This is not a scheduled update, as you will not from my previous entry yesterday evening. However, I felt the need to put a few ideas into HTML and get them on the web as soon as possible. It was mid morning on Monday, and I had settled down to my PC to get some work done. My sister was in the living room also, flipping around the music channels on Sky Digital. Although I was trying my best to concentrate it was difficult with the noise and the constant switching of channel. For an instant, she selected MTV Hits and a catchy pop tune was playing. All I was able to catch was that they were a female trio and the chorus, “Love Me, Love Me”. To my frustration and utter annoyance, in the next split second my sister decided to change channel. I then made some feeble attempts search for the band and song, based on few scraps of information I had. Nothing. Well then I didn’t expect to get very far. I found a band called Play, but although originally they seemed to have a similar sound, image and packaging. However, delving deeper, I discovered they were not the genuine article and a four piece. A very poor cover of Atomic Kitten’s ‘Whole Again’, didn’t exact help matters either. It was this evening, when I was idly waiting for my Mum’s Bollywood blockbuster to start on B4U at 8pm. I was wondering around aimless across the digital satellite channels and decided to see what the music category had to offer. I was going to continue watching what are now deemed the “Seven Wonders of MTV”, but decided to skip to the next channel. This was an important decision. That ‘song’ was on and it was near the end. Literally ten seconds in the music video came to an end, and the answer I had been waiting for, slowly faded onto the screen. I grabbed a pen and paper to make sure I got the artist and track title down correctly. There was little chance in me forgetting, but I have made similar mistakes in the past.
The trusted Google search brought me all the information I needed. The official sites for many bands can be awkward. They are usually created by the record label, with a strong emphasis to plug merchandise, concerts, albums and other events. There is usually some commercial exploit somewhere, whether it be a movie tie in or mobile phone promotion. “Anything for a quick buck”, as our American friends would say. That is why, when a fan goes to create a site, it tends to have a completely different focus. Gone are the capitalist morals (if there is such a thing!) and in comes the need to promote the artist, inform the reader and ultimately express why the band, television series, film, game or cartoon character mean so much. I suppose some of the best websites I have seen are these such ‘fan-sites’. Mainly because the pure motivation is sheer devotion rather than money. Once again I am prove right, with the site dedicated to Bellefire. Andy has created a fantastic resource for the fans in Bellefire Pages. Excellent work and I will be sure to check back in the future. Pure Pop at it’s finest!
Love me, love me
But don’t be sorry
Help me, chase the shadows away
Love me, love me
When you’ve got nothing to say
Say something anyway