Seen Your PSA

On MTV's Nocturnal Grooves last night, there was a triple-play of Ludacris/Mary J. Blige's "Runaway Love" (a truly harrowing portrait of teen abuse/murder/runaways), The Fray's "How To Save A Life" (a truly harrowing portrait of teen suicide), and Danity Kane's "Ride For You" (a truly awful sad-girl melodrama guaranteed to be inescapable in '07, given the five babes' blow-dried looks, American Idol oversinging chops, and Spice Girls-for-Barack-nation marketability).

My question: What's with all the PSA's and bummed-out youth? So what if the/their world is completely fucked up; music becomes instantly disposable when it's this soap opera-scripted. Gimme mystery, not messages, baby, and leave the do-gooding to the milk cartons.

"But if just one runaway is found or one potential teen suicide is averted, isn't it worth it?"

Okay. But what about my pain? How am I supposed to deal with all this stuff that insults my finely honed elitist artistic sensibilities?

"Pop culture tsunami got you down? Call 1-800-MORECRAP."