i dont care what you think unless it is about me
re-reading an old paper i wrote in school i am reminded of adorno's article on popular music and this is appropriate to revisit these days i think. i am amused at my erstwhile disdain for the rock critic so evidenced in my music and politics writing. the class should have been perfect for me but alas it was rather dull. still i am amused and entertained by my musings. i am wont to suffer almost crippling nostalgia as the admission of this practice should evidence. anyway younger vlad wormwood is not the real draw. adorno's disdain is far more broad and vehement. the marxist reading of popular music lays the form to waste as simplistic and seductive. a foolish distraction made of readily pleasing rhythms and tones. oh woe is us. is this not so far from marxist critiques of religion? why do i worship at the altar of cobain and not jesus? is it all that different in what it provides my life?
let us pray...
music, of any category, that affects me provides my lfe with: distanced identification, pleasant (if unscientific) feelings, sometimes (good times, high times, man i feel fine...blood on the tracks and i feel fine...you know i've had my share) a vague feeling of community. uh-oh, sounds a little religious. though it never does seem a reason to kill the unbelievers (though i one time threatened to kill a man for tickets to see rage this summer...but i aint gonna do either of those, really) by way of justification (heh, justified...gonna put on "rock your body"...talk about simple seduction...but oh yeah thats a-nice) i am putting myself into one of those silly, moderate positions. like i'm not religious but i'm spiritual. like the religion is broad enough that their are only loose fitting doctrines and i'm ok. hmmm. still anyone who disagrees and all who are with me you all can meet me in the middle of the floor. and pop always has new voices to disrupt what gets old and tired. someone comes along on a mission and yells "bitch!"
but wait! the misogeny! what's more patricentric than american pop? and what about that? what am i talking about in pop other than american culture, in any of its myriad forms...
here's one that's always interesting to me and since i'm a priviledged white male i can just wax philosophical about it and never get too worried. or rather i can afford to actually worry about shit like...is american dominance of pop culture a good or bad thing? clearly the world is held under the heavy and often idiotic sway of american whim. naturally this can be ugly and marginalize important and insightful voices in
favor of "grown ass ignorant men" and yet, that's the way the world works. for now, for the vast past, for the foreseeable future... and haven't some good things come from it? as callous as it is, as oft invoked, i think that jazz, blues, and rock music, hip-hop (and all things that derive themselves out of any of these forms) have been good for popular culture. because this is basically all i know for pop culture? but who ain't a fuckin expert in this field? if you got eyes and ears in america you are knowin what i am spittin.
well oh no what to do? i mean do you really want to write about or write pop music in this world? children die everyday. people starve, blow themselves up etc. etc. they dont do it for a good groove, but that may be all life is? to me, for me. why do you want to write about records or invoke shakespeare in the pursuit of a good boner joke? would i be so much better to be fighting or raising money or awareness? and what about boner awareness? we need that too. i'm rambling, getting pretty much nowhere. there are things i like a lot and though i often mistrust my own enjoyment i will soldier on in hedonistic ignorance...
aned so on to another recent piece: blogging serves a purpose? deebs and jbg seem to have subtley differing opinions in this realm and it gets my brain working because my own relationship to this has been so otherwise. i dont necessarily consider it edifying to know what i am listening to or thinking about but it has often served a purpose for me. that being to articulate, however vaguely and informally, some of the shit in my life. then others can get a glimpse and though they may never actually do this, the promise goads me to make a more diligent attempt to make some sense. where the commas?! "the promise goads me" that should be a song or album or book or screenplay. something else i should be doing. ok, i get it now.
