Song Of The Month August 2016

Well it's the final day of the month and I've only just managed to get round to writing a new post with August's Song of the Month. I'd been hoping to share some more unusual songs with you guys however I've not had a lot of time to brainstorm and do some looking into indie bands etc so it left me in a quandary about what exactly to pick. So just a short while ago, the idea came to me. So without further ado I'm pleased to announce that the 'Song of the Month' August 2016 is (drum roll).......

'Man In The Mirror' by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was probably one of the first artists I was ever majorly into, he was my favourite singer of all-time when I was younger and I listened to his music nonstop. Although, I perhaps don't listen to his just as much as I used, I'm still a huge fan and am greatly inspired by him and his music.

This month saw what would have been Michael's 58th Birthday so it only felt right to celebrate his Birthday here on my blog by picking one his songs as the Song of the Month. The question was 'what song?' Then it came to me! I heard 'Man In The Mirror' on the radio the other day and the message behind the song is so inspiring and the world would be a much better place if everyone took note of the lyrics and actually put them into action. It felt like forever since I'd last heard this song but I still remember the lyrics word for word.

So why not click on the embedded link to YouTube and spare a few minutes out of your day to listen to this masterpiece! Enjoy everyone!

Until next month!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

The Final First Day

Schools back and tutoring begins for me once again. I can't believe the Summer holidays are behind us now, where on earth did the seven weeks go? It feels like just yesterday that I was counting down the days until the Summer holidays. BOOM! And they're gone!  

It's weird saying that this is my final first day of term. One day down how many more to go? I can't quite believe that I'm in sixth year; my final year of school! It feels just like yesterday that I waved goodbye to primary school and started secondary school exactly five years ago today. I spent three days in my new school before heading down to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for the knee op that changed my life. I was off school for months and finally returned for a period of a couple of months before I realising that I really couldn't cope with school. I was under a lot of medication and the more active I became the more my pain increased meaning that my doctors had to increase the medication dosages and I didn't particularly like the side effects but I'll leave that for a future post. With this in mind I made the decision to return to home tuition which I've been receiving ever since.

I can't say that home tuition has always been easy nor has my education/schooling in general. We've had a lot of tutors come and go over the years as unfortunately, not everyone quite understood what was wrong with me and in turn didn't understand that I couldn't cope some days. Eventually, we did find the right tutors for me and words cannot describe how much of an impact they've made in my life. I'm a completely different person since I first met them; they're always willing to adapt and make every task something that I CAN achieve! And as result look what I've achieved!? I actually passed my art and design qualification and things are looking hopeful to attempt some further qualifications this year. So without a doubt I'll miss my tutors next year when I leave school however I have a lot of plans and aspirations for the future and can't wait to take them forward!

I turn eighteen in less than a month and I feel like there's so much ahead of me in my next chapter. On reflection I can't quite believe what I've done with my life and I'm only seventeen so who knows what the future holds!

My ambitions for this coming school year are pretty high; there's ALOT of things I want to do and put into action and my intentions are to get the ball rolling. At the moment it looks like that my tutoring will consist of a four day which means I'll have an extra day to myself meaning that I can use the extra time wisely by working towards my goals. I want to make this final year of school/tutoring count so I've got a lot to do or at least make a start on. So be sure to keep up to date with my blog, YouTube and social media accounts to hear all of my latest news, updates and follow each step of the journey!

Let's see what I mad things I can cram into the agenda between now and the day I leave school next June! I'll never say never about anything anymore that's for sure!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: Heading Out On A Fab Four Taxi Tour Part 1

During our fourth and final day in Liverpool, Mum and I took the Fab Four Taxi Tour which as some of you may remember was on the agenda during our trip last year. As we had enjoyed it so much during our previous trip we decided to opt for a longer tour this time; the three hour 'Lennon' tour. We both had a brilliant day touring the sites in Liverpool that helped shape The Beatles and became the inspiration for some of their most famous songs. So sit back with a cup o' tea and relax whilst I take you on a magical mystery tour as I write about all of the places we visited during the Fab Four Taxi Tour.

Around half past ten we arrived at the designated pick up point 'The Pumphouse' at Albert Dock where we met our tour guide, a gentleman named Ian. Each driver's cab is named after a Beatles song, Ian's was called 'Dear Prudence'-such a cool idea!

