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Am I a grumpy old man?Posts: Joined: 2003-02-18
Or am I alone in despairing of what passes as Art and Culture in the English-speaking west?
Far more money, effort and "creative" Talent is expended on Advertising then any other pursuit.
"Artistes" in popular culture seem to be mostly talent free "things" that occupy "thongs"
Some of them have body parts more famous then they are.... Beyonce's bum gets flown to gig's in it's own Jet.
And a life of semi controlled eating disorders and fabulously dysfunctional behaviour ( Think Paris Hilton, Britney, Or any Rapper , why do they always leave off the initial "C" when referring to that "Artform? etc.) is rewarded with enormous, and in my opinion, undeserved wealth and attention.
I've even heard of Very high priced "Feng Shui" practitioners described as "Artistes"....
Out here in the real world Feng Shui is better known as "Tidying up" and the people who practise it are not "Artists", they're House Maids.
The winning entry for Britain's top art award not so long ago was a bed tastefully accesorized with used condoms and empty Vodka bottles.
And the main exhibit right now at Britains Tate Modern ( And I'm not making this up) is a crack in the floor.
DaveGood
Submitted on Mon, 2007-10-29 21:22
 Confused and grumpy
The gatekeepers of 'high art' are of course off their rockers and are keen to promote nonsense as art that no layman can understand. This is their cache, their private realm. This is also a sad state of affairs.
Rap, or pop culture for the most part survives on it's own merits (or cult of personality) and that is OK. Just because rap doesn't do it for you does not mean the fault lies with the rappers. Look to yourself in that case. I recommend starting with NWA as a hard-core primer. Most of today’s rap has already become derivative and formulaic.
Submitted on Tue, 2007-10-30 00:22
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Fair enough Brendan.....
Fair enough Brendan..... I've listened to people whose "Intellectual authority" in other matters I respect describe "Rap" as the true poetry of our age. They say Rap is an authentic, heartfelt expression of life as lived through by the brightest and the best in our urban centers?
Is that your opinion?
DaveGood
Submitted on Tue, 2007-10-30 00:33
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[quote] They say Rap is an authentic, heartfelt expression of life as lived through by the brightest and the best in our urban centers?[/quote]
That is indeed where it started and where the power and poetry comes from. As with all good things, these traits have been diluted but not extinguished over the last 20 odd years. I see it as genuine art and popular poetry, including the violence. I'm not so sure about "brightest and the best" however. Easy-E was a poet but also a dumb thug criminal. Look at his partner however, Ice Cube, who is now a Hollywood mainstay. For many rap was a ticket out of a gangland.
Submitted on Tue, 2007-10-30 00:50
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Correction...
It does appear
Correction... It does appear as if you are a bit of a grumpy old man - that is not necesarilly a bad thing, as I agree with some of your sentiments. Nevertheless, there was never 'a bed tastefully accesorized with used condoms and empty Vodka bottles' that was a winning entry in British Turner Art Prize - there was such an entry way back in 1999 by a somewhat petulant and talentless artist, Tracey Emin. However, her entry did not win the grand prize that year - that particular accolade went to a lesser known artist, Steve McQueen.
Submitted on Sun, 2008-05-11 18:47
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