reposted from Kenny's journal - Tim Kinsella being awesome
"Beirut. The Patriot Act. Palestine. Africa. Wal-Mart. Clear Channel. Peak oil. Global devastation. The backward talk of those in power that dominates and suffocates our cultural discourse. Overpopulation. The dawning of neo-feudalist Theocracy in America. It's a busy, interesting place we've got here. Lots of information aimed at us. The hidden
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music and business have gone hand in hand for a very long time. even though, as a musician, I find it extremely distasteful to think about sharing my bed with a black suited businessman, it is one of those things that may someday happen.
I think the real problem, and Mr kinsella realizes this as well, is that alot of the bands in the magazine he is talking about ARE just imitating eachother and it IS getting really tired.
but think about it...music over history, and art in general throughout history, moves in waves like that. a few brilliant people get together and come up with an amazing and wholly original idea, or they take old forms and REFORM them to suit their own expression. After a while, the stragglers come trying to make a buck off others' ideas and then the "scene" or "artistic community" or whatever you want to call it, becomes saturated with lookalikes. these people aren't evil, and at the individual artists level they may even have their heart in the right place.
When this happens, it goes two ways. people with money view this new style with hungry eyes, thinking they can easily capitalize on something that has generated it's OWN momentum.
also, people who aspire to create art, but are, in their own right too un-talented to come up with ideas of their own, begin to plagerize unapologetically in an attempt to fufil whatever part of themselves that desires artistic recognition.
HOWEVER, we now live in a world where the free exchange of information is almost unregulated. it has never been so easy for a musician to get his music into the hands of people who will listen to it. that being said, it is no wonder that we have an excess of bands that sound the same. they have been given a forum that (for the most part) shitty music was never afforded before. in the past, someone had to invest a great deal of money in a musician before they could ever hope to have an audience larger than what they could physically play to at a live appearence.
but tim, you have to realize, that there are truly brilliant people in every generation...and one has to have faith in the power of the intellectual mind to recognize this genius. In one hundred years no one will be discussing underoath in textbooks (sorry guys, you are nice guys but come on...)
because there is no artistic value there. they have brought nothing to the form.
I suppose my point is, there is nothing to fear from these bands who simply exist to repackage old ideas in fancy and expensive jewel cases. Their days are numbered. The era of major labels is coming to an end. We as musicians should discuss what we wish to replace them with. We need to determine what the internet truly means in it's relationship to us as artists, and figure out how to "save the soul" of music.
at any rate, I am rambling. I just read this essay this morning, and I got kind of upset. I realize the essay was meant to be taken sarcastically, but it strikes a chord with me. I suppose it is the next generations lot to be looked down upon by those who came before them, it just depresses me to think that someone like Tim Kinsella has lost his faith in punk rock's ability to revitalize and to make itself relevant once again.
oh well! it was interesting reading all of your guys' responses to this, xo!
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