Music has always played an integral roll in human culture and society. From the early days of string and wind instruments to the electronic sound of today there is as much importance placed on what the music sounds like as to how it is integrated into society. In the article by Schmutz and Faupel they state, “The historical importance of an album can be highlighted in several ways, such as its impact on the field, other artists or the broader society.” (Schmutz & Faupel, pg 689) This importance that they are talking about is complicated in its own way. For example, someone who thinks of the Rolling Stones as purely misogynistic may challenge the view of someone who thinks a group such as the Rolling Stones has been incredibly important to musical history. Whether the Rolling Stones are really that important is not my point, the fact that people can have a conscious and educated discussion about their impact is what matters.
As time continues to move forward society changes and cultures follow by shifting and maneuvering to fit the spontaneous manifestations of new forms of media. Music acts as a main driver for the direction of cultural change and is a major force in any area of society. The importance of music in our society helps to shape ideas and beliefs, it creates a space for communication, and it delivers messages to an extremely broad audience (or delivers the message from an extremely large audience to a select group of people). The direction of music is generally driven by the participants but is also dependent on its acceptance within society. “Just as directors became the “artists” of American cinema, rock musicians became seen as the “artists” behind their form of cultural expression.” (Schmutz & Faupel, pg 690) This exemplifies how artists of the 60’s cultural movement became drivers of the music and therefore they became leaders for society as a whole. The problem I find with this is that the majority of those “artists” were white males who had never experienced oppression on the same level as a minorities or even females had. This is important because the people who were in control of the music then are still mostly in charge of the music (pop culture specifically) now.
In Schmutz and Faupel’s article they review and analyze the Rolling Stone Magazine top 500 albums list, “Overall, 17.8 percent of reviews for male artists contain at least one reference to historical importance and influence compared to 10.5 percent of female artists. Critics, for example, invoke terms such as ‘landmark,’ ‘watershed’ and ‘monumental’ to describe albums by male artists.” (Schmutz & Faupel, pg 698) This points to the idea that the hegemony within our society is still very directed towards appealing to white male ideals. The terms used in male reviews show how this hegemony expects females to be real and emotional but not of extreme importance. By using language that refers to the femininity of female artist’s music and not using words such as ‘monumental’ they are degrading the importance of these albums produced and performed by women.
Another degrading aspect of the reviews include, “Among reviews of female artists, 65.8 percent contain at least one type of reference to social or professional networks, compared to only 44.3 percent of males reviews.” (Schmutz & Faupel, pg 701) I feel that this is showing the disregard of the importance female artist’s roll in producing the music. By stating a network connection to the women involved in the music the reviewers are implying that the women couldn’t have done it on their own. This is a way to denounce and degrade the importance of female albums. And so continues the hegemony of Western civilization, where we place an importance on liberation of the human kind but when everyone wants the same freedom it is misconstrued or melded to fit societies previously existing standards.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tracy Chapman's Position
I remember a lot of music my mom used to play when I was younger. She had such a massive collection of CDs that it would be hard to forget the variety. One artist that really sticks out in my mind from her collection is Tracy Chapman, someone my mom enjoyed playing often. I remember as a child recognizing Chapman’s vocal and narrative talents that truly allowed her to be heard. Even though I did not fully understand the social and political issues behind her music I remember vividly hearing the raw emotion behind Chapman’s music. I feel that this emotion was derived through Chapman from she stood in society. Whiteley also suggests that her background played a major role in becoming a conscious artist: “The combination of a keen musical ear, personal experience of growing up ‘poor, black, working class and female in America’, and a university education which fostered objectivity and observation would seem an ideal background for a socially conscious musician.” (Whiteley, pg 172) Chapman was able to receive an education after starting off with practically nothing therefore allowing her to objectively stand up for those who were discriminated against. Her knowledge gave her a tool to use in speaking out for those who were culturally oppressed because she could understand the disposition that society placed on minorities and females alike.
Tracy Chapman’s experience with oppression comes with the time period she was born into. Because she was from a lower-class black family and she was a girl she had every sort of hegemony working against her. This oppression probably led to her emotional outcry through her music and in turn Chapman used her talent to tell stories about herself and her life. She attempted “to make herself the subject of her narrative, to draw attention to a country shaped by racism, observing from the sidelines the anomalies, the inequalities…”( Whiteley, pg 173) As I explained earlier, Chapman’s education played an extremely vital roll in the development of her artistic persona. By placing herself in the narratives of these stories she brought a real sense of passion and connection to the issues. As a young black female Chapman embodied the spirit of freedom and understanding and through the use of her musical talents she was able to spread her message and knowledge.
