Derek Webb - Stockholm Syndrome

[murlough23]

Regarding the Webb thing, I will say that there's a break between my morals and my aesthetic preferences on the potential "swearing" issue. I'm not terribly offended by swearing in everyday speech, in movies, TV, etc. (It would be hypocritical if I were, since my standards for my own speech have become more lax in recent years - but I try to tailor it to the preferences of whoever I'm speaking to.) But music is different. Doesn't offend me there, either, but since I listen to music over and over, I tend to prefer not to hear it there. It also affects what I can play when certain people are in the car.

NP: "Myriad Harbour", The New Pornographers

[ajyouthguy]

more on the D-Webb saga...

Well, it looks like he's finally done it: in an email sent out early this morning, Nashville musician Derek Webb reveals that his new record, Stockholm Syndrome "has gotten out of control," meaning that it's too offensive for his label, INO Records, to release it. "It seems I've finally found the line beyond which my label can support me, and apparently I've crossed it," Webb wrote.

Well! Frustrating as it must be for Derek, this may be the best Christian music censorship story we've had in a long time. Judging by our inbox, this kind of thing happens on an almost weekly basis in the industry, but leave it to Derek Webb to make all the details public. Not exactly, as his email has next to zero details ("because of various legal/publishing issues"). Apparently most of the controversy surrounds one song, the most important on his most important record, he says. Given the name of his new charity/activism website (not active yet), it's reasonable to guess that it might be the first Christian song ever to feature the s-word.

Here's the gratuitously mysterious original email for you to peruse for yourself. We'll be watching this one with interest.

[murlough23]

If Derek has truly started a charity called "giveashit.org", then I have to react like this:

 

 

 

[chrisnu]

Doing a little more digging for information on the Derek Webb record...

This article has been updated to include that the song inciting the controversy is about Christians' treatment of homosexuals, and does use the s-word.

There's also a rough mix of one of the songs from the record which can be downloaded here:

http://app.pastemagazine.com/vault

It looks like you have to donate to Paste Magazine in order to get access to the song (and the others).

[murlough23]

This article has been updated to include that the song inciting the controversy is about Christians' treatment of homosexuals, and does use the s-word.

In that case, the commentary on homosexuals may be considered more controversial than the swear word. But I'm Webb's side regarding that issue. Regardless of our moral views on homosexuality, that doesn't give us license to treat people like shit.

Now, as for whether he's chosen the best words he could to bring the issue to light, that's another story. There's a difference between saying what needs to be said and just plain being inflammatory. I'd have to hear the song or at least its lyrics to comment any further.

NP: "St. Stephen's Cross", Vienna Teng

[chrisnu]

This whole Derek Webb thing keeps getting more interesting. I received this e-mail today:

friends-
this is turning into a bigger deal than we expected.  as a result, we're having to temporarily _pull everything online down (can't explain now).  and to be on the s_afe side, i'm going to pe_rsonally go offline while we sort this out.  i re_ally shouldn't use my twitter account for now either so _don't expect any updates there. 

make no m_istake, our trouble with the label over content i_s very real, and not as simple as one word; we're back_ed into a corner.  but we have applied all of our creative resources to th_is, working furiou_sly to create something that we believe not only subverts any leg_al issues but should also be a _pretty wild ride. 

so this will be the l_ast email for a while.  we'll t_ry to lea_k information via a new tw_itter account, @ssyndrome.  you're o_n your own so start payin_g attention.  i'l_l see you _on the o_ther side-
derek

[dgp11776]

I'm probably the only one on here that feels this way, but the more emails he sends, and the deeper the "controversy" goes, the less interested I get in hearing the album.

[Josh]

I'd say it has no effect on my interest in the album. Yes, it sounds like he's trying to say something important. No, these e-mails don't give us any indication as to whether he's saying it artfully or responsibly. And yes, Christian labels can make really bone-headed decisions, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong in this case.

So: I'm interested in hearing it because it's a Derek Webb album, and his music is always worthwhile. But that's about it.

