Wilco Commercial
Being half-machine and half-man (aka an artist in New York) I thought I'd add my two cents:
I began thought on this matter over the time period 'The Buzzcocks' were getting play in commercials. It was the same time period indie bands were being played on ‘The WB’.
It causes a music fan to dismay and it’s nothing of being a ‘hipster’ (I’ve never understood that term, nor do I acknowledge ‘EMO’ as a term because neither term really makes sense to me). Ultimately it is the aficionado who holds the key to ‘Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame’; not in the term of that cheesy place and ceremony, but in giving indie credit via loving the music as deeply as the next guy who relates to ‘High Fidelity’ as ‘his movie’. Music will always exist BECAUSE of these people (although I should probably say ‘us people’, I mean we care so much we’re on a message board for music).
“A little group it’s always been and always will until the end” – Kurt Cobain.
Music, true music, will always exist, it's in the heart of humanity; people need art of passion; the type in true music, the becoming soundtracks for life (which hold true NOT because of associative factors BUT because of emotion already present in the music, layered upon memory, upon, etc…) It’s something Fromm talked about in “Sane Society” and I don’t think he’s the only one.
Most people are probably extroverts; they in a biochemical sense, gain energy through small chit-chat interactions and can do without getting ‘deep’ too often. Yet even the extrovert must calm down and introvert a little some of the time.
Introversion is the biochemical set-up of really only gaining energy through deep personal connections. Introverts aren’t recluse; they simply prefer to know a few friends deep and well, over popularity through acquaintances. Neither is right or wrong, just different people types.
Artists are introverts by nature. True music is an introvert (and artists’) fuel. I see it as a hall of mirrors in a way; the sun shines on one artist, to another, and another, so on. Sunlight is one thing in a hall like that, but try it with a flashlight and it’s no go.
The 1998-TRL phases in music’s pop culture show that in artistry; a flashlight copy of a flashlight. This is a whole thing I almost wrote a book on and maybe I should because maybe others go through it.
See, 1991 MTV introduced me to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and it changed my life. I was too young to ‘grunge’ around, but I felt his words. A few years later I went into a classic rock period.
Then afterwards I thought I’d return to MTV, I thought “well maybe there is no ‘good music’ maybe it’s all a matter of opinion”. I found in the end that to be the deadliest of lies.
I tried my hardest to like Nickelback and Sum41 and New Found Glory and all the awfulness provided in the carbon-copy-looks’ dishing of MTV. But I never liked that music, and this sent me into a depression. I thought music was dead, that there was nothing to hang onto; “what love will inspire me had Venus imploded? What awesome songs will score my films? Why even make movies without good music?” That sort of thing. Then I found ‘The Pixies’ and all was well. Introverts, like sassy children know when they’re being lied to, even if it’s on a subconscious form they still feel it ringing harsh bells. I think all people are like this, but because of being extroverted or just plain ol’ busy they don’t have time to jumble this all into words. I guess it’s the sort of thing for people of my sorts; writers, whom by nature think/write/talk intricacies.
It took my years to piece it together; I mean I was in 1st grade in 1991. MTV had partially raised me for better or worse. But in the end my ‘Who-Killed-Laura-Palmer’-like investigation (and rant) ends in this:
1. MTV had no identity before Nirvana. After Kurt, the feelings faded. MTV I think changed CEOs in 1998. Thus TRL went from a British man’s humorings between a top 5 countdown to TRL live. Sifl and Ollie became The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Liquid TV became Ashton Kutcher plays dumb. This was when MTV sold their soul. This was when you started saying “remember MUSIC Television?”
2. MTV stumbled upon the right moment which thus engulfed the right scene. That whole introvert/extrovert personality situation, in the end requires a balance. ‘The little group it’s always been’ (introverts) will always know about good music. We NEED it for our daily homeostasis. But keep a good chap inside listening to the best music for too long and he’ll be ripe ready of social-dance exploding. Feed an extrovert years of fluff music about parties and 8 years with an actor in The White House and even Football Johnny will sit down looking for music. Thus, 1991-1994. A period I’d so jealously watched vicariously… until I understood and became excited about now.
3. True artists are planted haphazardly, most often rising like weeds. The amazing part is their beauty. Can you ever doubt John Lennon’s soul? Or even for a moment call The Beatles to be little nothings without cringing your heart? The reason fans dismay commercial song use is noble. They only attempt protecting what they love from what may eat it alive. Bands aren’t forever, most often they’re wish-stars in the sky. But if they survive that’s amazing and worth eternal loyalty. If they break up it’s depressing and mourned. In the end, there’s nothing worse than an aged mascot wearing kabuki paint for their soul. I mean look at Green Day; seeing them now, hearing them now… well it makes me dig up my Dookie poster for the camp fire and wish I knew where my copy of ‘Kerplunk’ was so I could burn that too.
Cheesy TV shows and car commercials have become outlets for music, and this is because the main channels have left the effort behind. Nobody wants Wilco to become shit and that is why people complain. Out of love, not in defense of ‘I know music you don’t haha’. The people who know about music will always know about music. In a sense and sometimes literally, it’s their job. It’s been a while since a great band has been fed to the wolves of popularity. Likely to happen again soon and all we can hope is a new generation running the show will play it differently.
To quote ‘The Arcade Fire’ “We’re just a million little god’s causin rain storms Turnin’ every good thing to rust.
