GIVE MONEY, GIVE TIME, BUT DON'T GIVE ANY THOUGHT

There's a surprisingly interesting Associated Press piece - offered a permanent home on Yahoo Muisc - which asks why it is, with all the musical activity designed to raise money for Katrina, nobody's writing any songs about the hurricane. Or, indeed, anything much. The conclusion? Music's just got a bit too hooked on partying. It's become your idiot dorm mate, running round with a traffic cone on its head:

"I don't know if anybody wants to mix their politics with their entertainment," singer-songwriter Fiona Apple said in a recent interview. "I can't think about anybody outside of country music that's even attempted to do an anthem-type song that's reflective of what's going on," she said.

Barbra Streisand says some artists may be reluctant to put social issues in their music because it might cost them fans instead of adding new ones.

"I can only think of fear," she said. "I really don't know. Maybe it will stop their sales, or they'll think people won't buy their records. I don't think that way."

Jesus, when even Barbra Streisand thinks that singers are lacking a backbone, you know things are bad.

Of course, Michael Jackson will change all that with his Katrina benefit... now, if his last press release was to be believed - and why would he lie? - it must be today that he'll land in London to start recording it, with all his celeb chums. We hope Heathrow has prepared itself.

music katrina hurricane katrina fiona apple barbra streisand michael jackson