Last night the fam and I ate at a Chinese restaurant, and as usual, I
was unable to keep from concentrating in minute detail on the
background music, however insipid. This particular Chinese
restaurant was playing a real whopper of a soundtrack. It started
out as Top 40 songs circa 1982 played in that pseudo-Asian musak pop
style – cheesy drum machine beats, and that twangy "doing doing
doing" stringed instrument replacing the vocal melody. Michael
Jackson and Paul McCartney's "The Girl is Mine," Willie Nelson's
"Always on My Mind," – it was as if the producers of the musak
simply taped a random hour of any US Top 40 radio station in the
early 80's and used that as their set list.
Then the musak got weirder. It entered an extended medley phase.
The medley began with Jennifer Warnes' "I Know a Heartache When I See
One," but then it proceeded into a fairly accurate version of
Santana's "Oye Como Va," followed by The Ventures' "Walk Don't Run,"
followed by some Western movie theme song like "Hang 'Em High."
Although the medley was totally non-sensical genre-wise (pop to
calypso to surf music to TV cowboy soundtrack music), it hung
together perfectly melody-wise. And since the music was all
re-recorded in the same Chinese musak style, the differences in genre
were no longer audibly apparent.
Here was a medley compiled by someone listening to pure melody
outside of any historical or cultural context, and she had found true
melodic connections that no American music critic would have
discerned. American music critics are programmed to recognize subtle
genre differences based on production value, tempo, instrumentation,
and historical context. But as I listened to that Chinese musak
medley, what I literally heard fit together perfectly. The only
cognitive dissonance I experienced was based on my own personal
historical knowledge of each tune. My wife (sheltered from the radio
growing up, for better or worse) experienced no such dissonance.
All this got me thinking about the wack-wack-wacky world of
contemporary art criticism. Do we accept certain art because of the
way it's presented, its production value, the genre-awareness of its
accompanying statement, its context? Do we dismiss other work as
non-art because it doesn't jump through our expected art hoops?
Should we be studying the Flaming Lips instead of studying Karlheinz
Stockhausen? Should we be reading Steely Dan instead of reading Alan
Ginsberg? Might http://www.trueistrue.com be more important than
http://www.pavu.com ?
Are we missing the true "melody" of the art?
http://www.steelydan.com/lyraja.html#track2
_
_
_
chinese musak always sets me free
-
Type: discussion
Comments
—– Original Message —–
From: Curt Cloninger <[email protected]>
> Last night the fam and I ate at a Chinese restaurant, and as usual, I
> was unable to keep from concentrating in minute detail on the
> background music, however insipid. …> Then the musak got weirder. It
entered an extended medley phase.
> The medley began with Jennifer Warnes' "I Know a Heartache When I See
> One," but then it proceeded into … And since the music was all
> re-recorded in the same Chinese musak style, the differences in genre
> were no longer audibly apparent.
> All this got me thinking about the wack-wack-wacky world of
> contemporary art criticism. Do we accept certain art because of the
> way it's presented, its production value, the genre-awareness of its
> accompanying statement, its context? Do we dismiss other work as
> non-art because it doesn't jump through our expected art hoops?
> Are we missing the true "melody" of the art?
Wow. Firstly, do you take notes during these meals? I often have trains of
thought like that, but its all gone in the morning :-).
Secondly, yes, of course. I mean, everyone who ever said 'that's not art,
I/my kid/my dog could do that', is essentially lacking knowledge of the
context that we use to convert stuff into art. It might be interesting,
though futile, to compile a schematic of the cues that we use to identify
and convert 'stuff' to art. The most obvious being 'its in a gallery'.
That said (and here I retreat to dangerous ground), I can't really see that
it's helpful. I mean, yes, of course we stop hearing the melody when we are
about five, and we realise that in order to survive in this well dodgy world
we are going to have to construct some strategies to survive. So we start to
learn to recognise that things are presented, produced, contextualised. We
start to read those surrounding meta texts very quickly and we use them to
say what we have to say to get what we want. Of course, this doesn't only
apply to art, and it applies just as much to anyone who professes no
knowledge or interest in art - they still have to recognise the signs, so
they can avoid liking the stuff.
And underneath it all, the melody plays on.
Well, call me an old situationist, but I believe this 'we have made
ourselves what we are and have to be what we are'. We are not naturally able
to listen to music or to see art. We have learned how to do this. We might
go mad if we could see it. And, in Nausea, a novel that I have recently
returned to for precisely this thing, 'the nausea' is the authentic.
Roquentin keeps seeing the world as it 'really' is (he hears the melody?)
and by god it scares him. Sartre's theme is that we won't live
authentically, that we run from the authentic.
So, if you can see the melody in art, is this a nice experience?
Cheers,
Ivan
>Wow. Firstly, do you take notes during these meals?
no. that would be dorky.
>'the nausea' is the authentic.
>Roquentin keeps seeing the world as it 'really' is (he hears the melody?)
>and by god it scares him. Sartre's theme is that we won't live
>authentically, that we run from the authentic.
