My question is simply this: "Can an artist be nationalistic and still claim to be an artist?" After our discussion the other night about the place of melody in song I began to think more broadly about art. I do not claim to be an expert on the subject but as far as I know artists have had on significant dilemma, that being, should the artist reflect life as it is or as it should be? I do not see any tesion in the dilemma because what life should be is contained in life itself. Even, for argument sake, what life should be is only contained in the artists mind then it follows that the artists experiences have helped shape the ideal. Most of the experiences of the artist is shaped by sorroundings including people and environment or to put is more broadly the nation. Thus the artists' vision is shaped by the nation. But there are many nations containing various people and environments; is there anyway to translate between boarders?
This problem confronts both the artists' earlier dilemma: should the artist reflect the world as is or as it ought to be? The world as a whole is a patchwork of experiences sewn together by politics and economics; what the world ought to be is clearly anyones guess, although, the answer is most definately contained in politics and economics! So if the artist wants to somehow describe reality through art then it is imperitive that the result reflect the economic and/or political spheres. Every nation on the planet is tied it other nations politically as well as economically creating both a global political and economic system(s). The artist comes to a new dilemma: should the art reflect the reality of the nation or of the global systems? If the artist chooses a particular nation then the result will be myopic at best since the work would not be able to resonate to other people thus not reflecting upon reality as a whole.
I believe that we have entered into a new age where there are two common languages that the world shares: politics and economics. These two languages are highly complicated and translate very differently in different parts of the world. I believe that the role of the artist is to provide a forum whereby different people can come together and talk about different experiences only with a common language. Comming back to our discussion about melody I fear that melodies distract people from thinking about politics and economics etc. Music has shown to be very valuable and is often seen as a common language that cuts across barriers but it can also be easily highjacked rendering it useless. I believe that the role of the artist is much more important now than years past simply because of how politics and economics are controlled. In order to depict what is going on in a particular nation the artist needs the vantage point of the world and that is where the artist should be looking.
March 13, 2007
March 12, 2007
The Dread of Difference
That cool and smart-sounding title is taken from a book I read in college. The book, a collection of essays discussing the role of gender in horror movies, posits that the horror genre is entirely rooted in gender, “particularly in anxieties about sexual difference and gender politics.” While I disagree that all horror films are gender-based (I believe some are responses and critiques of politically repressive and conservative times), it’s still an awesome film analysis book. For example, one essay discusses Carrie as being about the male fear/hatred of women’s reproductive power, and another examines The Shining as being about the inevitable collapse and the consequences of a patriarchal society. Good stuff.
I stole this title because that book was all I could think about last week after seeing 300, a truly awful movie that treats racial and religious differences the same way the horror genre treated gender difference—as horrific monstrosities encroaching on, and threatening to, the harmonious, utopian world of white men.
300 is another film adaptation of the Spartan resistance to Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. It introduces us to the white Spartan forces as noble, brave men who are willing to sacrifice their lives in the most noble of pursuits: warfare. The film then shows us the evil empire endangering these walking white bastions of freedom: grotesque caricatures of Africans, Asians, and Arabs, along with the requisite giant gay king who offers hedonistic and materialistic glory to those who fall to his temptations.
The terror with which these “others” are drawn is so complete, so obvious in its representation, that I was hoping there was some sort of irony to it. But there was none. The Persians are not simply the bad guys in the story. They are shown as amoral and monstrous and sometimes, literally, as monsters. The idea of “others” as evil runs rampant throughout the film. Our white hero king, in some of his many speeches to his troops, mentions that his white fighters are “free men,” and that they would surely rather die than to bow to the armies of dark-skinned slaves surrounding them. I swear, it's like a D.W. Griffith movie with CG backgrounds.
Oh, and for the ladies? You’ll be happy to know that your importance is to "make real men.” Thanks for playing, sister.
I guess the easy way out is to claim that the filmmakers were being true to the vision of the Frank Miller graphic novel. If that’s the case, then Frank Miller’s one racist motherfucker. But Miller is from my hometown, so I’ll say only this: That movie is one racist motherfucker.
I stole this title because that book was all I could think about last week after seeing 300, a truly awful movie that treats racial and religious differences the same way the horror genre treated gender difference—as horrific monstrosities encroaching on, and threatening to, the harmonious, utopian world of white men.
