I read an interesting review of Patti Smith’s new book and in reading the review I came to a similar conclusion as the reviewer did. In looking at any of the arts today, be it music, film, yes even comics, the people that create today are separate from the audience they which to communicate to. In the late 60s and 70s, Patti Smith was growing up on the streets, such as it was, and was able to tap into the rhythms and sensibilities of other poets, musicians and writers who were struggling as she was. You didn’t go to school to become an artist or writer. You might go for mechanical techniques, but your soul was born and nurtured on the streets.

Kind of on a side note, but also relevant, I read where the movie X-Men: First Class is going to take place in the 60s, in the time of Kennedy, Martin Luther King and the social upheaval that gave birth to the mutants that wanted to be accepted in society. While that may sound like a socially conscious and possibly interesting route to take for the film, the rest of the description about the film had to do with the swinging style of the 60s, the globetrotting, James Bond aspect they want to portray. Of course, this is being made by people who know the 60s by videos seen in school or Matt Helm movies.

The review I think accurately pointed out how today’s “artists” are created by engineers and molded by publicity machines. We hear the songs, read the stories and watch the movies; and they are disposable as toilet paper because there is no strength, no passion or feeling to the art. I can’t think of a movie or comic in the past 10 years I think will be heart pounding significant 10 years from now. There are things that might be interesting, the might have some faint nostalgic tug, but they all feel created by committee. While I can see where Lady Gaga tries to be original, she can’t not just because she is blatantly copying Madonna but because, despite her talk of having a rough life, she hasn’t. If she has, I don’t see that in her music or in her actions. She comes off wanting the fame and being liked more than making music that will last.

I’m not just blaming her in this because there nature of the business, to be seen by the masses, you have to become more business than show. At Comicon this year it was depressing to go to many panels and learn more about branding a product than making a good product. In one panel there were four women who had a question about comics yet were able to put in a plug for their own comic they were doing on the web, through print and with a possible live action webisode. While they weren’t the only ones who did this, they stood out to me because last year the same women were trying to promote their comic, yet a year later, they were just getting it ‘positioned’ and the goal was not to make a good comic but to push the brand.

Of course, along the way they forgot about little things like having decent art or telling a cohesive story. I went to the site and they had a bunch of stereotypical women, and I mean this from a woman’s point of view they would have been stereotypical, and the comic was nothing more than short little pieces. No story, no connection to the characters. It read like rapid fire punch lines to a bad sitcom.

I don’t know if we can regain the artist soul because as a society we have gone from high tea and theater to burgers and a movie. Actually it’s worse than that because we get pre-processed, manufactured, mass produced burgers and cookie cutter sitcom star of the month movies. Just the other day I read an article wondering how Jennifer Aniston (and this could be said of any number of actors) can continue to make mediocre at best movies and still be considered a ‘star.’ The article was right and the comments people left defending her movies were depressing. Not only have creative people not expanded their horizons past their sheltered experiences the audience isn’t willing to demand more. A vast majority of us will shove past Patti Smith to take a photo with Cyrus. We’ll herald Avatar for its technical breakthrough yet not watch the original movie called Apocalypse Now.

We will continue to be fed mass produced entertainment and think it’s and ‘artists’ will continue to seek fame rather than relevance and will keep on mass producing inferior entertainment. Neither side will be willing to stretch beyond the comfort boundaries.

 

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Sterile Mass Produced Culture - August 23, 2010
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