Damn, I didn’t write that title. It was Milton Babbitt in 1958. But, Milton old bean, I am on your side. You and I, arrogant arseholes, who conjure up Godwin as soon as we hit the room.
Hey I just burned discs of the DVD, the CD, the transcripts of the MD & the 8 track. They’re in their carry case ready for my supervisor tomorrow. They don’t suck, although they are not going to appeal to a wide audience. Just so long as two people love them. Just two people in the whole world, please love my work.
I feel on track. I can write some more bullshit here. It soothes me and you don’t have to listen.
I love how some philosophers think that popular culture is a pony that they can ride. Pop culture is a blob that just keeps rolling down a hill with some educated ninny or other ‘in the saddle’, scribbling their latest paper on Paris Hilton’s botox or Bling Culture or Texmex YouTube Skate Videos. They feel like the ride is A Challenge with which they can Break Through Existing Conceptions of Mass Culture. As it flops down that hill, it descends into an ever congealing cloud of airborne vomit. The researcher holds their nose as long as they can, but finally reaches a point where even they can’t find a damn shred of intellectual worth in Poodle Lipstick, and off they leap. And then on leaps another, emboldened by the fact that PhD topics are running out fast.
Each rider can then live out their twilight years as an associate professor of something, having passed the rite of Pop Culture.
You know, there’s some things in the world that while popular are completely worthless. You’re among friends here. You can admit it. No one is going to dob you in. I’ll start. Opera. Opera was always trash. Fodder for the masses back then, and now through some process of mummification it attracts genteel people with no taste and large scale government funding. Magic Flute my arse. Red faced people in frock coats bellowing piffle. Who called it Geriatric Punk?
And on the other side of the coin, I think commercial Hip Hop is as culturally significant as eating McDonald’s hamburgers. They’re both mass market manufactured ‘youth’ activities and values. Pepsi Music. If you’re going to make a curriculum out of one then why not the other? Oh, and Graffiti Art. Isn’t.
Right then. Offended everyone? Jolly.
Now why do people pretend to like things that they know are complete offal? I can recall an occasion back in the 70’s when (if memory serves) my brother decided to inform my old man about the just released Sex Pistols album by jamming headphones onto the latter’s head. Conflicting emotions were seen passing his face that finally settled on Desire To Escape This Shit > Desire To Indulge Offspring. Notably these two factors took some seconds to resolve. Other case studies:
Desire To Have Sex > Desire To Escape Tedious Romantic Comedy
Desire To Please Small Offspring > Fear Of Clowns
Alcoholic Stupor > Led Zeppelin Cover Band
Do I need go on? (I already have).
There’s a PhD in this for sure. Just not for me.
Thank you for the continuing death threats, insults and emails that make no sense no matter how many times I try reading them. I appreciate the effort that goes into them.