Journeyman rappers ...
And their consultants ... Fans should be worried by this. It was Sue Arnold (of all people) in the Observer who noted that the writing was on the wall for heavy metal when lead guitarists started having "careers" like diplomats or investment bankers(specifically in the context of Steve Vai, who did his apprenticeship in the fields of Frank Zappa, worked his way up to Alcatrazz and then got a chance to advance to front-office with Dave Lee Roth, made an ill-advised career move to PiL but then traded it in for a few years at a bulge-bracket franchise at Whitesnake, and now trades on his own account and does a bit of consultancy).
Relevant:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/article/241142
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2010/12/06/101206crat_atlarge_sanneh
I'm just glad to hear Nick Drake is so popular with the kids these days.
ReplyDeletehmmm, perhaps it's really natural. thanks for the links.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference between high art and low art that I've been able to identify is that every work of high art is required to contain significant originality, whereas most popular art is at most incremental variations on what is already familiar.
ReplyDeleteThe only difference between high art and low art that I've been able to identify is that every work of high art is required to contain significant originality, whereas most popular art is at most incremental variations on what is already familiar.
ReplyDelete...thus consigning the entire surviving corpus of classical Greek tragedy to the category of low art, with the possible single exception of The Persian Women. An interesting idea.
chris y
Seems tough on Shakespeare as well (OK, Will, put down the copy of Holinshed and step away from it slowly with your hands up). And indeed Michaelangelo (a marble statue of a naked bloke? Wow, no one's ever come up with that concept before).
ReplyDeleteThe only difference between high art and low art is that the reception of works of high art focuses on the original elements they contain, whereas popular art is seen as containing, at most, incremental variations on what is already familiar. This theory has the additional advantage of explaining the difference between Philip K. Dick, writer of instantly-remaindered pulp sf novels, and Philip K. Dick, writer who "explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered states".
ReplyDeleteIn 'high' art, I think the cult of originality began in the 19th century; before then, 'high' art was considered better, more preferable, to the extent that it faithfully followed established subject matter and practices. Significant innovation often led to trouble.
ReplyDeleteIn pop art, at least in the latter part of the 20th century, a demand for supposed originality also appeared, as when one performer was deprecated for 'stealing', 'knocking off', or 'lifting' others' practices, for example the abuse of Elvis Presley for his use of African-American material.