Interesting statement coming from E. John. That we need to shut down the Internet to save our selves. So lets debate the merits of this.

From John's mouth regarding why we need to shut down the net.



So does he have a good point? Has the net destroyed art and lives as a whole? Or is he being melodramatic in his statements? I say yep.

No I disagree with him I didn't read all his things but I think he's wrong with the ones I read. I just think he's jealous of other artist because all he knows how to do is play the piano I know this sounds immature and childish but thats what I think. And that there are more successful artist out there now and better than him. He needs to chill seriously.

Wow...I don't know where I would be without the interent.
How would anybody study for a test? The books don't usually have all the information needed and you have to go out there and do your own reasearch.
What about school projects that require pictures that can't be found in books?

I think that the world would go into somesort of seclusion without the internet. It probably would effect things dramatically, because the internet does help with alot of things, but the other things are fluff (which we could live without). But I highly dissagree with him. People just need to limit themselves.

Pixi3Dus+_F@iry

He doesn't know what he's talking about, end of story.

Shut the down the Internet so it can benefit his livelihood...whatever. The only thing coming out of his mouth should be "Bennie and the Jets".

No, he probably dosen't..BUT a thought, it might do us all good for a few days or a week....talk to people face to face...have no media....I know he is specifically talking about the internet but I myself have to take media breaks, no newspaper, no news, no internet....I find I am a calmer person.....just a thought, i don't agree with him completely at all...but I do remember when i didn't have a computer or play games etc......I did so much more things!...:p

There's no denying that the internet does cause problems, but the simple fact is that the benefits of its existence far outweigh the consequences.

Bad: People download music illegally, taking royalties from the artist and profit from the record company.
Good: Consumers and parents are able to listen to music and view lyrics before spending money on music.

Bad: Academic piracy is much much easier for any student.
Good: Catching said piracy is much easier for any teacher with half way decent computer skills.

Bad: People can live with no physical human contact at all.
Good: You don't have to pay postage to send an email now do ya? You dont have to pay the phone company per minute to instant message or google chat. I can't think of a parellel for message boards so, online you can have message boards and debate the purpose of the internet! Whoo!

Bad: The internet is a harvesting ground for identity thieves.
Good: It is so much easier to shop for books and software without having to go to the store! Nuff said.

Bad: No effectiove censorship for what a kid can get to and no stopping people from uploading whatever they want.
Good: That's free speech and i don't think there's a good side to this particular aspect, but the alternative (no free speech [and please dont comment on that, it has nothing to do with anything but i have to say it to make my point]) is too dreadful to contemplate.

Otherwise there really isn't anything bad to say about the internet. It is an amazing tool for research, it makes things cheaper, it cuts down on paper consumption (slightly) and the internet is a vehicle for amateurs to put themselves out there. How many B to C-list singers, writers, journalists and actors have come from youtube and assorted other websites? Plenty.

To whit, I don't know what Sir Elton was thinking (except that he was losing royalties) but the internet in today's culture is a very nescessary societal vehicle. It doesn't ruin art, it promotes it. And if its easy for thousands of people to put out thier work then who knows? One might be the next music equivalent of van Gogh. (I don't know much about music, have there been musicians who die unappreciated and then become zillion dollar phenomenom? or anythign like that? Anywho..) Or they might be appreciated in thier own right and time.

He makes it seems as if people that use the internet has no life!

Elton John has been slowly progressing into being a cranky, bitter old man. I am not surprised that he would make comments like that, his career hasn't benefited from the internet. Its just sour grapes on his part.

Has Elton lost his mind? Yes

Has he lost his voice? Could Be Better, surgery took a lot out of him

Are his intentions good? Maybe

Do I still love his music? Absofriginlutely. Dont care what he says, I'll still listen to him!

Oh and, happy Bday Amish

He must have lost his ever loving mind. I sit on the computer and the internet yes, but i do have a social life and a very good one too. I only get on the internet during the night time anyway. So this man is bum crazy!

