While studying abroad in London almost ten years ago I remember my fellow students watching a show called Pop Idol. I observed them in disgust, hoping this show did not somehow cross the Atlantic. Alas, I should have known better, or perhaps I already knew American Idol would go over big in the US.
While I find the desire to create art and gain appreciation for it a wonderful impulse, I see something very immature, pathetic, and twisted about seeking fame for fame's sake. If you make art just to get famous you probably won't make anything worthwhile. I know this probably sounds cliche and idealistic, but if you make art just to get famous you have probably missed the point. We should make art because it feels good to us and the people we share it with.
Not that anyone who appears on this show writes any of their own material. Still, I see this attitude across popular culture. Everyone wants to get famous and rich quick. On some level I can't blame them. In a world where so many people spend their lives in boring jobs without ever gaining distinction, the pipe dream of attaining celebrity status calls out to many of us. When I was younger the promise of "money for nothing and your chicks for free" had a strong hold on me. I wanted to be a rock star so I would not have to spend my life in a less exciting career. Unlike some pipe dreamers today I spent hours a day practicing and writing music. At some point though I realized that a lot of my reasons for playing music were misguided. I still love to play my bass, but the desire for fame and fortune in this realm has left me. I have more intesest in the visceral joy I get when playing with other musicians than I do in becoming a rock star.
What if everyone had this mentality? What kind of world would we live in? In a scene that takes place on December 21st 2012 a character in Grant Morrisson's The Invisibles describes the people in the streets to a friend. "Drum machines in the trainers, man: No more popstars, no more fucking DJs, just kids dancing themselves deaf until dawn." What if we lived in a world where everyone created art and we ceased to place pop stars on pedestals? I think it would work out better for everyone, even would be pop stars.
I remember how we all lamented the passing of Michael Jackson. The pressure placed on him to perform, first by his father, then by himself, caused him to mutate into a troubled individual. His intense regimen caused him great deals of physical and emotional pain that he tried to ease with various medications. Nobody should need to torture themselves for the amusement of others the way Michael did.
This kind of entertainment not only places a very heavy load on our entertainers, but it also makes us passive spectators. As I mentioned in my last blog, this can disempower us. Think how much more engaged we would feel if someone like Michael could not dance so perfectly, but the rest of us could dance a lot better. Instead of standing in a crowd looking up at one person, we could all be part of the show. We will probably have big bands that tour all over for some time, but think about a world where you could hear good live music almost anywhere.
Of course it would be hard to achieve this. Most of us have those boring jobs I mentioned earlier and might not have the time and energy needed to perfect an art. Perhaps we could create an economy that depended on the creation of art, instead of on making, selling, and marketing stuff we don't need and often harms us. But I guess I'm dreaming again.
While I find the desire to create art and gain appreciation for it a wonderful impulse, I see something very immature, pathetic, and twisted about seeking fame for fame's sake. If you make art just to get famous you probably won't make anything worthwhile. I know this probably sounds cliche and idealistic, but if you make art just to get famous you have probably missed the point. We should make art because it feels good to us and the people we share it with.
Not that anyone who appears on this show writes any of their own material. Still, I see this attitude across popular culture. Everyone wants to get famous and rich quick. On some level I can't blame them. In a world where so many people spend their lives in boring jobs without ever gaining distinction, the pipe dream of attaining celebrity status calls out to many of us. When I was younger the promise of "money for nothing and your chicks for free" had a strong hold on me. I wanted to be a rock star so I would not have to spend my life in a less exciting career. Unlike some pipe dreamers today I spent hours a day practicing and writing music. At some point though I realized that a lot of my reasons for playing music were misguided. I still love to play my bass, but the desire for fame and fortune in this realm has left me. I have more intesest in the visceral joy I get when playing with other musicians than I do in becoming a rock star.
What if everyone had this mentality? What kind of world would we live in? In a scene that takes place on December 21st 2012 a character in Grant Morrisson's The Invisibles describes the people in the streets to a friend. "Drum machines in the trainers, man: No more popstars, no more fucking DJs, just kids dancing themselves deaf until dawn." What if we lived in a world where everyone created art and we ceased to place pop stars on pedestals? I think it would work out better for everyone, even would be pop stars.
I remember how we all lamented the passing of Michael Jackson. The pressure placed on him to perform, first by his father, then by himself, caused him to mutate into a troubled individual. His intense regimen caused him great deals of physical and emotional pain that he tried to ease with various medications. Nobody should need to torture themselves for the amusement of others the way Michael did.
This kind of entertainment not only places a very heavy load on our entertainers, but it also makes us passive spectators. As I mentioned in my last blog, this can disempower us. Think how much more engaged we would feel if someone like Michael could not dance so perfectly, but the rest of us could dance a lot better. Instead of standing in a crowd looking up at one person, we could all be part of the show. We will probably have big bands that tour all over for some time, but think about a world where you could hear good live music almost anywhere.
Of course it would be hard to achieve this. Most of us have those boring jobs I mentioned earlier and might not have the time and energy needed to perfect an art. Perhaps we could create an economy that depended on the creation of art, instead of on making, selling, and marketing stuff we don't need and often harms us. But I guess I'm dreaming again.
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