[bloop]

I have to side with Josh on this one.  It had the initial effect of making me very interested in hearing what he has to say.  Further information (or announcements that there is none that can be given) isn't having any effect on my interest in hearing the completed project, for good or ill.

[Josh]

This whole thing is actually very telling of Webb in general: He's talking a lot about the controversy surrounding his lyrics, but hasn't said a single word about what the album actually SOUNDS like. Which only re-enforces, for me, what has always been the problem with Webb's albums: He puts the lyrics first, and the music is something of an afterthought.

[ajyouthguy]

I'm probably the only one on here that feels this way, but the more emails he sends, and the deeper the "controversy" goes, the less interested I get in hearing the album.

i'm on the same page as you.  honestly, the tone of the emails has been jr highish to me.  maybe that's blasphemy to some, but that's how i've felt with the 2 emails.

[bloop]

Hmm.  Maybe it's the underscores? 

I don't get that from them.  I think he's honestly trying to keep people posted, but walking on eggshells in terms of what he can say.  I wouldn't mind if he just had an information blackout here, since that's what he has to do anyway.

[Josh]

It's all just a big marketing scam?

http://wearethestories.blogspot.com/2009/05/derek-webbs-stockholm-syndrom.html

[chrisnu]

Haha, this is getting good. Or annoying, depending on your point of view.

I also caught this conversation between Derek and Justin McRoberts on Twitter:

@derekwebb you can't just launch an album... you have to drive everyone nutz first.

@justinmcroberts that's my job brother. is it working?

@derekwebb it seems so. I was on the phone w/ Brannon when David called to ask about your Myspace page... it was classic.


Whatever. I find it amusing.


http://www.myspace.com/derekwebb

 

[murlough23]

An alternate reality game? What is this, a new Derek Webb album or a season of Lost?

Regarding the criticism that Derek always puts lyrics ahead of music, I'd say this only really applies to Mockingbird. She Must and Shall Go Free was very purposely rooted in its Americana sound, I See Things Upside Down was very fussy and Wilco-ish on a sonic level (I didn't like that about it, but it didn't seem like the music was an afterthought either), and The Ringing Bell was where Derek discovered he could have fun with the music again. He's not out there inventing new genres, but it seems to me he's always been intentional about making the music swerve away from expectations, outside of Mockingbird.

[NinjaRob17]

Man, I went to Ugly Mugs but they were out when I got there.   That was disappointing.

[chrisnu]

Man, I went to Ugly Mugs but they were out when I got there.   That was disappointing.

Found this over on the derekwebb.net forums:

I just went to the coffee shop and this is what they gave me.   A slip of paper reading:

"I have jumpe_d the shark and I d_on't care what yo_u _c_humps hav_e to say a_bout it _anymore.   Now _go away.

I think it's some sort of code.

The letters next to the underscores spell out douchebag. 

[Brenden]

This whole thing is actually very telling of Webb in general: He's talking a lot about the controversy surrounding his lyrics, but hasn't said a single word about what the album actually SOUNDS like.

It's got more of an electronic influence, from what I remember. He mentioned an electronica/doo-wop track, specifically.

[murlough23]

LOL. Maybe Derek's strategy is to draw so much fire for his use of "bad words" that by the time some other CCM artist gets around to taking that risk, it won't be so controversial.

NP: "Sleeping Torpor", Anathallo

[Brenden]

www.black-eye.me

There's a clip there of a new song if you type in, "youneverknow".

It's only a few seconds, but it's something.

[chrisnu]

That sounds great. I enjoy that style of music anyway, though.

[chrisnu]

http://www.derekwebb.com/r_eal.php

Enter the "quotes" from this "article".

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/main/slices/music/16959-derek-webbs-publicity-stunt

 

[chrisnu]

Looks like this is slowly coming about. "Artifacts" are being placed in various cities, and after they are found, "stems" of a song are uploaded to http://www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com. Each audio file is named after a word; when they are placed in the proper sequence, they'll comprise an entire song.