Am I that old that I remember doing reports without the help of the internet? Both high school and college? Actually, about halfway through college the internet was full steam ahead, but we did all out reports the old-fashioned (i guess) way, i.e. we went to the library! Honestly, my life wouldn't be that much different without the internet. Having lived through the span of time from the internet being completely unknown to most people until now, when there are computers in most households, I really don't think it has changed much.

I can relate to one aspect of what he's getting at, although he didn't say it outright...I think the internet can lead to laziness, and in the artistic world, laziness = a lack of creativity and original thought. It also reminds me of something Alice Cooper said on his radio show a few weeks ago, talking about the "classics" and how there just aren't that many creative, original songs that are coming out these days, as compared to 20 or 30 years ago. I agree with that, and no not just because I'm an old fuddy duddy who needs to chill. I work with kids so I hear all the latest music, and what I'm hearing are remakes and remakes and remakes of the original classics. You just don't hear songs on the radio these days and think, "Wow. That song'll be around for a long time. It's an instant classic." Songs come and go, they are forgotten and move on. But so much of the music from the 50's - early 80's carries on. "We Will Rock You" at a high school basketball game, anyone? "Brown-Eyed girl?" "Ring of Fire?" "B-B-B-Benny and the Jets?"

So, I think he's onto something with the lack of originality and lack of creativity in music. I just don't agree that it is the fault of the internet. I think it's just the shift society is moving in right now, where technology and new "stuff" is more important than creating the next "classic."


pieridae

I don't think he's bitter. I may not agree with his idea on shutting down the internet there is no denying that communication between people has basically come down to the internet.Families probably aren't as close as they use to be and I read somewhere that people now in general have fewer friends.I admit I probably spend way too much time on the internet and in general a good portion of people probably do as well.Think about...people now date through the internet,perform through the internet,"talk" through the internet....basically the internet in some ways has removed the need and desire to talk to people face to face.Also I think in some ways people are themselves more online than in real life.

It's the 50's, 60's, and 70's all over again-- "Oh my gosh, what terrible music!" and "Internet is the devil!!"

Elton's singing the same song, recycled. Oh, wait. He already did that with his own song. My bad.

Elton John MAY have a valid point when it comes to face-to-face communication, but I think he is way out in left field otherwise.

OK, let's take the music thing. I like to play the guitar... for my effects I use a Digitech GNX4. This pedal allows me to do ANYTHING, including mix, record, and sequence. It has a built in drum machine, I can run backing tracks through it, and finally I can hook any instrument to it that I desire that has either a USB or standard instrument cable output. If that isn't enough, it also has a microphone port so I can record vocals and/or acoustic instruments. And if that STILL isn't enough, I can hook the unit directly to my computer, or record to a CompactFlash card, and edit my music with Cakewalk, or share it instantly with others. This is only the tip of the iceberg really.

HOWEVER, in spite of this technology, I STILL prefer to jam live with my friends. Why? Three reasons. First and second, it is a social outlet, and by jamming with others, I grow personally as a musician. The third reason is that it is more fun that way, and for me that's what counts.

I think too that fact that Elton John is missing the point that musical tastes change, and music itself is constantly evolving. What worked in the 70's probably wouldn't work now, except as inspiration for new material. In that sense I think Mr. John has gotten himself into a musical rut. I say it's time for him to experiment with a new sound.

So what does this have to do with the Internet? Not a darn thing really, except that Elton John seems to be railing against technology as a whole as opposed to just the web.

The fact is that the net allows new and independent artists to strut their stuff without having to go through a record label to do it. I'm sorry, but I always felt that the RIAA blew it in a big way by first ignoring Napster, and then instead of trying to work with P2P technology have put up a vain and futile fight to shut it down. If Elton John really feels that there is a lack of new talent and wants to point fingers at why, I say he's going after the wrong source. However, this is all material for another debate.