300 is another film adaptation of the Spartan resistance to Persian forces at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. It introduces us to the white Spartan forces as noble, brave men who are willing to sacrifice their lives in the most noble of pursuits: warfare. The film then shows us the evil empire endangering these walking white bastions of freedom: grotesque caricatures of Africans, Asians, and Arabs, along with the requisite giant gay king who offers hedonistic and materialistic glory to those who fall to his temptations.
The terror with which these “others” are drawn is so complete, so obvious in its representation, that I was hoping there was some sort of irony to it. But there was none. The Persians are not simply the bad guys in the story. They are shown as amoral and monstrous and sometimes, literally, as monsters. The idea of “others” as evil runs rampant throughout the film. Our white hero king, in some of his many speeches to his troops, mentions that his white fighters are “free men,” and that they would surely rather die than to bow to the armies of dark-skinned slaves surrounding them. I swear, it's like a D.W. Griffith movie with CG backgrounds.
Oh, and for the ladies? You’ll be happy to know that your importance is to "make real men.” Thanks for playing, sister.
I guess the easy way out is to claim that the filmmakers were being true to the vision of the Frank Miller graphic novel. If that’s the case, then Frank Miller’s one racist motherfucker. But Miller is from my hometown, so I’ll say only this: That movie is one racist motherfucker.
March 09, 2007
Celine vs. The Cure
Celine Dion "I Love You"
I must be crazy now
Maybe I dream too much
But, when I think of you
I long to feel your touch
To whisper in your ear
Words that are old as time
Words only you would hear
If only you were mine
I wish I could go back to the very first day I saw you
Should have made my move when you looked in my eyes
'Cause, by now, I know that you'd feel the way that I do
And I'd whisper these words as you'd lie here by my side
(I...)
(Chorus:)
I love you
Please say you love me, too
These three words, they could change our lives forever
And I promise you that we will always be together
'Til the end of time
So, today, I fin'lly find
The courage deep inside
Just to walk right up to your door
But my body can't move
When I fin'lly get to it
Just like a thousand times before
Then, without a word, he handed me this letter
Read, I hope this finds the way into your heart
It said
(Repeat chorus)
(Bridge:)
Well, maybe I, I need a little love
And, maybe, I, I need a little care, yeah
And, maybe, I, maybe you, maybe you
Oh, you need somebody just to hold you
If you do, just reach out
And I'll be there
(Repeat chorus twice)
I love you
I will be your light
Shining bright
Shining through your eyes
***********************************************************
The Cure "Plainsong"
"i think it's dark and it looks like rain" you said
"and the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world" you said
"and it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
and then you smiled fora second.
"i think i'm old and i'm in pain" you said
"and it's all running out like it's the end of theworld" you said
"and it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
and then you smiled fora second
sometimes you make me feel like i'm living at the edge of the world
like i'm living at the edge of the world
"it's just the way i smile" you said
____________________________________________
Bang Bang Bang I got you you dumb overpaid fish inna barrel . . .
I must be crazy now
Maybe I dream too much
But, when I think of you
I long to feel your touch
To whisper in your ear
Words that are old as time
Words only you would hear
If only you were mine
I wish I could go back to the very first day I saw you
Should have made my move when you looked in my eyes
'Cause, by now, I know that you'd feel the way that I do
And I'd whisper these words as you'd lie here by my side
(I...)
(Chorus:)
I love you
Please say you love me, too
These three words, they could change our lives forever
And I promise you that we will always be together
'Til the end of time
So, today, I fin'lly find
The courage deep inside
Just to walk right up to your door
But my body can't move
When I fin'lly get to it
Just like a thousand times before
Then, without a word, he handed me this letter
Read, I hope this finds the way into your heart
It said
(Repeat chorus)
(Bridge:)
Well, maybe I, I need a little love
And, maybe, I, I need a little care, yeah
And, maybe, I, maybe you, maybe you
Oh, you need somebody just to hold you
If you do, just reach out
And I'll be there
(Repeat chorus twice)
I love you
I will be your light
Shining bright
Shining through your eyes
***********************************************************
The Cure "Plainsong"
"i think it's dark and it looks like rain" you said
"and the wind is blowing like it's the end of the world" you said
"and it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
and then you smiled fora second.