I feel that although Chapman presented this emotional and raw side of herself she still fell under the spell of consumerism and the ‘American Dream’. Through her education Chapman was able to boost herself into a higher position within society and although black, she still became part of the (upper) middle-class. Whiteley discusses the difference between 70’s soul and Chapman’s visionary music. “The promotion of black pride, black unity, and self-empowerment…which offered solutions for social, economic, and political oppression through a rejection of white American goals and values, had been countered by a systematic embourgeoisement of the black middle class.” (Whiteley, pg 174) This shows that although conscious, Chapman still appealed to a greater crowd within the middle upper class and therefore the people who she was speaking about were not even a part of her listening audiences. Chapman also exemplifies the idea of consumerism through lines such as, “’everyone will look at me with envy and greed’ and ‘I’ll revel in their attention and mountains, oh mountains o’ things.’” (Whiteley, pg 280) It’s understandable that someone who started outwith nothing would want everything (or as much as they could have) but I feel it’s unfortunate that Chapman, who was such a conscious and provocative artist, would fall under the spell of this idea of consumerism.
Tracy Chapman’s experience with oppression comes with the time period she was born into. Because she was from a lower-class black family and she was a girl she had every sort of hegemony working against her. This oppression probably led to her emotional outcry through her music and in turn Chapman used her talent to tell stories about herself and her life. She attempted “to make herself the subject of her narrative, to draw attention to a country shaped by racism, observing from the sidelines the anomalies, the inequalities…”( Whiteley, pg 173) As I explained earlier, Chapman’s education played an extremely vital roll in the development of her artistic persona. By placing herself in the narratives of these stories she brought a real sense of passion and connection to the issues. As a young black female Chapman embodied the spirit of freedom and understanding and through the use of her musical talents she was able to spread her message and knowledge.
I feel that although Chapman presented this emotional and raw side of herself she still fell under the spell of consumerism and the ‘American Dream’. Through her education Chapman was able to boost herself into a higher position within society and although black, she still became part of the (upper) middle-class. Whiteley discusses the difference between 70’s soul and Chapman’s visionary music. “The promotion of black pride, black unity, and self-empowerment…which offered solutions for social, economic, and political oppression through a rejection of white American goals and values, had been countered by a systematic embourgeoisement of the black middle class.” (Whiteley, pg 174) This shows that although conscious, Chapman still appealed to a greater crowd within the middle upper class and therefore the people who she was speaking about were not even a part of her listening audiences. Chapman also exemplifies the idea of consumerism through lines such as, “’everyone will look at me with envy and greed’ and ‘I’ll revel in their attention and mountains, oh mountains o’ things.’” (Whiteley, pg 280) It’s understandable that someone who started outwith nothing would want everything (or as much as they could have) but I feel it’s unfortunate that Chapman, who was such a conscious and provocative artist, would fall under the spell of this idea of consumerism.
Friday, May 13, 2011
GlamPop
Throughout pop music culture there has always been a pattern of fluctuation. The fluctuation occurs in the form of what style of musical genre is popular at the time. For most pop cultures of the 60’s and 70’s the genre of music listened to actually originated as countercultural movements. For instance, psychedelic and jam styled music began as an alternative to the “pop” sound of bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Glam Rock is another example of a countercultural movement that landed itself in the public sphere and gained immense popularity (if only for a short time). The counterculture of Glam Rock involved homosexual and campy ideals and imagery, adding to the importance and impact of this style of music. Auslander writes, “The importance of glam rock resides not only in its social effects but also in its lasting influence on later music.” (pg 230) Although I do not necessarily agree with Auslander on the importance of the actual music of glam I do think that the messages spread by the glam culture helped to break down gender barriers and rolls within society.
The ideals of self-assertion, freedom of individuality, and having a rockin good time are found in Glam rock but did not necessarily originate from glam. Glam Rock did bring about the questioning of gender identities and led to a freedom within pop culture that allowed for a larger variety of artists to contribute. “…a fictionalized account of the rise of glam rock, eloquently depicts how glam provided such models by placing queer images in the public sphere.” (Auslander, pg 228) In this quote Auslander is acknowledging the importance of countercultural idols found within pop culture. Although Glam Rock may have gained popularity during this time period, the hegemonic views of society were still very heterosexual and therefore any form of campiness or homosexuality acted as a countercultural building block.
An idea we talked about in class is the cultural war over hegemony and it’s continuous never-ending struggle. The battle over hegemony involves struggle for consent, connections to symbols/ideologies, and the defining of cultural norms. Our current hegemonic system was built upon the ideals of the people who were in power when this country (and culture) was born. This means that we gear our ideals in society towards masculine identities and heterosexual beliefs. Glam Rock challenged these systems in place and made popular the act of cross-dressing and sexual exploration (not in the same way as the Hippie movement) causing identity shifts within the public sphere. Auslander critiques the idea of identities within pop cultural: “…what is finally at stake in the interaction between musical performers and their audiences is the audience’s identity, not the performer’s” (Auslander, 233) I agree with Auslander but in turn I also feel that Glam Rock managed to pull this off. The counterculture of glam allowed for audiences to open up to new ideas and therefore caused them to analyze their own identities.
