penny from these sites, and aside from maybe Paul Simon or Jagger/Richards, almost nobody is missing. And the music business isn't lobbying for reform, or easy shutdown or blockage of rogue sites.

I checked the sites for one Dury song. Every site had the same illiterate steal. No reason to be cheerful at how all these Buzzfeed Inquisitr Decider Gawker versions in the "read lyrics here" world just COPY AND PASTE.

Ian is a wicked guy, but aside from the copyright issue of "Sueperman," did he EVER intentionally spell words on every line wrong? No. But almost EVERY line in "Pam's Moods" had a gruesome spelling error.

No reasons to be cheerful in my Ian meanderings on the Internet yet. All I found was Ian's kids are trying to make some money off meager memorabilia items, like a lyric book and dupes of Dury art posters that were themselves somewhat Warholian thefts of other peoples' artwork.

And, oh yeah. The site's promoting THIS item for the hipsters:

How nice, all these ridiculous companies hawking their 180 gram vinyl (or "virgin vinyl," for some of the Savile-pervs). This allows asshole friends to say, "Hey, vinyl is making a comeback!"

Meanwhile the perfectly good original vinyl (including sealed copies) mostly rots in record stores and on eBay, because HIPSTERS want the bragging rights of owning "the new box set." Which, if they're really stupid, they might brag about in a GooTube video as they unwrap the Amazon package.

Cheerful? Me? I was EXPECTING to get the actual lyrics to "Pam's Moods," find some GOOD news in the website's news section, and on their merch page see some mp3's or a CD of rare demo material that I know exists.

"What a waste, what a waste, rock 'n' roll don't mind..."