Some points about Stephin Merrits 'anti rock' stance

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Buick6

too punk to drunk
Always found this guy terribly OVER-RATED, a sort of New-York limo-leftie version of Chad Fair via Burt Bacharach, especially sonically.

But the 'popist' reaction I always found incredibly hilarious, mainly becuase it wasn't so much a reaction, as a nerdy/smart-arse self-validation of mediocrity. I mean really, you can intellectualise and validate ANYTHING in today's post-everything culture.

The fact that music has to be so intellectually analysed/validated along grounds of race/colour/class etc. is quite ridiculous, how would the oh-so clever Mr.Merrit define the gender/race/sexuality lines of house music along his Catholic indie lines?

Rock holds such ground coz it's so good.
 
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gek-opel

entered apprentice
I agree this guy is over-rated (in some quarters anyway)- however, whilst he is anti-rock (as a genre) is he actually a popist? He seems to be analysing things (ie- his rejection of white-boy blues-originated rock) in a very authenticity-centric manner (ie- white-boy blues rock is racist as it is misappropriating a stereotypical view of the afro-american male identity). As such his view is rockist, but anti-rock. Surely popists would base their argumentation on the simple pleasure of the music itself, and a rejection of dogmatic authenticity-based ideas relating to the predicates for the legitimate enjoment of music.
 
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Buick6

too punk to drunk
This whole "question" of 'Authenticity' goes back to the ehole queer-theory dogma of indentity, sexual-identity honesty and the whole concept of 'camp' and 'glam' and artifice and whatnot.

I mean all 'creative' artistic' endeavours are based on 'artifice' which throws the whole frucken arguement down the toilet.

The only 'authenticity' comes in the actual performance and composition of the work. No-one waxes lyrical on the authenticity of classical music, minimilaism, or to be equal opportunist OPERA. Why? Becuase these are high arts, you need a particular lelvel of skill, education, training and TALENT to execute these works.

The massive denial of modern intellectual theory is that it lives in denial of these factors. And sure technological factors enabled a democratisation of culture in the last 50 years, but it also opened the door for plenty of lazy, opportunistic arseholes to talk shit. :p

But hey, there will always be BELIEVERS.
 
Slothrop

Slothrop

Tight but Polite
gek-opel said:
He's still not a popist tho.
Click to expand...
I've not read his views in great detail, but he looks suspiciously like someone trying to use critical language to imply that his personal tastes are actually universal truths...
 
B

Buick6

too punk to drunk
Slothrop said:
I've not read his views in great detail, but he looks suspiciously like someone trying to use critical language to imply that his personal tastes are actually universal truths...
Click to expand...

Well put. Freedy Mercury never had to justify his personal tastes as universal truths, and he ROCKED!

Merrit's just pissed coz Antony won a Mercury and he didn't.
 
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