The ideals of self-assertion, freedom of individuality, and having a rockin good time are found in Glam rock but did not necessarily originate from glam. Glam Rock did bring about the questioning of gender identities and led to a freedom within pop culture that allowed for a larger variety of artists to contribute. “…a fictionalized account of the rise of glam rock, eloquently depicts how glam provided such models by placing queer images in the public sphere.” (Auslander, pg 228) In this quote Auslander is acknowledging the importance of countercultural idols found within pop culture. Although Glam Rock may have gained popularity during this time period, the hegemonic views of society were still very heterosexual and therefore any form of campiness or homosexuality acted as a countercultural building block.
An idea we talked about in class is the cultural war over hegemony and it’s continuous never-ending struggle. The battle over hegemony involves struggle for consent, connections to symbols/ideologies, and the defining of cultural norms. Our current hegemonic system was built upon the ideals of the people who were in power when this country (and culture) was born. This means that we gear our ideals in society towards masculine identities and heterosexual beliefs. Glam Rock challenged these systems in place and made popular the act of cross-dressing and sexual exploration (not in the same way as the Hippie movement) causing identity shifts within the public sphere. Auslander critiques the idea of identities within pop cultural: “…what is finally at stake in the interaction between musical performers and their audiences is the audience’s identity, not the performer’s” (Auslander, 233) I agree with Auslander but in turn I also feel that Glam Rock managed to pull this off. The counterculture of glam allowed for audiences to open up to new ideas and therefore caused them to analyze their own identities.
Quatro’s Identity
Suzi Quatro took on a very masculine roll within media and society much like how Bowie took on a feminine roll. These personas both challenged gender norms within the public sphere and pushed the boundaries of performance rock. Auslander talks about Quatro’s masculinity portrayal in media through interviews and compares her gender-roll reversal to Bowie: “Like Bowie, Quatro performed her persona offstage as well as on. In interviews, she frequently portrayed herself as tough and masculine by drawing attention to the smallness of her breasts, using salty language, and ogling voluptuous women.” (Auslander, pg 200) I feel that Quatro understood her impact she had upon pop culture and society and in turn she consciously chose to challenge the gender rolls. I believe this because she portrayed her masculine image both on and offstage, suggesting that it was part of her identity and not just a roll she played.
The choice to portray a masculine roll may also be a conscious decision on Quatro’s part because of the bias built into rock and roll’s roots. Society tends to lean in favor of male dominated ideals and this leads to gender challenges, especially for women. Auslander writes: “Because rock is culturally understood to be a male form, female rockers are automatically assumed to be inauthentic.” (Auslander, pg 204) This assumption of inauthenticity plays an important roll in how females have been treated within rock and pop culture in society. Often if a female is successful with a band or as an individual artist their success is attributed to the male in charge of the record company or management. Because of these standards found in Rock (and most pop culture) Quatro’s masculine attributes only helped authenticate her roll as a rock-n-roll performer.
Suzi was able to acknowledge how the masculine roll she played was only a persona and did not actually make up her “real” identity. She recognized that there was great appeal for a hard, badass, and masculine image, and therefore she was well aware of the tensions between gender rolls. “Quatro herself summarizes her position by saying: ‘I was enjoying the delights of beating the men at their own game and still being a woman.” (Auslander, pg 212) By utilizing masculine characteristics Suzi was able to reach out to a much larger audience, and in turn she became a very influential idol in the development of rock. Quatro was also able to utilize the aspect of gender rolls such as the way male glam rockers did before her. By taking on male characteristics she was portraying an aspect of society she probably didn’t like and used it to her benefit. In the same way camp takes on a homosexual roll to question hegemony, Quatro took something oppressing and turned it into a tool to fight back and speak her voice.
The choice to portray a masculine roll may also be a conscious decision on Quatro’s part because of the bias built into rock and roll’s roots. Society tends to lean in favor of male dominated ideals and this leads to gender challenges, especially for women. Auslander writes: “Because rock is culturally understood to be a male form, female rockers are automatically assumed to be inauthentic.” (Auslander, pg 204) This assumption of inauthenticity plays an important roll in how females have been treated within rock and pop culture in society. Often if a female is successful with a band or as an individual artist their success is attributed to the male in charge of the record company or management. Because of these standards found in Rock (and most pop culture) Quatro’s masculine attributes only helped authenticate her roll as a rock-n-roll performer.
Suzi was able to acknowledge how the masculine roll she played was only a persona and did not actually make up her “real” identity. She recognized that there was great appeal for a hard, badass, and masculine image, and therefore she was well aware of the tensions between gender rolls. “Quatro herself summarizes her position by saying: ‘I was enjoying the delights of beating the men at their own game and still being a woman.” (Auslander, pg 212) By utilizing masculine characteristics Suzi was able to reach out to a much larger audience, and in turn she became a very influential idol in the development of rock. Quatro was also able to utilize the aspect of gender rolls such as the way male glam rockers did before her. By taking on male characteristics she was portraying an aspect of society she probably didn’t like and used it to her benefit. In the same way camp takes on a homosexual roll to question hegemony, Quatro took something oppressing and turned it into a tool to fight back and speak her voice.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Bowie and Bliss
In the interview with David Bowie we watched in class on Wednesday there were several responses from Bowie that stuck out to me. I find it extremely interesting that an ecstatic and energetic young Bowie would have such a calm and collected presence “off” stage. Bowie embodies the essence of a performer because he is able to separate all three roles of performance. His real personality and identity are distinguished from his on-stage persona as Bowie because he plays a character (Ziggy at the time) that is entirely fabricated. When Bowie says, “I have a hodgepodge philosophy which really is very minimal…” I thought how interesting it was to hear this from someone who does everything but the minimal on stage. It seems as though his on stage persona almost takes on a reverse identity of his quiet and calm self (or that’s at least how I perceive him in this interview). Although Bowie’s physical look does not seem to stray to far from his on-stage image, his personality and presence appears much more timid than the cross-dressing performer who is metaphorically sexed on stage by his guitarist.