Due to my health and mobility accessing taxis minus a ramp is near impossible nowadays however we noticed on the company's website that some of the cabs have a swivel chair which allows people with mobility issues access the taxi from street level without any difficulty. And what a difference this made for me and Ian couldn't have been more helpful assisting me.

The house where Ringo was born

The first stop in the tour was a part of Liverpool named Dingle where Ringo Starr (then known as Richard Starkey) group up. No.9 Madryn Street pictured above is the house that Ringo Starr was born and lived there until the age of 5. Further down the Madryn Street at No.59 was also the home of Ringo's Grandparents. Every house on the street as far as I can remember had a sheet of lyrics from some of Ringo's songs attached to the window which was a special touch. Sadly, the street is currently inhabited besides one house as the residents who live there refuse to leave and to be honest I don't really blame them. I believe there has been doubts regarding the street's future however during our visit repair work was in progress right before our very eyes which is a positive sign.

A pic of The Empress Pub featured on Ringo's album 'Sentimental Journal' taken from inside of the taxi

Around the corner was 'The Empress Pub' pictured on Ringo's first solo album 'Sentimental Journey' where his family and friends spent a lot of time socialising when he was a young boy. Ringo recorded 'Sentimental Journey' for his Mother which was filled with covers of Ringo's Mother's favourite songs-another little fact for you all!

Ringo's home in Admiral Grove

Recreating a famous photo of Ringo

Ringo and his Mother moved to No.9 Admiral Grove (pictured above), a street almost directly adjacent to Madryn Street. The house in Admiral Grove is currently empty as the elderly lady who once lived there sadly passed away last year. We were able to have a peek through the window to get a glimpse of the interior as the rooms, fittings etc haven't changed since Ringo lived there all those years ago. Also pictured above is me recreating a photograph of Ringo leaving Admiral Grove for a Beatles gig in Liverpool on the very spot he once stood in (such a geek I am!).

The park where Julia Stanley met Alfred Lennon

Following this we visited Sefton Park where John Lennon's Mum Julia Stanley met his Dad Alfred Lennon at the boating lake (pictured above). The same park I believe was named in a song called 'In Liverpool' released by Ringo years later. Directly across the road was what is now a hotel named Blenheim Lakeside Hotel which was once home to Stuart Sutcliffe, a former member and the original bassist of The Beatles who like me was Scottish and sadly passed away in 1962. Stuart alongside his family once lived in apartment 1B situated on the right of the hotels front door. As you can see in the image below there's a plaque commemorating him outside of the hotel.

The apartment where original member of The Beatles Stuart Sutcliffe lived

Mum & I at the Penny Lane street sign

Through the speaker system inside the taxi one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs 'Penny Lane' began to play as we began to drive down the very street itself. First, we stopped off at the Penny Lane street sign where a photo was of course in order. As you can see the sign has been painted on the wall in place of the original street sign which like many other famous landmarks in Liverpool has unfortunately been obstructed or stolen by Beatles fan. Further along the road there is however an actual sign where most other Beatles tours take visitors to the city however the one we're photographed beside was in fact where the original sign had once been situated. That in my opinion is much more authentic in comparison to the new sign.

The famous Penny Lane barber shop

Listening to thefamous song once again, we headed further along the road to see a number of the very locations named in the song before our very eyes. This includes 'the shelter in the middle of the roundabout' where John and Paul used to meet to catch the bus, the bank, 'the barbershop showing photographs' formerly known as 'Bioletti's Barber Shop', now named 'Tony Slavin' as well as the fire station. For me, this one of my favourite parts of the tour; there's such a buzz listening to the lyrics of the song and actually seeing the exact locations that Paul McCartney visited which inspired him to write a song about it. Ian also pointed out various Beatles related locations within the proximity that's connections are rarely highlighted-being such a huge fan I loved seeing these unknown places.

The bus shelter in the middle of the roundabout

Barnardo's charity shop originally the photo studio owned by the gentleman who took The Beatles first professional photos

Pictured above, directly across from the famous bus shelter is what is now a 'Barnardo's' charity shop however what people don't know is that it once was a tiny photo studio owned by a gentleman who Brian Epstein asked to do The Beatles' first ever professional photoshoot in 1961. The shoot took place in 1961 and at the time Pete Best was the band's drummer. I believe the shoot consisted of thirty photos however only just sixteen survived as the rest were discarded due to certain bands members mucking around during the session. Just a few doors along the path is the location of what used to be the Woolworths store where John Lennon's first wife Cynthia once worked for a period of time back in the day.

