Beige Banality

I’m nine minutes into a documentary entitled ‘Macheads’. It’s full of the most sycophantic fucking twats I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve already seen, so far: people with Apple logo tattoos, people who say they “have never knowingly slept with a Windows user”, and one astonishing woman who prefaced her VT by saying “today we’re going to talk about the Apple Macintosh, and how it makes ALL THINGS POSSIBLE”.

The only conclusion I can draw is that Apple must have commissioned this film themselves. It’s the only way it can make sense for it to be this disgustingly pro-Apple. Surely nobody outside of the company would have approved this? Or maybe, at some point, the documentary maker (who has remained unseen and unheard up to this point) will walk in front of the screen and say ‘DON’T BE LIKE THESE PEOPLE’, and that’s the point of it. I can’t fathom the idea that this documentary was made to legitimately celebrate the Apple community. It doesn’t. I love Apple, but I’m fucking terrified of every Mac user I’ve seen in this film, with their weird declarations of how Steve Jobs “knows what we need before WE do” (genuine quote).

The woman on the train just came over the tannoy, rather urgently saying “apologies to all passengers in Coach C – I’ve just found out all the lights have gone out in the coach. I’ll try to find out what’s happened and get that fixed as soon as possible.” I laughed out loud. I wonder how long they’ve been like that? They’re all British, so nobody would have said anything. They’d have all just sat in the dark, mumbling about the lackluster service on First Great Western, not knowing if anyone is even around to hear them.

That said, the view’s probably better through the window without the light reflecting your own face back at you. Well, it wouldn’t be for me. OOH A JOKE

Macheads is now showing some old Apple adverts. This, I can get down with. My favourite part of the hiring process when I applied for a job at Apple was the bit where we got to watch all their old adverts in order. That sounds sarcastic, but it isn’t, I genuinely loved it, I don’t care what you think.

Here are the lyrics to The World Is Mine (I Don’t Know Anything):

My strings are broken and my heart is out of tune
I wanted quiet but all I see is you
I don’t know anything
I stumbled forward and you let me walk away
We both know I’ll be running back to you someday
I don’t know anything

The earth is spinning but my feet are standing still
And the wind is biting but I’m fighting off the chill
I don’t know anything

So let’s pretend for just one minute
The world, the world, the world, the world
The world is mine but you’re not there

They say time’s a healer but my watch can’t tell the time
The left hand’s stuck six months ago and I can’t find the right
I don’t know anything
The pen is stronger than any sharpened sword
But everything I write to you makes me feel like a fool
I don’t know anything

I feel like I can do anything
Why don’t you understand

Why don’t you see what I could be

Why can’t you see
I’d trade in the world for you

I’m now being told that the Mac was “a force to fight beige banality”. I’m fourteen minutes in. Orchestral music is trying to stir my cynical Vulcan brain.

I hope I get to Charlie’s soon.

EDIT: Gave up at 17:39. I can’t begin to describe how inane this ‘documentary’ is to watch. If you’re interested in watching idiots talking about all the AMAZING THINGS their computers can do, like MAKING MUSIC (:O) and DESIGNING T-SHIRTS (!) and BEING NOT WINDOWS (!!) and talking about the Mac ‘revolution’ like they’re in the pissing Rebel Alliance, you STILL won’t get anything out of Macheads, because as well as all that, it’s also a fucking load of toss.