You can listen to the two songs which have been made available here:

http://shanebertou.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/stockholm-syndrome-marketing-as-performance-art/

Musically, I prefer "Heaven"; lyrically, "The Spirit vs. The Kick Drum". There could be some association with the latter with the following quote from Cliff Young:

http://www.christianbook.com/html/authors/4502.html

Rich [Mullins] used to talk about how people would come up to him after concerts and say, 'Wow! The Holy Spirit really moved at that certain point in the song,'" [Cliff] Young remembers. "And Rich would respond by saying, 'No actually, that's where the kick drum and the bass came in.' It's easy to mistake energy and emotion for worship. So it taught us that worship can be just as powerful when we're by ourselves in our room, in prayer, as it can be with 3,000 people getting chill bumps.

"Heaven" seems to be about the church's interaction with the poor (materially and spiritually), while "The Spirit vs. The Kick Drum" is about the substitution of the Christian walk with something more utilitarian and experiential. It's similar to "A New Law" in the rejection of spiritual maturity for something easier and more convenient.

Here's the lyrics to both songs:

"Heaven"

Well, I was killed in a shopping cart
Turned upside down and left for dead
I saw a clown try to speak to me
As I floated overhead

I found my way to a familiar place
I swear I've been sometime before
I would have thought it was the marketplace
But I could not find the door

Oh I have been to heaven
And I have walked the streets
'Cause I couldn't find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet

So paradise is a parking lot
A spot up front is your reward
And all the rest walk down streets of gold
To the house they could afford

Well I got lost in the swelling(?) crowd
And I could not afford to eat
You only have what you came in with
So I'm living on the streets.

Oh I have been to heaven
And I found no relief
'Cause I couldn't find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet.

Well I heard Jesus Christ was there
He had a car that's bulletproof
And that way everyone is safe
From the man who tells the truth

Oh I have been to heaven
And I have walked the streets
But I couldn't find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet

Oh, I couldn't find a hand to hold
To keep me on my feet

“The Spirit Vs. The Kick Drum”

A One and a Two and a Chick a Booma Chick

I don't want the Spirit I want the kick drum
I don't want the Spirit I want the Kick drum
I know how it works so I'm not dumb
I don't want the Spirit I want the kick drum

Like sex without love
Like peace without the dove
Like a crime scene without the blood

I don't want the Spirit you know I wanna kick drum

I don't want the Son I wanna jury of peers
I don't want the Son I wanna jury of peers
Mascara's gonna run when you see my tears
I don't want the Son I wanna jury of peers

Like lies without the truth
Like wine without the fruit
Like a sky dive without the chute

I don't want the Son you know I wanna jury of peers
I dont want the Spirit you know I wanna kick drum  (oh groove with me baby)

I don't want the Father I wanna vending machine
I don't want the Father I wanna  vending machine
I know what you want you know what I mean
I don't want the Father I wanna a vending machine

Like Heaven without gates
Like Hell without flames
Like life without pain

I don't want the Father you know I wanna vending machine
I don't want the Son you know I wanna jury of peers
I don't want the Spirit you know I wanna a kick drum

[chrisnu]

Now that more "stems" are being released, it's actually beginning to resemble a song, when pieced together. A Derek Webb fan wrote a program which automatically assembles the pieces, the result of which is being made available here:

http://twitter.com/penguinicus

The following is a catch-all for all the information released this far, put together by another  fan:

http://ssyndrome.weebly.com/

I like this song. I can't wait to hear the whole thing. Based on the way things are going (three sets of stems every week), the whole thing should be available in about a month.

[Brenden]

There's our controversial word.

[chrisnu]

Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes... the dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

[murlough23]

mass hysteria!

I don't want to live in the modern world!

[danny316]

Anyone know what the deal is with this "artifact" crap? I have no idea how we were supposed to look for them, what they were, etc.

...frankly, this has gone from being a mildly amusing potential hoax to being a completely obnoxious way of dragging out a release.