The house John Lennon lived in from birth until 1945

Following this Ian showed us 9 Newcastle Road, Wavertree which was the first house John Lennon lived in from birth until 1945. In recent years the house was purchased by an American Beatles fan at an auction which took place in The Cavern Club in Mathew Street. You might not be able to see so well in the pictures but outside the front door; engraved into the steps are the words 'Imagine', 'Peace' and 'Wisdom' in tribute to John which is a fitting tribute.

Brian Epstein's childhood home

We also saw Brian Epstein's childhood family home located at 127 Queen's Drive in the area of Childwall as well as the house at 137 Gateacre Park Drive that John Lennon purchased for his Aunt and Uncle who took care of John's sisters after their mother Julia sadly passed away. This was the very house that John, Yoko and family visited amidst the recording of the 'Abbey Road' album in 1969 whilst on route for a tour of the Scottish Highlands where John spent many holidays visiting family as a child. It was during the same trip they got into a car accident in the narrow highland roads cutting their trip short.

137 Gateacre Park Drive where John, Yoko & children visited family on route for a tour of the Scottish highlands in 1969

George Harrison's family home from 1962-65 where he celebrated his 21st Birthday

We also visited the family home of George Harrison at 174 Markets Lane where he lived from 1962 until the year 1965 when George bought his parent a new house located in Warrington. This was also the home where he celebrated his 21st birthday at which Ian, our guide showed us some photographs of the local postmen delivering crates to the house filled with cards and letters to George from hundreds of fans wishing him a 'Happy Birthday'. In the image above you can see me sitting on the wall outside George's old house probably on the very spot where many Beatles fans would find themselves hoping to catch a glimpse of George back in 60s. Sadly, I'm just a few decades too late to meet George!
Well, as suspected this post is turning out to be a long one so I've decided to write about my trip round Liverpool exploring all of the Beatles related sites in two parts. There's so much to write about, I could easily go on forever! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 and be sure to keep an eye out for Part 2! If you want to find out more about The Fab Four Taxi Tours be sure to visit their website on the following link: http://fab4tours.co.uk/. I can't recommend this tour enough, it's totally worth it!

Good News!

Hello my friends!

I've been absent here on my blog since the end of last month as you may have noticed as I haven't been so well. I've been suffering from a bad pain flare up in my knee which has lasted for quite some time much to my frustration. Mum managed to eventually persuade me to go see a doctor yesterday however, just as I suspected there's nothing they can really do to help me. Chronic pain is a tricky business, there's isn't an exactly a cure just ways to mask the pain and most of which comes with a price to pay. So it's just another flare up that I'll have to ride through until me body decides to settle down a little once again.

Those of you who know me will know that I'm not one to sit back and do nothing, it's not within my nature to do that so it's been difficult trying to accept the fact that I need to rest and live a quiet life in order for my pain levels to improve I must admit. Although, as suspected I couldn't sit still long and have found myself working on bits and pieces including some new videos for my YouTube channel which I've had very little time to focus on during school term so it's been great to make some new videos! I'll embed the latest video somewhere amidst this post however be sure to explore my channel and have a little peek at some of the other videos that I've been uploading. I also uploaded a vlog which I filmed whilst in Liverpool last month and have two more videos worth of footage from Liverpool still to go up so keep an eye out for that!

Anyway, on to the good news! You may remember before the school Summer holidays here in Scotland I decided with the encouragement of my tutor to submit my artwork to be assessed for a National 4 in Art and Design. Well yesterday, was the SQA result day when the all important letters were sent out to 4th, 5th and 6th year pupils with their exam results and I was one of those pupils who received a letter with the results from my Art & Design course. And I'm so delighted to say that I passed!!!!!

It was so nice after a particularly rough couple of weeks health wise to receive such a great piece of news! I only have limited period of time between the Easter and Summer holidays to complete the coursework and as you may remember I had a busy few weeks amongst it all. So to say I actually achieved it in such a short period of time feels brilliant and I'm really chuffed with the outcome! I'm not gonna lie, there was a few pieces I could quite easily have ripped up in frustration as I couldn't see where it was going or it didn't look the way I wanted it too. Thank goodness for my Mum and fabby tutor who kept me sane and helped me get the end result which I'm pretty delighted with!

So I guess that's all the news I have for you at this very moment. I promise I will get that final Liverpool post finished and posted with soon, it's a long one and there's a lot of facts and information in there which I've had to do a little bit of research into in order to make sure I get it correct hence why it's taking a while but it is there, I promise!