The interviewer continues to interrupt Bowie after this statement and asks, “Do you believe in god?” This comment is to be expected out of a conservative (I am assuming here purely based off his reactions to Bowie) at the time whom is most likely taken aback by someone such as Bowie. Bowie responds with enthusiasm and certainty that “I believe in an energy form.” When he said this it really struck a chord in my heart because I felt an increasingly closer attachment to Bowie as a human being. This response is pretty far “out there” within the public sphere, but the fact that Bowie can acknowledge this belief and portray his ideas openly makes his real identity seem conscious and aware. I feel that this openness to consciousness makes Bowie’s stage presence all the greater. This is because it allows the audiences to differentiate between Bowie as a person, Bowie as a performer, and Bowie’s characters that he plays. There is a yin yang balance that allows him to step back and forth between these roles. And therefore when he goes into an interview such as this he is able to present his ideas and beliefs in a clear matter that does not disguise or hide Bowie as a person.
My favorite part to this interview is that after the god conversation the interviewer is curious as to how religious or spiritual Bowie really is. He asks, “Do indulge in any form of worship?” and Bowie responds, “Life, I love life.” I was excited about this response because it represents a very similar style to life that I approach. I appreciate how Bowie as a performer is fully understanding of the position he is in (an idol) and he is still able to focus on what really matters. By saying that he worships life he is acknowledging that the time we are on this planet is special, and out of it I get that Bowie is here to have fun and enjoy himself. Whether Bowie fully understood the impact he would have is undeterminable but he sure does seem to be living in the moment at the time. Bowie appears to utilize living in the moment to it’s fullest and therefore his blissful presence in noticed not only on stage but off stage as well.
The interviewer continues to interrupt Bowie after this statement and asks, “Do you believe in god?” This comment is to be expected out of a conservative (I am assuming here purely based off his reactions to Bowie) at the time whom is most likely taken aback by someone such as Bowie. Bowie responds with enthusiasm and certainty that “I believe in an energy form.” When he said this it really struck a chord in my heart because I felt an increasingly closer attachment to Bowie as a human being. This response is pretty far “out there” within the public sphere, but the fact that Bowie can acknowledge this belief and portray his ideas openly makes his real identity seem conscious and aware. I feel that this openness to consciousness makes Bowie’s stage presence all the greater. This is because it allows the audiences to differentiate between Bowie as a person, Bowie as a performer, and Bowie’s characters that he plays. There is a yin yang balance that allows him to step back and forth between these roles. And therefore when he goes into an interview such as this he is able to present his ideas and beliefs in a clear matter that does not disguise or hide Bowie as a person.
My favorite part to this interview is that after the god conversation the interviewer is curious as to how religious or spiritual Bowie really is. He asks, “Do indulge in any form of worship?” and Bowie responds, “Life, I love life.” I was excited about this response because it represents a very similar style to life that I approach. I appreciate how Bowie as a performer is fully understanding of the position he is in (an idol) and he is still able to focus on what really matters. By saying that he worships life he is acknowledging that the time we are on this planet is special, and out of it I get that Bowie is here to have fun and enjoy himself. Whether Bowie fully understood the impact he would have is undeterminable but he sure does seem to be living in the moment at the time. Bowie appears to utilize living in the moment to it’s fullest and therefore his blissful presence in noticed not only on stage but off stage as well.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
3 Ideas
“Whereas psychedelic rock musicians tried to look like their audiences, many glam rock fans tried to duplicate the looks of their favorite performers.” (Auslander, pg 60)
Whatever the newest pop sensation is within our society there will always be imitations and representations from both sides (audience and performers) that reflect what the current status of conscious is. By reflecting the audience’s look, the performers within the counterculture movement were representing this idea of self-reflection and introspection. Although gender relations may not have prospered during this time period I still feel that the counterculture movement as a whole was necessary in stepping towards reaching our greater potential as humans. The process of introspection lead to understanding more about the power and freedom every individual within society has and how to tap into that energy. By dressing out of the norm Glam rockers and their audience reflected another important aspect of humanity that had yet to come into the public sphere. That is the idea that every individual being is as equal as the next, and therefore no matter how crazy or unnatural you look you are still a part of the whole.