>
>So, if you can see the melody in art, is this a nice experience?
"nice" in the Shakespearean sense means "small/trite," so I hope it's not nice.
I don't know whether "seeing the melody in art" always drives you mad
or scares you or makes you sick. It just depends on the nature of
the particular melody I guess.
The art world (as in the learned meta-system) is like religion, and
art (as in the stuff proper) is like true faith. Religion is always
found buzzing around true faith, but you can get a whole lot of
religion without ever landing on true faith (cf: most Episcopal
seminaries for details). Likewise, you can get a whole lot of the
art world and still miss the melody in the art.
People get together and play church, the living God fails to show up
on their terms, so they declare God dead. People get together and
play art world games, no actual passion/melody/substance shows up in
the work, so they declare art dead.
meanwhile, elsewhere, the beat goes on.
"you better pray when the music stops and you're left alone in your
mind / i'll be hearing music till the day i die."
- richard ashcroft
_
_
In a message dated 7/31/2002 8:16:04 AM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
> Should we be studying the Flaming Lips instead of studying Karlheinz
> Stockhausen?
I remember having a bad dream last night, the other guy got the girl–my
usual dream.
So thanks a lot Curt for throwing the fact that you have a wife in my dirty
face, you vicious dirty man. Anyway, I got mainly mix tapes, my own band, a
few CDs. I have gone thru little monk-phases, for example, I refused to go
see Terminator 2 or listen to Nirvana in 93. I also had no tv and did not
watch Beavis and Butthead. (since then, I've seen them all).
Pop music being so much in moi head made it harder to learn meter in poetry,
one of the things I was so desperate to get to grasp. I had to know what
Shakespeare said–really and deeply. Like a gravity gauge-force.
I had to re-learn classical music and painting, as well as serious film. So
far, I am what I am I guess. A luscious mistake.
"Annandale" is on a mix tape I have. Some times I kiss it. Some times I
kiss something else. Sometimes I don't kiss anything, those are the tough
ones.
Runnin on empty kiss-wise,
Max Herman
++
In a message dated 7/31/2002 10:58:46 AM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
> And, in Nausea, a novel that I have recently
> returned to for precisely this thing, 'the nausea' is the authentic.
> Roquentin keeps seeing the world as it 'really' is (he hears the melody?)
> and by god it scares him. Sartre's theme is that we won't live
> authentically, that we run from the authentic.
>
Awesome, let's talk about Nausea, that is a great great talking point, I am
currently using it over at Atforum.com Talkback.
Sorry I've been so silent lately. I feel that my body has been invaded by
nano-worms trying to prevent me from having true genius. Anyone else have
that feeling?
Just kidding,
Max
In a message dated 7/31/2002 12:03:45 PM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:
> The art world (as in the learned meta-system) is like religion, and
> art (as in the stuff proper) is like true faith. Religion is always
> found buzzing around true faith, but you can get a whole lot of
> religion without ever landing on true faith (cf: most Episcopal
> seminaries for details). Likewise, you can get a whole lot of the
> art world and still miss the melody in the art.
Well said Curt, it relates to G2K.
Jon
>I have gone thru little monk-phases, for example, I refused to go
>see Terminator 2 or listen to Nirvana in 93. I also had no tv and
>did not watch Beavis and Butthead. (since then, I've seen them all).
I haven't gotten TV into the house in like 10 years. Also, I've
never worn Izod clothing. That was my big stand in middle school.
>I had to re-learn classical music
I had to unlearn it from Road Runner cartoons. Brian Eno claims to
hate all "classical" music.
>"Annandale" is on a mix tape I have.
That is at the bottom of their repertoire. You can get all Steely
Dan CDs (except the new one) in a box set for like $45. It's one of
the major cultural advantages of our dumb century.
Go&get some pusy !
PLUMBER
—– Original Message —–
From: Curt Cloninger
To: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 1:30 AM
Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: chinese musak always sets me free
I have gone thru little monk-phases, for example, I refused to go see T=
erminator 2 or listen to Nirvana in 93. I also had no tv and did not watch =
Beavis and Butthead. (since then, I've seen them all).
I haven't gotten TV into the house in like 10 years. Also, I've never wor=
n Izod clothing. That was my big stand in middle school.
I had to re-learn classical music
I had to unlearn it from Road Runner cartoons. Brian Eno claims to hate a=
ll "classical" music.
"Annandale" is on a mix tape I have.
That is at the bottom of their repertoire. You can get all Steely Dan CDs=
(except the new one) in a box set for like $45. It's one of the major cult=
ural advantages of our dumb century.
In a message dated 7/31/2002 8:40:11 PM Central Daylight Time, [email protected]
writes:
> Go&get some pusy !
> PLUMBER
>
How do you know I haven't already?
But for taking you, I have no idea who you or your art is, so I just have to
use some other ability I guess. So, I guess I have to go to your site and
have a good look, make it look dumb, etc, but why bother? Well I guess I
have to now. What's your great url of works and resume and all again? No
offense intended, and I WILL be fair and honorable.