I guess we’ll just have to adjust.”
I began thought on this matter over the time period 'The Buzzcocks' were getting play in commercials. It was the same time period indie bands were being played on ‘The WB’.
It causes a music fan to dismay and it’s nothing of being a ‘hipster’ (I’ve never understood that term, nor do I acknowledge ‘EMO’ as a term because neither term really makes sense to me). Ultimately it is the aficionado who holds the key to ‘Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame’; not in the term of that cheesy place and ceremony, but in giving indie credit via loving the music as deeply as the next guy who relates to ‘High Fidelity’ as ‘his movie’. Music will always exist BECAUSE of these people (although I should probably say ‘us people’, I mean we care so much we’re on a message board for music).
“A little group it’s always been and always will until the end” – Kurt Cobain.
Music, true music, will always exist, it's in the heart of humanity; people need art of passion; the type in true music, the becoming soundtracks for life (which hold true NOT because of associative factors BUT because of emotion already present in the music, layered upon memory, upon, etc…) It’s something Fromm talked about in “Sane Society” and I don’t think he’s the only one.
Most people are probably extroverts; they in a biochemical sense, gain energy through small chit-chat interactions and can do without getting ‘deep’ too often. Yet even the extrovert must calm down and introvert a little some of the time.
Introversion is the biochemical set-up of really only gaining energy through deep personal connections. Introverts aren’t recluse; they simply prefer to know a few friends deep and well, over popularity through acquaintances. Neither is right or wrong, just different people types.
Artists are introverts by nature. True music is an introvert (and artists’) fuel. I see it as a hall of mirrors in a way; the sun shines on one artist, to another, and another, so on. Sunlight is one thing in a hall like that, but try it with a flashlight and it’s no go.
The 1998-TRL phases in music’s pop culture show that in artistry; a flashlight copy of a flashlight. This is a whole thing I almost wrote a book on and maybe I should because maybe others go through it.
See, 1991 MTV introduced me to ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and it changed my life. I was too young to ‘grunge’ around, but I felt his words. A few years later I went into a classic rock period.
Then afterwards I thought I’d return to MTV, I thought “well maybe there is no ‘good music’ maybe it’s all a matter of opinion”. I found in the end that to be the deadliest of lies.
I tried my hardest to like Nickelback and Sum41 and New Found Glory and all the awfulness provided in the carbon-copy-looks’ dishing of MTV. But I never liked that music, and this sent me into a depression. I thought music was dead, that there was nothing to hang onto; “what love will inspire me had Venus imploded? What awesome songs will score my films? Why even make movies without good music?” That sort of thing. Then I found ‘The Pixies’ and all was well. Introverts, like sassy children know when they’re being lied to, even if it’s on a subconscious form they still feel it ringing harsh bells. I think all people are like this, but because of being extroverted or just plain ol’ busy they don’t have time to jumble this all into words. I guess it’s the sort of thing for people of my sorts; writers, whom by nature think/write/talk intricacies.
It took my years to piece it together; I mean I was in 1st grade in 1991. MTV had partially raised me for better or worse. But in the end my ‘Who-Killed-Laura-Palmer’-like investigation (and rant) ends in this:
1. MTV had no identity before Nirvana. After Kurt, the feelings faded. MTV I think changed CEOs in 1998. Thus TRL went from a British man’s humorings between a top 5 countdown to TRL live. Sifl and Ollie became The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. Liquid TV became Ashton Kutcher plays dumb. This was when MTV sold their soul. This was when you started saying “remember MUSIC Television?”
2. MTV stumbled upon the right moment which thus engulfed the right scene. That whole introvert/extrovert personality situation, in the end requires a balance. ‘The little group it’s always been’ (introverts) will always know about good music. We NEED it for our daily homeostasis. But keep a good chap inside listening to the best music for too long and he’ll be ripe ready of social-dance exploding. Feed an extrovert years of fluff music about parties and 8 years with an actor in The White House and even Football Johnny will sit down looking for music. Thus, 1991-1994. A period I’d so jealously watched vicariously… until I understood and became excited about now.
3. True artists are planted haphazardly, most often rising like weeds. The amazing part is their beauty. Can you ever doubt John Lennon’s soul? Or even for a moment call The Beatles to be little nothings without cringing your heart? The reason fans dismay commercial song use is noble. They only attempt protecting what they love from what may eat it alive. Bands aren’t forever, most often they’re wish-stars in the sky. But if they survive that’s amazing and worth eternal loyalty. If they break up it’s depressing and mourned. In the end, there’s nothing worse than an aged mascot wearing kabuki paint for their soul. I mean look at Green Day; seeing them now, hearing them now… well it makes me dig up my Dookie poster for the camp fire and wish I knew where my copy of ‘Kerplunk’ was so I could burn that too.
Cheesy TV shows and car commercials have become outlets for music, and this is because the main channels have left the effort behind. Nobody wants Wilco to become shit and that is why people complain. Out of love, not in defense of ‘I know music you don’t haha’. The people who know about music will always know about music. In a sense and sometimes literally, it’s their job. It’s been a while since a great band has been fed to the wolves of popularity. Likely to happen again soon and all we can hope is a new generation running the show will play it differently.
To quote ‘The Arcade Fire’ “We’re just a million little god’s causin rain storms Turnin’ every good thing to rust.
I guess we’ll just have to adjust.”
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