Anyway, I better go for now! I hope you're all doing well and enjoying what's left of the Summer holidays, you'd think it's the middle of Winter here in Scotland-it's so miserable!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Song Of The Month July 2016

Well that's us at the end of July already I'm afraid and next month (August) we'll head back to school or home tutoring in my case. Looking at the brighter side of the situation, at least I'll be starting my final year of school! A slightly frightening thought I must admit!

Anyway, seeing as it's the end of the month I better pick out July's 'Song of the Month'. And some of you might be able to guess what band it's by considering where I ventured earlier this month. So my song choice this month is........

'Penny Lane' by The Beatles

As you all probably know by now, I visited Liverpool earlier in the month and during my trip visited a lot of famous Beatles related sites on 'The Fab Four Taxi Tour'. And well, Penny Lane just so happened to be one of them. I love the buzz of driving into Penny Lane listening to the famous song of the same name penned by one of my very favourite musicians Sir Paul McCartney about some of the places he visited in Liverpool throughout his youth. I love how simple, everyday things inspired him to write such a classic song loved by people all over the world and brings thousands of fans like myself to a visit a certain street in his hometown. It fascinates me to be honest.

Penny Lane is up there as one of my all-time favourite Beatles songs so considering that and the fact that I visited the very location of the song just a few weeks ago it only felt right to pick it as my 'Song of the Month'. I hope you enjoy listening to this cheery number and be sure to pay close attention to the lyrics where Paul describes his observation of a street he visited on a daily basis. Love, love, love it!

Liverpool Adventures July 2016: I Touched A Piece of Beatles History!

Well hello out there from another day (well evening!) here in Liverpool. Today, we've literally been here, there and everywhere fitting in as much as we possibly could. Liverpool was absolutely buzzing, there was so much happening absolutely everywhere we ventured! I wish we lived somewhere like that where there's constantly something happening and so much to see. However, I'll just have to enjoy it whilst I'm here!

We had breakfast once again at Bill's this morning because it's seriously too good not to! It's definitely worth paying a visit to if you ever get the chance, I believe there's various branches up and down the country. I am so unadventurous when it comes to food in the present day so once again I ordered a cooked breakfast with all the usual suspects included. When I was younger I used to be up for trying absolutely anything when it came to food nowadays I tend to opt for things that I'm familiar with. But just like yesterday, Bill's lived up to our high expectations and delivered yet another delicious meal!

Both Laurel and Mum had various shops in mind that they wanted to visit particularly the department stores that sell makeup such as Debenhams and Harvey Nichols. The shops down here a much bigger selection of makeup brands so we were in our element having a browse. Mum and Laurel made a few purchases buying some new goodies however I refrained from doing so as I'd been saving my cash for a splurge in one of The Beatles Stores-it's got be done!

Mum and I left Laurel at the Nars counter in Harvey Nichols whilst a member of staff matched her up for a new foundation whilst we headed outside to wait on her. As we waited our eyes fell upon an elderly gentleman wearing rollerblades whilst setting up a speaker system. Before long music filled the surroundings as he began roller-skating round the square zipping in and out of tables and benches in the process. I couldn't quite believe my eyes! He even started skating to 'Rockin' All Over The World' by Status Quo which seemed to gather an audience. I noticed a sign which said that he was seventy eight years old and that he is nicknamed 'Quick Silver'. What an incredible gentleman, I'd honestly never seen anything quite like it before!

Another thing that's really stuck out at me over the past couple of days is that there's a bunch of pianos scattered across the main shopping thoroughfare and anyone can use them to play a tune or two. I've seen some really talented people over the past couple of days and love hearing music wherever we go, why can't we have that back home!? There was also a choir of school children performing and playing large tin drums so we stopped off to listen and they were absolutely brilliant! They performed a range of Beatles numbers which immediately caught my attention accompanied by various other well known hits from the present day and the audience they'd accumulated were lovin' it! We even got speaking to a gentleman who was extremely passionate about art so it was great to sit and chat with him for a little whilst we listened to the children perform. That's one of the many reasons I love Liverpool because everyone is so friendly and interesting!