[murlough23]

...frankly, this has gone from being a mildly amusing potential hoax to being a completely obnoxious way of dragging out a release.

That's why I'm treating it the same way I treat the alternate reality games for Lost - I watch, amused, from the sidelines, as other people puzzle over stuff, but I figure I have plenty else to keep me busy while waiting for the new season. Same is true for Derek. I'm looking forward to his new album, but I'd rather spend my time while I'm waiting for it listening to other people's new albums, instead of trying to piece his back together song by song.

NP: "These Are the Fables", The New Pornographers

[danny316]

Where physical locations are involved, though, it might have been fun to pursue the "artifacts" here in Raleigh. In spite of the incessant noise I'm getting from Derek Webb's twitter and fansites, I wasn't even notified of the artifacts' existence until they'd all been found.

...I get the idea that each artifact is only findable once anyway, so it might not have been worth my time. Still, the element of "oh well, maybe it's fun for the fans who can get to these places" has now disappeared.

[chrisnu]

http://twitter.com/ssyndrome said to re-download stem 2 from http://www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com.

WHOA. I am not feeling this one.

[chrisnu]

The song "Freddie, Please" has been taken out of stem 2. If anyone wants it who didn't get to download it, PM me!

[chrisnu]

Looks like the album may be released September 1:

http://tinyurl.com/kmaler

Perhaps Derek and the label worked things out, after all.

[chrisnu]

More news from Twitter:

Label negotiations going well. Compromise within sight, official release date coming. More details re: BNA event this week. Pay attention.

Looks like the label has optimistically released the street date. Stockholm Syndrome looks to be in stores 09/01/09.

http://derekwebb.com will have Stockholm Syndrome for pre-order, with immediate full digital download, two months earlier. more news soon.

That's only about two weeks from now, so  

There's also a new video in the RSS feed at http://www.paradiseisaparkinglot.com. It appears to be part of the making of the song being released in the stems.

[chrisnu]

So, Derek wants us to give a shit about the 50,000 people who are dying every day from starvation and preventable disease. The controversial song wasn't the gay one.

[murlough23]

So, Derek wants us to give a shit about the 50,000 people who are dying every day from starvation and preventable disease. The controversial song wasn't the gay one.

That actually strikes me as ironic, that the word "shit" would stir up more controversy than a song about homosexuality. Of course, I haven't heard either song. But still, I somehow doubt that "shit" is only a problem by comparison because we're all on the same page regarding how we should treat gays.

[bloop]

I'm at the "alert me when it's actually out" stage.  I like Webb, but I'm not obsessed about him.

[murlough23]

I'm at the "alert me when it's actually out" stage.  I like Webb, but I'm not obsessed about him.

I can understand that. I'm fine with getting the word out and building up anticipation for an album, but it's getting to the point where all of the discussion and controversy and whatever are already going to be talked about and then largely forgotten in favor of the next big story by the time the album actually drops.

NP: "How They Made Cameras", Falling Up

[chrisnu]

I thought Derek got the controversial stuff out of the way about half-way through. Wrong.

http://ssyndrome.weebly.com/

You say you always treat people how you'd like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
About what you believe, make you sound like a freak

'Cause if you really believe what you say you believe
You wouldn't be so damn reckless with the words you speak
Wouldn't silently consent when the liars speak
Denying all the dyin' or the remedy

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?

If I can tell what's in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks like being straight is all it's about
Looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasing the wind while the pendulum swings

We can talk and debate until we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he's coming to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don't give a shit
About fifty thousand people who are dying today

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?

Brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?
Tell me, what matters more to you?
Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?

[chrisnu]

I'm at the "alert me when it's actually out" stage.  I like Webb, but I'm not obsessed about him.

Ask, and you shall receive:

http://twitter.com/ssyndrome

Pre-order starts tomorrow. 6 different packages to choose from, all include IMMEDIATE full digital download of 'Stockholm Syndrome.'