OK SO! the quick part for people who got bored
hal hartley is cool, i liked "Fay Grim" if it seemed to get a little rushed in terms of development. interesting considering i thought "henry fool" a little long in the tooth.
i will not go see pirates of the carribean3 because ive seen none of that nonsense and like to keep the streak alive. i am the cal ripken of anti-establishment snobbery. did i callously break anyone's record? deebs?
the battles album "mirrored" is really radical. get that, listen to it, dont be surprised if ya mind gets a little
blown.
re-reading an old paper i wrote in school i am reminded of adorno's article on popular music and this is appropriate to revisit these days i think. i am amused at my erstwhile disdain for the rock critic so evidenced in my music and politics writing. the class should have been perfect for me but alas it was rather dull. still i am amused and entertained by my musings. i am wont to suffer almost crippling nostalgia as the admission of this practice should evidence. anyway younger vlad wormwood is not the real draw. adorno's disdain is far more broad and vehement. the marxist reading of popular music lays the form to waste as simplistic and seductive. a foolish distraction made of readily pleasing rhythms and tones. oh woe is us. is this not so far from marxist critiques of religion? why do i worship at the altar of cobain and not jesus? is it all that different in what it provides my life?
let us pray...
music, of any category, that affects me provides my lfe with: distanced identification, pleasant (if unscientific) feelings, sometimes (good times, high times, man i feel fine...blood on the tracks and i feel fine...you know i've had my share) a vague feeling of community. uh-oh, sounds a little religious. though it never does seem a reason to kill the unbelievers (though i one time threatened to kill a man for tickets to see rage this summer...but i aint gonna do either of those, really) by way of justification (heh, justified...gonna put on "rock your body"...talk about simple seduction...but oh yeah thats a-nice) i am putting myself into one of those silly, moderate positions. like i'm not religious but i'm spiritual. like the religion is broad enough that their are only loose fitting doctrines and i'm ok. hmmm. still anyone who disagrees and all who are with me you all can meet me in the middle of the floor. and pop always has new voices to disrupt what gets old and tired. someone comes along on a mission and yells "bitch!"
but wait! the misogeny! what's more patricentric than american pop? and what about that? what am i talking about in pop other than american culture, in any of its myriad forms...
here's one that's always interesting to me and since i'm a priviledged white male i can just wax philosophical about it and never get too worried. or rather i can afford to actually worry about shit like...is american dominance of pop culture a good or bad thing? clearly the world is held under the heavy and often idiotic sway of american whim. naturally this can be ugly and marginalize important and insightful voices in
favor of "grown ass ignorant men" and yet, that's the way the world works. for now, for the vast past, for the foreseeable future... and haven't some good things come from it? as callous as it is, as oft invoked, i think that jazz, blues, and rock music, hip-hop (and all things that derive themselves out of any of these forms) have been good for popular culture. because this is basically all i know for pop culture? but who ain't a fuckin expert in this field? if you got eyes and ears in america you are knowin what i am spittin.
well oh no what to do? i mean do you really want to write about or write pop music in this world? children die everyday. people starve, blow themselves up etc. etc. they dont do it for a good groove, but that may be all life is? to me, for me. why do you want to write about records or invoke shakespeare in the pursuit of a good boner joke? would i be so much better to be fighting or raising money or awareness? and what about boner awareness? we need that too. i'm rambling, getting pretty much nowhere. there are things i like a lot and though i often mistrust my own enjoyment i will soldier on in hedonistic ignorance...
aned so on to another recent piece: blogging serves a purpose? deebs and jbg seem to have subtley differing opinions in this realm and it gets my brain working because my own relationship to this has been so otherwise. i dont necessarily consider it edifying to know what i am listening to or thinking about but it has often served a purpose for me. that being to articulate, however vaguely and informally, some of the shit in my life. then others can get a glimpse and though they may never actually do this, the promise goads me to make a more diligent attempt to make some sense. where the commas?! "the promise goads me" that should be a song or album or book or screenplay. something else i should be doing. ok, i get it now.
OK SO! the quick part for people who got bored
hal hartley is cool, i liked "Fay Grim" if it seemed to get a little rushed in terms of development. interesting considering i thought "henry fool" a little long in the tooth.
i will not go see pirates of the carribean3 because ive seen none of that nonsense and like to keep the streak alive. i am the cal ripken of anti-establishment snobbery. did i callously break anyone's record? deebs?
the battles album "mirrored" is really radical. get that, listen to it, dont be surprised if ya mind gets a little
blown.
posted by vw at 10:51 AM
3 comments