Without the internet, this song would never exist.

Worldwide, instant, and easily-accessible communication is an -amazing- thing and is changing the way humanity works on a global scale. My little monkey brain is still struck at how incredible it is that I'm pressing buttons on this plastic board on my desk, making shapes that mean stuff to another monkey reading them on a screen on the other side of the globe. Humanity will adapt to it - it does make it so you don't have to go outside so much, but... it's not everything.

I've discovered so many artists because of the internet that I never would have discovered without it - my favourite musicians, almost universally, have been found through recommendations by online friends, researched, and obtained online (as most of it's too obscure for local record stores to carry). It gives a huge audience to bands that might otherwise have gained only a small amount of local popularity. It changes the way artists have to think of their work and distributing it, of touring and what a fanbase means, of what being a musician means. It changes the way people think of intellectual property. I hope it makes people think of the morality behind it, tearing it apart into its base forms to see what's really going on.

It is an incredible innovation for us smart little primates, and I hope that worldwide communication will lead to a greater measure of worldwide understanding. A global culture may bring us one step closer to not constantly trying to bash one another's heads in with rocks. If the Egyptians could build the pyramids with nothing more than some relatively simple engineering techniques and manpower, what could we do on a worldwide scale?

Perhaps we are building our own tower of Babel out of fiber optic cable and thousands of humming, blinking boxes in chill sealed rooms. Or perhaps we truly will reach the stars with it this time.

The internet has powered our lives, made it better in many ways. In the future, because of online shopping, we may have no need for actual stores. Mp3s may eventually take place of the production of CD's. Alongside all of the good advances, there are also some bad ones. Predators, Identity theft... the internet has also made those things easier. But, with every good advancement, there are flaws and potentially harmful side effects. There's two sides to every coin. I stay complacent in this. I believe if there is more control over the bad points of the internet, then why close it? It's opened up our lives in so many ways, it would be a terrible thing to lose.

He is crazy for saying that.
But I cant see why we should shut it down becuase it has changed our lives in so many ways.

Even the thought of closing the internet makes me shudder! I mean my life is caught in the internet! During school i research for projects, in one of my classes there was an assignment that required the internet and computers! also think of how crippled businesses would be. almost every office uses the internet for e-mail and IMing between workers, they send files around, they post job opening on the internet, they advertise on the internet. But most importantly in my book is the Sims 2 community would be completely wiped out! all the downloads would be offline and you couldn't discuss anything about the game, no more stories, or contests, or even debates like this one. Plus think of all the other gamers out there, their fan sites would be shutdown and they would suffer too. And even state parks and national parks would lose their websites, so now no one can get reservations at the campground they want, and pretty much everything else would fall into chaos, except the remote natives who never have had TV or computers, they would probably just live their lives as usual.

Or why the opinion of a balding old man should change our views on the internet to begin with.

Actually, there was a way before the era of the internet to make reservations. And I'm sure that once the dust settled it would be doable once more: phoning your park or hotel to make a reservation. As to gettign the phone number you need, nearly every pblic library has an absurdly large collection of phone books with national and international yellow pages.
And what does TV have to do with the internet? They're on different satellites, different wavelengths, differnet everything.

I feel kind of old now cause I remember the days before the internet was important,cell phones weren't really around, and people actually shopped....in stores. Sure things are better with the internet but life is possible without it.Not saying I want to go back to those days.

You mean people don't anymore? I don't see very much radical change compared to the a few years back ever since the internet got popular other than new advertisements on city billboards.

You can research projects in the library, business did fine before the internet, workers could actually talk to each other or use the phone, job vacancies can be listed in newspapers, people can advertise in holiday brochures. The internet makes things easier, and we are a society that likes things to be easy (pass me the remote control because I can't be bothered walking 2 yards to the TV to change the channel!).

I don't think Elton is mad, I think he's just being nostalgic.