Initially, we'd planned to return to The Beatles Story however we soon discovered the lift was still broken so unfortunately, it was a no-goer. However, Mum and Dad let me loose it the shop which is like a Beatles fan's heaven. They have everything you could ever imagine. So understandably, I managed to spend a few pounds picking up a few goodies for myself in the process. Oh and let's not forget the soundtrack of Beatles songs in the background which I happily sang along to as I paraded round the shop deliberating what to buy. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

We left the shop with a bag of merch in hand and made our way to the Maritime Museum which was just a short walk away. Laurel and I studied the Titanic in Primary school and have been fascinated with the ill-fated ship ever since. I read online somewhere that the museum is currently playing host to a Titanic exhibit so it was only right to pay it a visit whilst we were there and to top it off, it was absolutely free!
The exhibition was extremely interesting and had been designed to suit all age groups. It was filled with lots of interactive exhibits for younger visitors although I actually quite enjoyed those parts myself I must admit, artefacts from both the ship itself as well as The White Star Line company who's headquarters I believe were located in Liverpool. Not only that, there was also a few pieces of memorabilia from the famous 1997 'Titanic' film starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet which I'm a huge fan of.

We then paid the Museum of Liverpool at Pier Head a brief visit as it was drawing near to closing time. During out Beatles tour last year our guide told us that the museum was host to the very stage that was in St Peter's Hall where John and Paul met in front of the steps whilst John was waited to go on stage to perform with his band 'The Quarrymen'. Naturally, I was desperate to see it so it became part of the agenda for our trip! We stumbled across an exhibit based round the sport, music and entertainment scene in Liverpool where there was a display based round The Beatles yet no sign of the stage. Mum decided to approach a nearby member of the museum staff who said she'd take us to see it. Normally, as far as I'm aware, it's only open to the public at certain times however, she kindly allowed me access into the specific room to view it! She even said I could touch it and take photos which is normally a big 'no, no' when it comes to these sort of things! I was just a tad excited-okay perhaps a little more than that being the geek that I am!

By the time we walked out of the museum doors it was around five o'clock or in other words; dinner time! And guess where we returned to after having such an amazing meal last night? Jamie's Italian restaurant of course! And guessed who ordered a steak once again because she enjoyed it so much the night before? Yep, you guessed it me! Me! Laurel ordered some seafood pasta dish which I could barely look at because it had bits of octopus and squid in it which completely freaked me out and gave me the shivers, how she ate it I'll never know! She's a brave one that's for sure!

Just like I said in my previous post, the staff are an absolute credit to the Jamie's Italian franchise and like Mum and I were saying the restaurant and staff are basically an extension of Jamie Oliver himself. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable and generally make the entire experience one to remember!

After dinner Dad headed back to the hotel as he was tired and wanted to chill so stayed behind at the Liverpool One Centre and did a little bit of shopping as we had a couple of things in mind that we wanted to pick up for Birthday and Christmas presents. We liked to prepared as far in advance as humanely possible! Even though, it was the early evening the shopping centre was still buzzing with life with people coming and going from all angles. It's definitely a great city to do a bit of people watching that's for sure!

Back at the hotel later in the evening I made at start on transferring my camera files onto my laptop to organise properly when I get home and have some time on my hands. Besides that I did a little bit of window watching (my favourite hobby) and enjoyed leisurely gazing out at the docklands below taking in the stunning view. It's very relaxing for soul!

Anyway, it's getting late and I've got to get up early as tomorrow we're off on The Fab Four taxi tour for a trip round Liverpool and I'm extremely excited to do some exploring and seeing some significant sites in The Beatles world. So there'll be another exciting post coming very soon-promise!

To read Day 1 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!
or
To read Day 2 in my 'Liverpool Adventures' series click here!

The Problems With Today's Music Industry

I'm meant to be writing my next daily blog and a couple of concert reviews but I found myself randomly scrolling through Facebook, old blog posts and reading a few things written by various people and it's added fuel to a fire that's been burning inside my brain for quite some time now. I've been contemplating this subject for months on end; I've touched upon it in various blog posts here on 'The Hat Hippie' as well as my old music blog. However it's not a subject to touch upon in just one blog post, spur on people's minds for a short period of time and then be forgotten about after a while. I've recently realised that it's a passion and I need to take it into my own hands and do something about it. Unfortunately, I don't have much stature where I have hundreds of people listening to what I have to say and wanting to help. I'm a seventeen year old girl hiding behind her laptop writing whatever comes to my mind because it's something I enjoy doing and I hope that it reaches even just a handful of people. But what I can do is continually make people aware of what I feel passionate about in hope that over time they too will be able to influence others and so on.

