The inspiration for this post came from a discussion I had with Nick C. And at one point during said discussion, something clicked, my memory opened wide, and quite suddenly I was a seven or eight year old child in Norman, OK or Dallas,TX, sitting on a sofa or a chair, in a living room, reading Future Shock.
I am not sure why certain parts of this book that I have never owned have stayed with me for so long and could produce such a profound rush of memory. My first guess would be that the book frightened me. But I have no memory of being frightened by what I read. Honestly, I only remember two things/concepts from the book, period. They are that Toffler discussed how the world was "shrinking", using the six degrees of separation idea as a nearly off-hand modest "proof" of such. And that technology was advancing at such a ferocious rate, collapsing time (i.e. What took months to achieve could be done in days; what took a few days to acquire could be acquired in hours; what took an hour to solve could now be solved in a fraction of a second, and so on, ...), that this overload of information and convenience at ever-excelling speeds could ultimately produce, what he called, "future shock" in people or whole communities. Future shock manifested itself in humans through both physiological and/or psychological stresses or ailments. The book was written in 1970.
Remember, and this is very important, that hazy prism I spoke of earlier. I have done only the barest, most cursory research in to Toffler's book for this post. It is entirely possible that I have it all wrong. That my memory is a jumble or faulty. But, for whatever reason, that is the rabbit hole my memory has chosen for these "information overload" concepts. And that rabbit hole always ends in a living room in the seventies. I am alone. I pull a book off the shelf and I begin to read.
************
Nick C and I's conversation began with us talking about Lana Del Ray. Then we talked about a Miley Cyrus video Nick C had dug up that irritated him and seemed to prove to him to be yet another nail in the coffin of the Death of Pop. The video above might be the video he was speaking of but I strongly doubt it since I have just noticed that there are dozens of these Miley covers Smells Like Teen Spirit performance videos available.
Nick C circulated his Miley video amongst his closest friends, attempting to start a dialogue. But was shocked to discover that most of friends seemed to miss the point entirely. Most of his friends seemed to have sympathy, or at least, ambivalence for Ms Cyrus and utter disdain for Nirvana. Nick C and my Wife are near the same age (went to the same High School) and I have talked about this matter of personal taste in music before. Fair enough. Nick C and I just shake our heads.
Then we talked about what impact Kurt Cobain's suicide had on Nirvana's legacy. Then we talked very generally about suicide. And all of this finally came full circle and we discussed for the umpteenth time our personal musical/cultural Holy Grail: The next Rock Revolution (or, I prefer the term Pop Explosion.)
************
Alright, let us get some definitions out there, in the open, right away: First, I am not using the word "Pop" in some pejorative, judgmental, or sarcastic way. I never do. Pop is not a genre of music. Pop is not shorthand or code for something someone might consider safe or tepid or twee. Pop is simply short for the word, "Popular". Pop music encompasses all genres of music that are available in the marketplace today, all over the world. My Django Reinhardt cds are right next to my Replacements cds. It is all Pop.
(In fact, the whole notion of genre or of the distinction between Literature and Fiction gives me the heebie-jeebies. There are only two types of art for me: Good and Bad.)
Second, let us define what is a Pop Explosion. I will let Greil Marcus take it from here:
Notice that his definition says nothing about commercial success. As Punk proved in 1977, commercial success is not a de facto prerequisite for a Pop Explosion. Although, all other Pop Explosions (Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson's Thriller) were seriously boffo at the Box Office. (And to be fair to Punk, it can be argued that Nirvana's Nevermind was merely the final step to legitimizing Punk in the marketplace, making it a commodity finally worth co-opting and exploiting.)
************
This is right around the time during our conversation that I went down the rabbit hole. I very foolishly said aloud, "Imagine what it would be like if The Beatles happened today in our insane social networking blogosphere world? How crazy and big that would be."
No sooner had I said those words then I was down that rabbit hole. And I found myself practically reading Nick C's mind as he, very politely, spelled out how wrong I was. The game has changed. Our Future Shock culture, our real time media, and the Internet have created a new world where (mini) Pop explosions happen every day. They are pushed upon all platforms available, explode, and are dissolved in a matter of months, days, or even hours. (Lana Del Ray is an excellent example here.)