“Gender identity was another front on which glam challenged psychedelic rock…because it disputed the ideology of authenticity by posting gendered identities as constructed rather than natural.” (Auslander, pg 40)
The psychedelic rock and hippie counterculture movement provided a new space for conversations to take place. Unfortunately these new spaces still did not involve gender identity and understanding. Yes, there was a side to it that spoke of open-mindedness and sexual liberty but in the end the hippie movement still embodied straight male dominated views. Glam rock focused on the campy aspects of performance and in turn caused a whole new space for conversation about gender identity. By bringing ideas such as transvestism into the public sphere, Glam rock made our culture question what roles are assumed within society.
“(Glam) reacted against the obligation to be socially conscious by returning to Rock and Roll’s favorite themes: girls, cars, dancing and sex.” (Auslander, 51)
Themes brought up in Glam such as girls, cars, dancing and sex are entirely fabricated and synthesized to fit into our hegemonic culture. Unfortunately for society popular culture tends to create patterns of oversimplification and generalizations. This has a negative effect on people and our society because it limits our ability to evolve, diverge and progress as a species. I feel that even though Glam rock was the counterculture for all but fifteen minutes, the actual idea of it being counter to anything is almost laughable. Glam embraced these ideas of hegemony and at the same time challenged them in ways not seen before in pop culture; such as the cross-dressing and female personas. Unfortunately this challenge and embrace of ideals within our culture ultimately failed to act a s a catalyst for real change because the music was mostly awful and it supported the idea that humans were simply here to have a good time. Although I would like to believe the latter part, I am not going to sit around in a state of ignorant bliss such as the Glam rockers because I know the world and humanity can evolve to a much higher state of understanding and conscious.
Whatever the newest pop sensation is within our society there will always be imitations and representations from both sides (audience and performers) that reflect what the current status of conscious is. By reflecting the audience’s look, the performers within the counterculture movement were representing this idea of self-reflection and introspection. Although gender relations may not have prospered during this time period I still feel that the counterculture movement as a whole was necessary in stepping towards reaching our greater potential as humans. The process of introspection lead to understanding more about the power and freedom every individual within society has and how to tap into that energy. By dressing out of the norm Glam rockers and their audience reflected another important aspect of humanity that had yet to come into the public sphere. That is the idea that every individual being is as equal as the next, and therefore no matter how crazy or unnatural you look you are still a part of the whole.
“Gender identity was another front on which glam challenged psychedelic rock…because it disputed the ideology of authenticity by posting gendered identities as constructed rather than natural.” (Auslander, pg 40)
The psychedelic rock and hippie counterculture movement provided a new space for conversations to take place. Unfortunately these new spaces still did not involve gender identity and understanding. Yes, there was a side to it that spoke of open-mindedness and sexual liberty but in the end the hippie movement still embodied straight male dominated views. Glam rock focused on the campy aspects of performance and in turn caused a whole new space for conversation about gender identity. By bringing ideas such as transvestism into the public sphere, Glam rock made our culture question what roles are assumed within society.
“(Glam) reacted against the obligation to be socially conscious by returning to Rock and Roll’s favorite themes: girls, cars, dancing and sex.” (Auslander, 51)
Themes brought up in Glam such as girls, cars, dancing and sex are entirely fabricated and synthesized to fit into our hegemonic culture. Unfortunately for society popular culture tends to create patterns of oversimplification and generalizations. This has a negative effect on people and our society because it limits our ability to evolve, diverge and progress as a species. I feel that even though Glam rock was the counterculture for all but fifteen minutes, the actual idea of it being counter to anything is almost laughable. Glam embraced these ideas of hegemony and at the same time challenged them in ways not seen before in pop culture; such as the cross-dressing and female personas. Unfortunately this challenge and embrace of ideals within our culture ultimately failed to act a s a catalyst for real change because the music was mostly awful and it supported the idea that humans were simply here to have a good time. Although I would like to believe the latter part, I am not going to sit around in a state of ignorant bliss such as the Glam rockers because I know the world and humanity can evolve to a much higher state of understanding and conscious.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Are you listening?
When playing music how often do you think the person/people listening are actually listening? I use the term with emphasis because I feel there are two derivations one can acquire from the word ‘listening’. As I’m writing this blog I have music turned up, although it’s playing through my stereo I am still able to write with a steady stream of consciousness. I cannot actually listen to the music in a sense of connecting to the words and the instruments, but I can hear the song playing. If I were to stop writing and focus on the lyrical content and instrumentation of the current song (Jimi Hendrix- Crosstown Traffic), I would be truly listening rather than hearing the song.
This idea of listening has been around for about as long as humans have been communicating, maybe even longer if you believe there is conscious communication between other organisms on this planet. I feel that the cultural root of connecting to music is engrained in our history of spoken tradition. Early human beings used language as a way to communicate ideas and pass along knowledge; therefore oral tradition became a form of connecting. Music provides a space that utilizes more than just an oral tradition, but introduces instruments as another form of communication. Early civilizations used ‘simple’ instruments such as hide skin drums and rattlers but now we have access to an almost infinite number of instruments (talking about the use of computer programs to synthesize sound).
