jacqmans - 31/1/2008 11:32 PMFor the first time ever, NASA will beam a song – The Beatles "Across the Universe" -- directly into deep space at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (7 p.m. Eastern Time) on Monday, Feb. 4. ...The transmission is being aimed at the North Star, Polaris, which is located 431 light years away from Earth.
Has-beens.... Riigght!!!
Although you have a point (a small one) people like Lennon, McCartney, Jagger, Bowie etc will be remembered long after many of todays plastic, recycled, re-hashed, reality show and 'alternative' wannabes are struggling for a royalties cheque, let alone a real, live gig which they could barely do in their heyday.
SimonShuttle - 2/2/2008 9:42 AMYes, right Remember, he's only out to sell an album to those that he means anything to (over 45s). This will do nothing for making NASA seem attractive to those Xbox generation types.
SimonShuttle - 3/2/2008 1:42 AM Yes, right Remember, he's only out to sell an album to those that he means anything to (over 45s). This will do nothing for making NASA seem attractive to those Xbox generation types.
Although you are right, this whole exercise is about symbolism and using a song that is iconic to our modern, Western culture. Your cynicism is linked to this contemporary tendency of trashing anything outside of one's own era or viewpoint as unimportant. Anything 'old' is seen as 'bad' or useless. Our music and culture is cumulative and important to us both collectively and as individuals. I have a young work colleague who sees most music more than only 1 year old as "old junk", not worthy even of consideration. People like him see even great, iconic things as "crap", because it didn't emerge in their time. It's a lack of context and wisdom on their part.
Although people are entitled to their opinion, this does not automatically entitle them to be right. And I think there is ample evidence that those with opinions similar to my young colleague are wrong.
penguin44 - 4/2/2008 4:45 AMwill nasatv broadcast this?