You all know that music is my passion and biggest love in life. It's helped cope with everything life has thrown at me particularly in the past five years or so since my knee surgery. I don't know what I would have done without that escape. Over time my love for music has developed naturally by learning to play instruments, exploring the media side of things using blogging as a source to discuss my passion and becoming a radio presenter where again; I can promote, discuss and enthuse about music. However, it saddens me to say that the music industry and let's face it the arts in general is a dying industry due to the modern world. It's there but it often feels like you've got to already be known in the industry to actually succeed. Sadly, there's big and there's small and a very large gap between the two. It seems there's no way of getting there unless you're willing to enter a TV talent show. Admittedly, I'm just as guilty as everyone else; I tune in faithfully every year to watch and every year another contestant wins the title of being a manufactured pop star who will succeed for a few years and have a few hits or release an album which goes straight down the plughole. Why? Well I can't say for sure but as it seems unless you're young and attractive the officials behind the scenes are not interested. There's been certain contestants that stuck out to me throughout these talents show simply because they're different. Sadly, due to that very reason they were eventually voted off or they got a record deal, an album followed and they're image completely changed.

Is that really what the industry is nowadays? Is there really such thing as music anymore? Has the world seriously overlooked something that provokes power, emotion and perhaps represents a little of ourselves in place of young, attractive artists who solely rely on that to sell an album and not it's content. It bothers me watching true musicians out busking, trying to promote their music and sell an album and yet there's big names out there who truly don't appreciate what they have. Indie artists I'm sure would kill for the chance to perform at Wembley Stadium or to have a no.1 hit played nonstop on the radio.

One of the biggest banes of my life is digital music; I do use it like the rest of us but at the same time I hate it and it's impact on the music industry. Similarly, a few years ago at the rise of the kindle and digital books I argued with every single person I met about how I was completely against it and explained time and time again the reason why. I debated this subject with teachers, family and friends and I heard every excuse underneath the sun. I always believed digital books would be the death of the bookstores and I was right. Recently, I came across an article about how a few years ago the high-street bookstores were on the point of diminishing due to a significant rise in digital book sales. In many respects I've never felt so proud in my life, I'd won my argument, I was right! However people have since returned to opting for a physical book and things seem to looking a little more positive in the literacy world but again, there's still a long way to go!

I see a similar situation with music, thanks to the digital world will we loose our music stores? Think about it, a few years ago HMV was on the blink. They shut the doors of some of the franchise's biggest stores, somehow my local store was one of the few that remained but is it's future really certain? I'm not so sure, the signs are certainly there; it's already recently moved to a much smaller store and I personally feel that the music selection is nowhere as varied as it once was. Somehow, unlike the book world I don't see things getting better anytime soon.

I visited my Grandparent's earlier today and my Gran had recorded a documentary about Top Of The Pops for me so I sat down and watched it whilst I was there. Throughout it my mind kept going back to these thoughts and how things have changed for the industry in the present day. It's certainly not for the better. There's another thing, what happened to things like Top Of The Pop and MTV? Sadly, I'm too young to remember it but have discovered many of it's content through YouTube and on TOTP reruns on TV late in the evenings. The type of content it featured would appeal to me in the present day, I for one would certainly watch it! But sadly, there is NOTHING like that at present! And even if there was would it all be directed towards brainwashing the world with manufactured pop acts?

Like I said earlier, I'm only seventeen but I for one can see a real problem. I've had various discussions with various people particularly in the past few weeks and I've been thinking about it more than you could possibly imagine. I have a chance on radio to make a difference, I have a chance to use this blog and to build something on YouTube in some shape or form to do something and make a change. A picture is slowly beginning to emerge in my head even as I've written this things are popping into my head. I have ideas and I want to develop them and see where they lead because I'm sick of watching what's going on in the music industry today. I'm sick of hearing the same old artists who all sound the same; they all have that stereotypical 'pop star' look and if you don't be assured that as soon they sign on the dotted line making it official; it's something they'll have morphed into them.

I'll leave you all with these words as I go and think some more about what I can do because I'm sick of sitting around, waiting for someone to create a solution. Perhaps I, myself will find one eventually. Until then, I'm going to venture into the subject more and more using all platforms that I possibly can to help me. Let's see where it take me............

If you want to get in contact with me regarding this be sure to use one of the following links:

Email: thehathippie@outlook.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thehathippieblog