I feel that often within popular music today the lyrics and production are not geared towards reaching out and connecting to the audience. This is a transformation from the radical 60’s and 70’s where the ideas of feminism were just beginning to mesh into the public sphere. Whiteley discusses how folk music evolved beyond purely acoustic and this caused a shift in the music “in that the blending of musical boundaries led to a more broad-based acceptance of stylistic diversity.” (Whiteley, pg 74) This diversity therefore allowed artists to express themselves in new ways and open new doors such as discussing feminism in the public sphere. By changing the musical content these activists continued the evolution of consciousness.
Joni Mitchell provides a good example as someone who used these new opportunities to speak her mind and express her feelings. Another artist Whiteley mentions is Buffy St Marie who projected a diversity of images, “to write unconventional love lyrics and songs which confronted social and political issues, national and its impact on the American Indian.” (Whiteley, pg 74-75) This openness relates to my point about listening. The artists who speaks from their thoughts and their emotions is the one who wants you to listen. Although I admit to not listening to music 100% of the time, I make it a point to play music that was made to be listened too. The female artists of the 60’s and 70’s exemplified this aspiration to express themselves and therefore open doorway’s for women that had never been there before.
This idea of listening has been around for about as long as humans have been communicating, maybe even longer if you believe there is conscious communication between other organisms on this planet. I feel that the cultural root of connecting to music is engrained in our history of spoken tradition. Early human beings used language as a way to communicate ideas and pass along knowledge; therefore oral tradition became a form of connecting. Music provides a space that utilizes more than just an oral tradition, but introduces instruments as another form of communication. Early civilizations used ‘simple’ instruments such as hide skin drums and rattlers but now we have access to an almost infinite number of instruments (talking about the use of computer programs to synthesize sound).
I feel that often within popular music today the lyrics and production are not geared towards reaching out and connecting to the audience. This is a transformation from the radical 60’s and 70’s where the ideas of feminism were just beginning to mesh into the public sphere. Whiteley discusses how folk music evolved beyond purely acoustic and this caused a shift in the music “in that the blending of musical boundaries led to a more broad-based acceptance of stylistic diversity.” (Whiteley, pg 74) This diversity therefore allowed artists to express themselves in new ways and open new doors such as discussing feminism in the public sphere. By changing the musical content these activists continued the evolution of consciousness.
Joni Mitchell provides a good example as someone who used these new opportunities to speak her mind and express her feelings. Another artist Whiteley mentions is Buffy St Marie who projected a diversity of images, “to write unconventional love lyrics and songs which confronted social and political issues, national and its impact on the American Indian.” (Whiteley, pg 74-75) This openness relates to my point about listening. The artists who speaks from their thoughts and their emotions is the one who wants you to listen. Although I admit to not listening to music 100% of the time, I make it a point to play music that was made to be listened too. The female artists of the 60’s and 70’s exemplified this aspiration to express themselves and therefore open doorway’s for women that had never been there before.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Janis Joplin and the Endeavors of Societal Pressures
Some believe that Janis Joplin was a hero for women and the feminist movement, I feel that she was an insignificant character in the long run but provided a new light within the changing gender dynamics of the 60’s. Although she may have brought people together with music during her lifetime, she did not have an overall greater positive effect on societal views and beliefs in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy most of her music. There’s something so raw and emotional about Janis that makes me feel what she’s feeling. I just think that Janis as a person is a reflection of a side of society that we try and ignore. She was insecure and tended to have addictive behaviors.
I was talking with a friend today who often goes to slams and is very active within the slam/poetry community. My friend asked me if I thought it was possible to create artwork (poems, drawings, etc) without utilizing extreme emotions. I think that this question is entirely based on personal experience and the individual you are discussing. In Janis Joplin’s case her emotions entirely ran her performance and her creativity. Although another factor reflected in Janis’ work is the drug and alcohol abuse she still had intense emotional outbreaks and tended to let her emotions run her actions. Interestingly enough she used the drugs to suppress her most intense emotions of loneliness and insecurity (which might just be a state of mind and not necessarily an emotion). This is all reflected in Janis’ work and even though I don’t consider her that influential in women’s rights I do think she was important to the musical movement of the 60’s and conscious awareness (as far as gender relations go).
I feel that Janis Joplin’s role as a leader and pop star was painful to learn about. It seems that Janis was thrown into a position that many artists and pop stars have to deal with, especially today. A position where they have become larger than life and therefore they are treated as idols within the eyes of the public. I feel that Janis’ role during the 60’s quickly became what some refer to as a “circus act”. This circus act I talk about is the craze that the media accumulates by focusing intensely on artists and their personal lives. At first the media said Janis needed to leave Big Brother and the Holding Company because she wasn’t the focus. Then the public criticized her for following their advice and said she was egotistical and ‘too big for her britches’. Not only was she receiving criticism from the media and public but she was also meant to lead this new band (Kozmic Blues Band) made up of professional musicians, at the age of 26. I think that Jerry Rodnitzky simply wraps up Janis’ contributions well, “In October 1970, at age 27, she died of a heroin overdose while the Vietnam War raged.”(Rodnitzky, pg 2) I use this example because it is incredibly depressing to think that an influential character (in many people’s opnions) such as Janis could only worry about her immediate problems, and in doing so managed to kill herself during one of the biggest shifts in social conscious of human history.
