Copyrights & Farts

No, I am not talking about stopping people from copying your flatulent masterpieces. However, there is slightly disturbing news coming out of Washington D.C. via US News & World Report. According to USN&WR via The Boston Globe, our Illustrious Leader (aka The Juvenile Deliquent) likes to fart in front of new aides just to see their reactions. Indeed, apparently, he lifts a leg and lets one rip just to see the disgusted looks on their faces. The epitome of childish behavior, no?

In a completely unrelated article in the New York Times, there is word that the mysterious "funtwo," he of guitar virtuosity fame, has, at last, been identified. I know that you'll be able to sleep at night now. I know I will. At any rate, the article asks what ramifications to copyright law the virulent spread of copycat work will have. Indeed, the writer questions the very future of copyright laws worldwide, mostly because this "funtwo" character, who is best known for his rendition of Pachibel's "Canon in D Major" in Steve Vai/Joe Satriani/Ywingwe Malmsteen style (aka "Sweep Picking," "Shredding," unnecessary notes, et cetera), that famous piece of music so popular at weddings and as a cell phone ringtone... which was rendered in the guitar virtuoso style by another Korean character who goes by the Internet name of JerryC. Read the whole article here.

My point is... I really don't understand the need for copyright laws. I mean, if you found something cool that someone else did, would you seriously want to claim that you did it? It would seem to be self-defeating to claim that something was your work when you didn't do it. Furthermore, doesn't it seem that you would be only lowering yourself to a certain level of success and not giving yourself a bigger chance at creating something that is wholly your own? I mean, I write a book. I know that every word in it is mine, and that makes me proud of myself. I have written more than 800 songs. I know that every lyric and every note and every melody is mine and mine alone and I am very proud of that. I've done paintings and designed games and designed graphics and web sites and I know that each and every element is something that is mine. I would never even consider claiming someone else's work as mine. I always give credit for anything that I borrow. And yet, there seems to be a whole group of people out there who think that it's a good idea to find something relatively obscure on the Internet or in an old book or wherever and then claim it as their work. Doesn't that just reek of ass... like Dubya's farts, I guess.

I am glad that there are copyright laws to protect me and my work, but I really wish that people would just rely mostly on their own creativity and less on the pilfering of the works of others.