The next Pop Explosion will be completely different from all others that have come before it. It has to be, in order to survive and sustain itself in our current environment.
Nick C and I have come to the certain conclusion that the next (Rock) Revolution will most definitely Not Be Televised (or on the Internet.) It will have to be similar to Punk in the sense that it is a Luddite towards technology and media. It will be about word-of-mouth networking, snailmail, fanzines (again), posters, etc, ... The next Pop Explosion will proclaim itself bored with the Internet.
By the way, never once when talking about this "impending" Pop Explosion or the band we propose to spearhead it, am I talking about what this Explosion or band will sound like. The actual group may not be Luddite, at all, in terms of embracing musical technologies or playing only acoustic instruments. In fact, I doubt it. But, honestly, I do not think Nick C or I know what this or they will sound like. We have not had that gleaning yet. I believe, though, that they will sound different yet recognizable; be "surprising yet inevitable." (Hat tip to David Mamet.)(Plus, Malcolm McLaren did not give a toss about the music. Why should we?)
Nick C and I's proposed band to start this Pop Explosion will be called Les Bonnes Femmes. We already have our first t-shirt design: simple Matisse-like line drawings of three women's faces in black ink. One of the women will have red lips. Beneath the drawing it will say Les Bonnes Femmes in swishy script lettering. On the back of the shirt will be one of the group's first slogans in Helvetica typeface, "FUCK BELGIUM". This slogan is great because it is infuriating and it means absolutely nothing.
You will not be able to buy any Les Bonnes Femmes recordings over the internet or download any of their songs. Les Bonnes Femmes website will be a complete blank, alternately colored black or white, depending on the band's mood. You will only be able to purchase or acquire recordings at shows or by going on elaborate urban scavenger hunts. Clues for these hunts will be provided through the band's personal authorized newsletter only.
You will not see Les Bonnes Femmes on YouTube. Any unauthorized (meaning all) videos of the group posted there will be immediately removed by a vigilant, crack team of lawyers employed by the group.
All cellphones must be handed over to security before being allowed entrance to a Les Bonnes Femmes show. Any one caught with a cellphone or any recording device will result in the band leaving the stage until the offender is removed from the premises, their cellphones, recording devices permanently confiscated.
(Think about that last paragraph. Instead of posting a video about your magical experience at the Rock Show last night, now you will have to describe your impressions to your friends through simple words and language. How refreshing that might be, removing the spectacle and living, as opposed to recording.)
************
It's just fun. (h/t Chris McClung) We've already thrown this idea out there to three people. Two of them thought it ridiculously silly and one was mildly intrigued.
Meanwhile, the next Pop Explosion is out there, looming. Perhaps Nick C and I will be riding the crest of that wave. We will see.
All my love, Angels
-- Ardent
Then we talked about what impact Kurt Cobain's suicide had on Nirvana's legacy. Then we talked very generally about suicide. And all of this finally came full circle and we discussed for the umpteenth time our personal musical/cultural Holy Grail: The next Rock Revolution (or, I prefer the term Pop Explosion.)
************
Alright, let us get some definitions out there, in the open, right away: First, I am not using the word "Pop" in some pejorative, judgmental, or sarcastic way. I never do. Pop is not a genre of music. Pop is not shorthand or code for something someone might consider safe or tepid or twee. Pop is simply short for the word, "Popular". Pop music encompasses all genres of music that are available in the marketplace today, all over the world. My Django Reinhardt cds are right next to my Replacements cds. It is all Pop.
(In fact, the whole notion of genre or of the distinction between Literature and Fiction gives me the heebie-jeebies. There are only two types of art for me: Good and Bad.)
Second, let us define what is a Pop Explosion. I will let Greil Marcus take it from here:
A pop explosion is an irresistible cultural upheaval that cuts across lines of class and race (in terms of sources, if not allegiance), and, most crucially, divides society itself by age. The surface of daily life (walk, talk, dress, symbolism, heroes, family affairs) is affected with such force that deep and substantive changes in the way people think and act take place. Pop explosions must link up with, and accelerate, broad shifts in sexual behavior, economic aspirations and political beliefs; a pervasive sense of chaos, such as that which hit England in 1963 with the Profumo scandal, and the United States in the mid-Sixties with the civil rights movement, the Kennedy assassination, and later the Vietnam War, doesn't hurt.That quote is from Greil Marcus essay, The Beatles, for The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll (First edition 1976.)