An artist who reminds me of Janis Joplin is Grace Potter from Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Grace seems to have followed a similar path compared to Joplin as far as exploding in popularity at a young age. The two women performers also share a passion and expression of creativity that is impossible to neglect when listening to their music. I bring up Grace because I feel that she is an evolution of Janis Joplin into what Janis could have been. It will be interesting to see her development as time goes on and to see where society stands as far as gender relations go. I’m hoping we can learn from artists like Joplin and Potter to appreciate the artists for who they are and not let this cultural obsession blur our vision.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Consciousness & Media
The idea of consciousness is something I’ve only recently began to think about and discuss with others in the past several years. I feel that there are many paths one can take to learning about consciousness and how it affects the human body and mind. In the first three chapters we read from Whiteley there is a resonating theme of consciousness. She discusses why, although considered a progressive era, the 60’s and 70’s celebration of ‘sexual liberty’ allowed for the objectification of women to continue. Whiteley also discusses several examples of how women were portrayed in different lights through music and media. The idea of consciousness plays an important role in pop culture (the music Whiteley talks about) because in my opinion pop culture acts as a reflection of society as a whole and what our interests are.
Feminism is an active example of consciousness in the process of activism. While not every women who considers herself a feminist agrees with every ‘feminist’ belief, there is still a unifying idea that they are fighting to gain power (whether that be for equality, acceptance, justice, etc.) In Whiteley’s book, she discusses how the ‘progressive’ era of the sixties and seventies still degraded women in an oppressive matter. “…both the lifestyle and the musical ethos of the period undermined the role of women, positioning them as either romanticized fantasy figures, subservient earth mothers or easy lays.” (Whiteley, pg 23) This seems a bit extreme to me, but through her discussion and examples of songs such as Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones it is possible to see how she is able to make those connections. I like the first chapter conclusion and how Whiteley discusses the duality of the progressive sixties movement in comparison to the derogatory messages and ideas spread by male dominated music. “At the time, it provided a ‘commonsense’ notion of the ideological framing of women which was both spontaneous and repressive.” (pg. 29)
Whiteley also talks about Dusty Springfield, a successful female artist that struggled to deal with many of the pressures that accompany popularity within pop culture. Her self-confidence struggled as she constantly had to deal with media bombardments. “The press has also become increasingly curious about her private life, alluding to affairs with both men and women.” (Whiteley, pg 24) Pop stars within the Western world have always been idolized and worshipped, and in my opinion this causes a sense of reality distortion both in the case of the public and the star. By placing these people on pedestals we are defining what a person should look or act like. Not only does this intense focus on the individual create a false perception of that person but it also causes the pop star to undergo a lot of expectational (I couldn’t think of a fitting word) pressure, such as what Dusty Springfield went through.
With the development of technology recently, this sensation of pop star obsession has sky rocketed in popularity. In the 60’s and 70’s the only media available to the public was through radio, newspaper, and limited television (limited compared to today). Now everyone and their little sibling(s) have access to online media, and can therefore keep up with the latest pop sensation. I feel that because of this, popular culture and media cause the continuation of hegemonistic views that support the objectification and idealization of women. Media also attempts to diffuse movements by misrepresentation and false accusations. “With ‘women’s liberation’ constructed by the media as ‘bra-burning radicals’ and misrepresented by so-called progressive men…”(Whiteley, pg 29) This power of the media has been present since the development of printed news, and even before that when religious leaders lead the masses. By acknowledging media’s role in our society we can understand how it affects the consciousness of the public sphere, and in an attempt to help free society (from the shackles of white male dominance) we need to utilize the media itself to shift these ideas.
Feminism is an active example of consciousness in the process of activism. While not every women who considers herself a feminist agrees with every ‘feminist’ belief, there is still a unifying idea that they are fighting to gain power (whether that be for equality, acceptance, justice, etc.) In Whiteley’s book, she discusses how the ‘progressive’ era of the sixties and seventies still degraded women in an oppressive matter. “…both the lifestyle and the musical ethos of the period undermined the role of women, positioning them as either romanticized fantasy figures, subservient earth mothers or easy lays.” (Whiteley, pg 23) This seems a bit extreme to me, but through her discussion and examples of songs such as Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones it is possible to see how she is able to make those connections. I like the first chapter conclusion and how Whiteley discusses the duality of the progressive sixties movement in comparison to the derogatory messages and ideas spread by male dominated music. “At the time, it provided a ‘commonsense’ notion of the ideological framing of women which was both spontaneous and repressive.” (pg. 29)
Whiteley also talks about Dusty Springfield, a successful female artist that struggled to deal with many of the pressures that accompany popularity within pop culture. Her self-confidence struggled as she constantly had to deal with media bombardments. “The press has also become increasingly curious about her private life, alluding to affairs with both men and women.” (Whiteley, pg 24) Pop stars within the Western world have always been idolized and worshipped, and in my opinion this causes a sense of reality distortion both in the case of the public and the star. By placing these people on pedestals we are defining what a person should look or act like. Not only does this intense focus on the individual create a false perception of that person but it also causes the pop star to undergo a lot of expectational (I couldn’t think of a fitting word) pressure, such as what Dusty Springfield went through.