x

  • Catherine
    "They’re all British, so nobody would have said anything" lol Great lyrics love this line "The pen is stronger than any sharpened sword
    But everything I write to you makes me feel like a fool" can't wait to hear the song.
  • I didn't know how much work and thought went into making an album - I thought it'd be like "hmm let's sing today" kind of a deal, but you make it seem like an actual thing. Like how making a movie is an actual thing. Forgive how poor I am with words. xo, Jessie.
  • itsamemyleo
    Those lyrics are sooo amazing! I'd say your best lyrics yet! ^___^ I can't wait to hear the finished version. :3
    ....And that documentary sounded very, very scary.... :D
  • Abby
    You wrote that you gave up at 17:39. Is that how you write time? Seriously? Wouldn't that get confusing? When people ask for the time in England, do you say that it's seventeen hours? Hmmm.......
  • Well when I was watching it in QuickTime, I paused it to close the movie, and the time stamp was 17:39, so that's what I wrote. I really didn't put that much thought into it xD Why, how else would you write minutes and seconds? (The film obviously wasn't seventeen hours long.)
  • Abby
    Ahhh I see. I got overly excited about a possible British cultural difference there:-)
  • Christina
    Why do you have to be so awesome, Alex Day? =)
  • sofyaa112
    Being that I know nothing about computers, I'll refrain from commenting that section of the blog entry, but I did find it really interesting when you said that Brits don't complain about things like the train lights going out... I'm Portuguese, and, hell, if the lights went out in the train, everyone would throw a tantrum! - in a fake polite way. Got to love the passive-aggressiveness. I once saw a group of old ladies make a cashier cry. Best. Country. Ever.
  • noor
    Ironically, on my Google Reader your post had a 'Clean My Mac' ad underneath it :)
  • I am kinda curious now, where can I watch this documentary?
    It all looks very disturbing.
  • Guest
    I rented it on iTunes :P
  • oops. duplicate posting.
  • I thought you knew Apple better than to conclude the company would have sponsored this documentary, You know what a control freak Steve Jobs is. Can you imagine he would toss a bunch of coin at independent film makers to produce a meandering movie that would make you "fucking terrified of every Mac user" in the film?

    You say, "Surely nobody outside of the company would have approved this?" As a former Apple advertising executive, I think it's much more likely that nobody inside the company would have done so.
  • Karina
    I actually want to see this "documentary". Did they say how Apple can make ALL THINGS POSSIBLE?
  • Guest
    I saw it.
    ..Don't see it.
  • Nina
    I seriously just got chills reading these lyrics...
    They're so... fucking powerful.
    I can't can't can't wait to hear this one.

    And they should call the people who are that crazy about Apple products Macdicks instead. xD
  • Erin
    When you talked about Macheads I thought it couldn't be that bad. Then I watched the trailer. :O
  • Guest
    To the right of this entry, is an ad for the Apple MacBook Pro.
    Irony at its best.

    ...Well, perhaps not its best.
    But, chuckle-worthy, at least.
  • Guest
    It would appear that Steve Jobs has become a kind of god.
  • Reno42
    Hahahaha. I just had to go look up this documentary; I watched the trailer and just...LOL. I applaud you for making it nearly 20 minutes in :P
  • hahahha i just looked it up too. OMG that was insane
  • Katie
    I know how "Macheads" is pronounced but I'm having a lot of fun letting my brain read through your entry saying "mah-cheeds" ;P
  • Danny
    I so want to watch that Mac documentry so i can laugh at them. Also, i dont normally comment on your diary (not even when people comment that they like MY stickmen on your board :P) but just wanted to say that i like the lyrics to this song muchly, and will be trying to come see you in march or on your tour.
  • spoongirl
    oh I made the comment about the stickmen on the board

    sorry, I correct myself, I like your stickment on the board :)
  • Cheers Dan :D
  • Mae
    Don't cut yourself too short, Alex. Maybe the point of the documentary was that those people are fucking crazy (or mental, in British).

    There are a lot of documentaries about the how crazy some fans can get in their fandom world. Joss Whedon is making a documentary about the fan universe with the super fans at ComiCon. But he will probably also show a positive light of the crazies (like with the sense of community or the ability to express oneself a person gains from being a superfan.)
  • Lily
    I'd forgotten how much I love these lyrics.
    (Look, see, I *can* leave nice comments!)
  • Jeaneva
    That documentary does sound scary,( though I am excited to get my mac book pro for college). Also, you have a vulcan brain? very cool. So it's a "a puzzle, wrapped inside an enigma, housed inside a cranium." according to this star trek wiki.
  • ciarpin
    I was looking forward to reading the lyrics to this track. They're amazing, can't wait to hear your album!
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