"i think i'm old and i'm in pain" you said
"and it's all running out like it's the end of theworld" you said
"and it's so cold it's like the cold if you were dead"
and then you smiled fora second
sometimes you make me feel like i'm living at the edge of the world
like i'm living at the edge of the world
"it's just the way i smile" you said
____________________________________________
Bang Bang Bang I got you you dumb overpaid fish inna barrel . . .
March 06, 2007
Here's The Deep End, Here's Me Off The Deep End
Climbing to the top of the highest tree
Trying to get above all the usual that I see
Moving here and there
To float on air
And settle in an empty space
Startled by a cold wind repeatedly slapping my face
"That's right! I'm the Wind and I'm pissed!
All that defiance, subversion, and thinking equal opportunities missed
'Free your mind'?
That doesn't even make cents
I eat people and spit them out due to their inaction
Now that's what I call pure chewing satisfaction
So wake up! You're late
For jobs, meetings, classes, and other important dates
Your role is that of the slave
Best to fall in line with the other mindless knaves
There's no such thing as talent
Might as well fuck being valiant
I don't find any of this shit funny
Success depends on one thing: large amounts of money
Currency and pills seem to keep the rest happy
So why don't you get dressed for work
And do you mind making it snappy?
I'll even give you a glimpse of the sun for inspiration
No sense laying frozen, in pools of perspiration
Let's face it, when it really comes down to it
You don't even have the gall
To rise up, change, or give it some semblance of 'your all'
So why don't you just do yourself a favor
And follow the bouncing ball"
Trying to get above all the usual that I see
Moving here and there
To float on air
And settle in an empty space
Startled by a cold wind repeatedly slapping my face
"That's right! I'm the Wind and I'm pissed!
All that defiance, subversion, and thinking equal opportunities missed
'Free your mind'?
That doesn't even make cents
I eat people and spit them out due to their inaction
Now that's what I call pure chewing satisfaction
So wake up! You're late
For jobs, meetings, classes, and other important dates
Your role is that of the slave
Best to fall in line with the other mindless knaves
There's no such thing as talent
Might as well fuck being valiant
I don't find any of this shit funny
Success depends on one thing: large amounts of money
Currency and pills seem to keep the rest happy
So why don't you get dressed for work
And do you mind making it snappy?
I'll even give you a glimpse of the sun for inspiration
No sense laying frozen, in pools of perspiration
Let's face it, when it really comes down to it
You don't even have the gall
To rise up, change, or give it some semblance of 'your all'
So why don't you just do yourself a favor
And follow the bouncing ball"
February 28, 2007
Flimsy Whimsy
Recently, my fellow contributors and quasi-contributor (yes, Trashish, that is a fire being lit under your ass..I mean, come on, Hugh Laurie, Robert Smith, and Johnnie Walker are practically begging for some blog-style props..) were having a heated, non-sensical debate about cultural randomness over numerous alchoholic beverages, again (if there's a better way to communicate, I haven't experienced it). My compatriots noted that comparing what is obviously trash to what is obviously valuable is a lot like shooting fish in a barrel. And while shooting fish in a barrel is exceedingly fun, it perhaps is not exceedingly rewarding. Since I enjoy nothing more than indulging the whims of my fellow humans, the following post is my attempt to shoot genetically-altered, super fish in a container that is larger than a barrel (Although, I have a feeling that I'll be back to Minor Threat-Avril Lavigne comparisons before you can say "self-indulgent tripe").............