Notice that his definition says nothing about commercial success. As Punk proved in 1977, commercial success is not a de facto prerequisite for a Pop Explosion. Although, all other Pop Explosions (Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson's Thriller) were seriously boffo at the Box Office. (And to be fair to Punk, it can be argued that Nirvana's Nevermind was merely the final step to legitimizing Punk in the marketplace, making it a commodity finally worth co-opting and exploiting.)
************
This is right around the time during our conversation that I went down the rabbit hole. I very foolishly said aloud, "Imagine what it would be like if The Beatles happened today in our insane social networking blogosphere world? How crazy and big that would be."
No sooner had I said those words then I was down that rabbit hole. And I found myself practically reading Nick C's mind as he, very politely, spelled out how wrong I was. The game has changed. Our Future Shock culture, our real time media, and the Internet have created a new world where (mini) Pop explosions happen every day. They are pushed upon all platforms available, explode, and are dissolved in a matter of months, days, or even hours. (Lana Del Ray is an excellent example here.)
The next Pop Explosion will be completely different from all others that have come before it. It has to be, in order to survive and sustain itself in our current environment.
Nick C and I have come to the certain conclusion that the next (Rock) Revolution will most definitely Not Be Televised (or on the Internet.) It will have to be similar to Punk in the sense that it is a Luddite towards technology and media. It will be about word-of-mouth networking, snailmail, fanzines (again), posters, etc, ... The next Pop Explosion will proclaim itself bored with the Internet.
By the way, never once when talking about this "impending" Pop Explosion or the band we propose to spearhead it, am I talking about what this Explosion or band will sound like. The actual group may not be Luddite, at all, in terms of embracing musical technologies or playing only acoustic instruments. In fact, I doubt it. But, honestly, I do not think Nick C or I know what this or they will sound like. We have not had that gleaning yet. I believe, though, that they will sound different yet recognizable; be "surprising yet inevitable." (Hat tip to David Mamet.)(Plus, Malcolm McLaren did not give a toss about the music. Why should we?)
Nick C and I's proposed band to start this Pop Explosion will be called Les Bonnes Femmes. We already have our first t-shirt design: simple Matisse-like line drawings of three women's faces in black ink. One of the women will have red lips. Beneath the drawing it will say Les Bonnes Femmes in swishy script lettering. On the back of the shirt will be one of the group's first slogans in Helvetica typeface, "FUCK BELGIUM". This slogan is great because it is infuriating and it means absolutely nothing.
You will not be able to buy any Les Bonnes Femmes recordings over the internet or download any of their songs. Les Bonnes Femmes website will be a complete blank, alternately colored black or white, depending on the band's mood. You will only be able to purchase or acquire recordings at shows or by going on elaborate urban scavenger hunts. Clues for these hunts will be provided through the band's personal authorized newsletter only.
You will not see Les Bonnes Femmes on YouTube. Any unauthorized (meaning all) videos of the group posted there will be immediately removed by a vigilant, crack team of lawyers employed by the group.
All cellphones must be handed over to security before being allowed entrance to a Les Bonnes Femmes show. Any one caught with a cellphone or any recording device will result in the band leaving the stage until the offender is removed from the premises, their cellphones, recording devices permanently confiscated.
(Think about that last paragraph. Instead of posting a video about your magical experience at the Rock Show last night, now you will have to describe your impressions to your friends through simple words and language. How refreshing that might be, removing the spectacle and living, as opposed to recording.)
************
It's just fun. (h/t Chris McClung) We've already thrown this idea out there to three people. Two of them thought it ridiculously silly and one was mildly intrigued.
Meanwhile, the next Pop Explosion is out there, looming. Perhaps Nick C and I will be riding the crest of that wave. We will see.
All my love, Angels
-- Ardent
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