With the development of technology recently, this sensation of pop star obsession has sky rocketed in popularity. In the 60’s and 70’s the only media available to the public was through radio, newspaper, and limited television (limited compared to today). Now everyone and their little sibling(s) have access to online media, and can therefore keep up with the latest pop sensation. I feel that because of this, popular culture and media cause the continuation of hegemonistic views that support the objectification and idealization of women. Media also attempts to diffuse movements by misrepresentation and false accusations. “With ‘women’s liberation’ constructed by the media as ‘bra-burning radicals’ and misrepresented by so-called progressive men…”(Whiteley, pg 29) This power of the media has been present since the development of printed news, and even before that when religious leaders lead the masses. By acknowledging media’s role in our society we can understand how it affects the consciousness of the public sphere, and in an attempt to help free society (from the shackles of white male dominance) we need to utilize the media itself to shift these ideas.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Introduction & Female Objectivity
Hello Readers,
My name is Carson Schoellkopf and I grew up in the state of Vermont. I am currently majoring in Digital Media Studies and Geography at the University of Denver. Throughout the majority of my life music has played an important role as an educational tool as well as a form of entertainment. Growing up my dad played lots of bands along the lines of Grateful Dead, Phish, the Beatles, Talking Heads and such while my mom played a greater variety of “world” music. These different genres helped me to develop a deeper appreciation for what goes into musical production. Although I don’t currently play an instrument, my love for music is exemplified in my constant search to find new bands and my exploration of the auditory environment. When exploring musical boundaries I like to understand what ideals and beliefs the artists have and in turn listening to music becomes an educational process.
My name is Carson Schoellkopf and I grew up in the state of Vermont. I am currently majoring in Digital Media Studies and Geography at the University of Denver. Throughout the majority of my life music has played an important role as an educational tool as well as a form of entertainment. Growing up my dad played lots of bands along the lines of Grateful Dead, Phish, the Beatles, Talking Heads and such while my mom played a greater variety of “world” music. These different genres helped me to develop a deeper appreciation for what goes into musical production. Although I don’t currently play an instrument, my love for music is exemplified in my constant search to find new bands and my exploration of the auditory environment. When exploring musical boundaries I like to understand what ideals and beliefs the artists have and in turn listening to music becomes an educational process.
I feel that the portrayal of gender within media today mirrors a lot of the values we hold as a society. With the incorporation of religion into human cultures over several thousands of years we have developed ideals (such as heterosexuality and male-dominance) that have become normalized in the public sphere. Much of the “pop” music and Hollywood hits that are released today present cookie-cutter images of how males and females should look, act and think. These ideals are well reflected in the three California Girls music videos we watched in class. Such as what is discussed in Dreamworlds 3 about the exploitation of women, the music videos we watched in class present images that show women as objects and accessories.
In the original music video by the Beach Boys you see a lot of beautiful women who are glammed up and positioned around the musicians. This portrays the idea that the band members, who are all men, are something to be sought after (male dominance) and that the women used in the video provide an image for females to “idolize” and pursue. In the music video by David Lee Roth he creates a similar environment where females are merely there for observation and entertainment. This portrayal of females only promotes the objectification of women, such as the images seen in Katy Perry’s version of “California Girls” as well. Perry’s on stage persona and music video character (Auslander, pg. 4) are both presented as an ideal to strive for, and suggest that women (and more specifically “California girls”) are like candy. Although I believe these portrayals to be negative, one could argue that Perry’s performance is meant to be liberating in a sense that the creators of the music video are celebrating her feminism.
The celebration of feminism is an idea that has been around for many years (especially within indigenous cultures) but only truly gained momentum in popular culture during the social revolution of the sixties. Although Whiteley would argue, “discussions about ‘sexual liberation’ were framed in terms saturated with male assumptions.” (pg 10) I still feel that this era marks a beginning of new sexual identities within the public sphere and the beginning of understanding male-dominance and its effect upon society. The artists Alanis Morrisette and Liz Phair are both females from the nineties who exemplify this ideal of feminism. After listening to both of their albums I noticed that many of the themes they cover talk about power and acceptance, along with free will and determination. Although slightly drowned out by the popularity of Hip Hop within the younger generation, these female artists were still able to provide a voice for those with no vocal chord. As Whiteley states, “In the new millennium… women generally have an increased presence, but that there is still a long way to go.” (pg 8) Showing us that there is a gradual movement towards female liberation within media, but as long as Katy Perry is being “played” by Snoop Dogg this freedom will never develop.
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