Solid Gold Vs. Solid Waste
Personal Hygiene Edition
Gold
It's important to practice good hygiene/
At least if you wanna run with my team/
I'm bout to get into some shit that I've seen/
This fool's breath, I mean it’s so bad it'll melt your ice cream/
They say don't say nothing if you can't say nice things/
Sittin too close to him it burned(?) like my eyes sting/
I try to be subtle, hand him a stick of gum/
I was a victim of breath on hum/
Running his yap about what set he’s from/
Gotta get some gum gotta get him some/
He turned it down, his teeth was brown/
Excruciating, foreign, it was a new sensation/
I had to ask the dope to pass the soap/
Cuz his toes had the sniff of crustaceans/
Or bathrooms in a bus station/
He had a can of O. E. and some raisins/
Amazin'/
head to toe B.O./
He didn't know/
used to the fragrance/
Just as the days went without bathing/
He felt manly and not like a maiden/
He had one dread, and fungus/
Said he worked on peoples' toilets with plungers/
Girls, not the guy you want to tongue ya/
So guys take your cue from this number/
[CHORUS] (x2)
You gotta wash your ass, if you must
You gotta wash your hair, if you must
You gotta brush your teeth, if you must
Or else you'll be funkyyyyyyyy
Now at class you need total concentration/
But there's kids in the back holdin conversations/
Crackin on each other, and neither were poster boys/
Both of em smell like the type that soap avoids/
Coast and Joy, on a leave of absence/
One's fool's feet smelled like it struck some matchsticks/
Brimstone, girls would never bring him home/
I was laughin, then his friend raised his tone/
And said, "Bud, you rolled all over yourself"/
I know some people your ass should be submerged/
Like you need to deal with water cuz you smell like a turd/
Wanna cap get some courage, your feet smell lurid/
Well look it up/And while you're at it, get a cup/
And squeeze the sweat out your sweatshirt and drink it or gargle/
You get our vote for most stinkiest/
That nigga started thinkin of shit/
said I was frail/
I said he was stale/
Underarms is ripe/
Undergarments tight/
about to leap out your holy sweats/
And we holdin bets/
and after this I'm gonna collect/
Nigga check yourself, respect yourself/
And wash your mothafuckin body 'fore your sweatshirt melt/
Like radioactive, no lady find you attractive/
The funk got you captive/
You don't need a map bitch/
CHORUS
---Del "If You Must"
Waste
You call a lady over with a beautiful grill/
You go to give her a kiss and yo she breath smell ill/
Chill/
That was my natural thought/
I'm distraught/
but going for the gold is what I was taught/
So I kiss she on she neck/
and then I caress she breast/
Lower body feelin' stressed/
We gettin' undressed/
and she getting on so lookin' fine and grindin'/
Scratchin', Cryin', Bitin', Whinin'/
Kiss she pon she belly then I get by the navel/
All of a sudden notice something smelling unstable/
Wait! What is that, fishbait?/
Unsanitary state ruining this date/
Then I pause for a second and the dils went (Droop sound)
Frustration from a foul sensation/
Hey baby did you ever think of bathin'/
Maybe next time before you give an invitation/
CHORUS
Washitup!/ A little water and soap/ and come along smelling fresh/ that would be dope
Washitup!/ Before you make me flee/ you're smelling like old cheese/ set me free
Washitup!/ I'm just talking that real/ Don't want the (blank)/ If the (blank) smell stale
Washitup!/ Before you make me cry/ You look good/ Smell bad/ Girl bye bye
---Mr. Lif "Wash It Up"
As with most things I don't like, I can't even make it all the way to the end, but the 2nd verse is much like the first, except in this one some girl still wants him (Mr. Lif) even though he just got off stage and is all sweaty and didn't have time to Washitup! before some girl pushes him into the bathroom and does him despite his stink.
So what's the deal here? Two respectable artists, one funny subject matter, yet one song shines while the other one not so much. First of all, maybe male stinkiness is almost to be expected, whereas female stinkiness is something that I don't really want to think, or hear, about. Is that sexist? Oh well. Also contributing to the suck is the lousy patois that Lif uses throughout the song. Snow (you know you remember the "Informer") had a more authentic accent and that dude's Canadian. Del's song just had better imagery (crustacean-scented toes, Coast and Joy taking leaves of absences, B.O. melting through sweatshirts, gargling sweat actually improving the smell of one's breath, etc). Lif's take on hygiene just comes across as shallow. Particularly when you consider the political nature of the rest of Lif's work. Leave the dirty poontang to Paris Hilton.