OK, your turn to go get some pussy,
Jon
++
1. Video "Verwerfung" (VHL PAL system, length 12 minutes, recorded 11 =
times on one video cassette, thus it runs 11 times continually) shows the m=
ultitude/ diversity which is subjected to a project of leveling in the cons=
ensus of main stream. That which belongs to the minority is marginalized an=
d dispersed. The end result is suicide. Suicide and ecocide. The video pose=
s the question of the subject as the bearer of diversity, of the Other whic=
h is inside it, of the multitude of Others in it, thus of schizophrenia as =
a reality. One truth does not exist, there are as many truths as there are =
subjects. Action is anticipation and a vision of the future that cannot an=
y more be foreseen.
MANIK
—– Original Message —–
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 1:06 AM
Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: chinese musak always sets me free
In a message dated 7/31/2002 8:40:11 PM Central Daylight Time, manik@ptt.=
yu writes:
Go&get some pusy !
PLUMBER
How do you know I haven't already?
But for taking you, I have no idea who you or your art is, so I just have=
to use some other ability I guess. So, I guess I have to go to your site =
and have a good look, make it look dumb, etc, but why bother? Well I guess=
I have to now. What's your great url of works and resume and all again? =
No offense intended, and I WILL be fair and honorable.
OK, your turn to go get some pussy,
Jon
++
hi curt and rhizome fannes
> Should we be studying the Flaming Lips instead of studying Karlheinz
> Stockhausen? Should we be reading Steely Dan instead of reading Alan
> Ginsberg?
no need.
just perform ducks inflating and horns heating
and for all who missed it, here's the web part:
http://www.nextroute.com/PINE/PINE_Concert.html
internet explorer5, quicktime5 + audio etc
gurMuru Tur Fugu pics+movies : http://canal-bleu.modukit.com/post.html
>Might http://www.trueistrue.com be more important than
> http://www.pavu.com ?
> Are we missing the true "melody" of the art?
>
true or false ? Just ask gurMuru SurdMan :
http://canal-bleu.modukit.com/biker-pine.mov
wishing you the best always
Mike Platoni / pavu.com Team
http://pavu.com
-/ we know you're rockers but we are rockers2 /-
fair enough, Mike.
i've never doubted y'all's levity. i'm just musing on the
discrepancy between your actual net worth and your perceived net
worth.
or is it all good in the hood? maybe it's all good.
play on,
curt "i'm the king of rock; there is none higher / sucka MCs all call
me 'sire' / to burn my kingdom you must use fire / i won't stop
rockin' till i retire" cloninger: Absolver of Mediocrity
At 5:51 PM +0200 8/2/02, .pavu.com wrote:
>hi curt and rhizome fannes
>
> > Should we be studying the Flaming Lips instead of studying Karlheinz
> > Stockhausen? Should we be reading Steely Dan instead of reading Alan
> > Ginsberg?
>
>no need.
>just perform ducks inflating and horns heating
>
>and for all who missed it, here's the web part:
>http://www.nextroute.com/PINE/PINE_Concert.html
>internet explorer5, quicktime5 + audio etc
>
>gurMuru Tur Fugu pics+movies : http://canal-bleu.modukit.com/post.html
>
>
> >Might http://www.trueistrue.com be more important than
> > http://www.pavu.com ?
> > Are we missing the true "melody" of the art?
> >
>
>true or false ? Just ask gurMuru SurdMan :
>http://canal-bleu.modukit.com/biker-pine.mov
>
>
>wishing you the best always
>
>Mike Platoni / pavu.com Team
>http://pavu.com
>-/ we know you're rockers but we are rockers2 /-
hi Curt
> fair enough, Mike.
magic rounds are indeed interesting
> i've never doubted y'all's levity. i'm just musing on the
> discrepancy between your actual net worth and your perceived net
> worth.
1st option ringing 532 sonnettes the wordsworth way
2nd option shaking rattlesnakes and mites breeding
we take 3rd option
> or is it all good in the hood? maybe it's all good.
have to ask robins about this
they're inflatable too
> play on,
> curt "i'm the king of rock; there is none higher / sucka MCs all call
> me 'sire' / to burn my kingdom you must use fire / i won't stop
> rockin' till i retire" cloninger: Absolver of Mediocrity
>
>
great! we shall welcome this extra CC song on our upcoming PINE cd
wishing you the best always
Mike Platoni / pavu.com Team
http://pavu.com
-/ you know where you are! /-
> > play on,
> > curt "i'm the king of rock; there is none higher / sucka MCs all call
> > me 'sire' / to burn my kingdom you must use fire / i won't stop
> > rockin' till i retire" cloninger: Absolver of Mediocrity
> >
> >
>
>great! we shall welcome this extra CC song on our upcoming PINE cd
mind you're copyrights. it's not me. it's Run DMC.
> > mind you're copyrights. it's not me. it's Run DMC.
>
>this doesn't close the proposal
>the extraball's in your camp
http://lab404.com/audio/tbomv/
"a squid eating dough in a polyetheline bag is phast & bulbous, got me?"
- the captain