Gold
It's important to practice good hygiene/
At least if you wanna run with my team/
I'm bout to get into some shit that I've seen/
This fool's breath, I mean it’s so bad it'll melt your ice cream/
They say don't say nothing if you can't say nice things/
Sittin too close to him it burned(?) like my eyes sting/
I try to be subtle, hand him a stick of gum/
I was a victim of breath on hum/
Running his yap about what set he’s from/
Gotta get some gum gotta get him some/
He turned it down, his teeth was brown/
Excruciating, foreign, it was a new sensation/
I had to ask the dope to pass the soap/
Cuz his toes had the sniff of crustaceans/
Or bathrooms in a bus station/
He had a can of O. E. and some raisins/
Amazin'/
head to toe B.O./
He didn't know/
used to the fragrance/
Just as the days went without bathing/
He felt manly and not like a maiden/
He had one dread, and fungus/
Said he worked on peoples' toilets with plungers/
Girls, not the guy you want to tongue ya/
So guys take your cue from this number/
[CHORUS] (x2)
You gotta wash your ass, if you must
You gotta wash your hair, if you must
You gotta brush your teeth, if you must
Or else you'll be funkyyyyyyyy
Now at class you need total concentration/
But there's kids in the back holdin conversations/
Crackin on each other, and neither were poster boys/
Both of em smell like the type that soap avoids/
Coast and Joy, on a leave of absence/
One's fool's feet smelled like it struck some matchsticks/
Brimstone, girls would never bring him home/
I was laughin, then his friend raised his tone/
And said, "Bud, you rolled all over yourself"/
I know some people your ass should be submerged/
Like you need to deal with water cuz you smell like a turd/
Wanna cap get some courage, your feet smell lurid/
Well look it up/And while you're at it, get a cup/
And squeeze the sweat out your sweatshirt and drink it or gargle/
You get our vote for most stinkiest/
That nigga started thinkin of shit/
said I was frail/
I said he was stale/
Underarms is ripe/
Undergarments tight/
about to leap out your holy sweats/
And we holdin bets/
and after this I'm gonna collect/
Nigga check yourself, respect yourself/
And wash your mothafuckin body 'fore your sweatshirt melt/
Like radioactive, no lady find you attractive/
The funk got you captive/
You don't need a map bitch/
CHORUS
---Del "If You Must"
Waste
You call a lady over with a beautiful grill/
You go to give her a kiss and yo she breath smell ill/
Chill/
That was my natural thought/
I'm distraught/
but going for the gold is what I was taught/
So I kiss she on she neck/
and then I caress she breast/
Lower body feelin' stressed/
We gettin' undressed/
and she getting on so lookin' fine and grindin'/
Scratchin', Cryin', Bitin', Whinin'/
Kiss she pon she belly then I get by the navel/
All of a sudden notice something smelling unstable/
Wait! What is that, fishbait?/
Unsanitary state ruining this date/
Then I pause for a second and the dils went (Droop sound)
Frustration from a foul sensation/
Hey baby did you ever think of bathin'/
Maybe next time before you give an invitation/
CHORUS
Washitup!/ A little water and soap/ and come along smelling fresh/ that would be dope
Washitup!/ Before you make me flee/ you're smelling like old cheese/ set me free
Washitup!/ I'm just talking that real/ Don't want the (blank)/ If the (blank) smell stale
Washitup!/ Before you make me cry/ You look good/ Smell bad/ Girl bye bye
---Mr. Lif "Wash It Up"
As with most things I don't like, I can't even make it all the way to the end, but the 2nd verse is much like the first, except in this one some girl still wants him (Mr. Lif) even though he just got off stage and is all sweaty and didn't have time to Washitup! before some girl pushes him into the bathroom and does him despite his stink.
So what's the deal here? Two respectable artists, one funny subject matter, yet one song shines while the other one not so much. First of all, maybe male stinkiness is almost to be expected, whereas female stinkiness is something that I don't really want to think, or hear, about. Is that sexist? Oh well. Also contributing to the suck is the lousy patois that Lif uses throughout the song. Snow (you know you remember the "Informer") had a more authentic accent and that dude's Canadian. Del's song just had better imagery (crustacean-scented toes, Coast and Joy taking leaves of absences, B.O. melting through sweatshirts, gargling sweat actually improving the smell of one's breath, etc). Lif's take on hygiene just comes across as shallow. Particularly when you consider the political nature of the rest of Lif's work. Leave the dirty poontang to Paris Hilton.
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