Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Francis
Why not discuss the coked out disco era too, that was fun. 
I think music just mirrors whtvr mindset is currently culturaly relevant, look back at 2002 and on this video by SOAD
If nothing is currently happening you can't expect artists to incite some revolution, also even today there are still musicians playing political songs or music with a deep message they're just not at the forefront of mainstream music so you might not know them.
So you can't say music with a social awareness message is dead, it's just not very relevant in our current time. |
In a way, and I know that this is going to sound very stereotypical, but Disco did encourage homosexuals to step out, especially in the US where there was still a lot of resistance and not so well known rules which targeted the gay lifestyle ("Sodomy Law"). The Rockist music listeners made their disgust very clear by the end of the decade and not just with the infamous record blowup sparked by a DJ who was out of a job once his station decided to switch to a Disco/Dance format - you can also catty that to a lot of the US' response to New Pop/New Wave in the Early 80's. True, there were a lot of gimmicks, drugs, fast living, Disco Ducks, Boogie Nights, and such, but there was a lot of codes in the music which subverted if you were listening, although of course there were a few bold songs and - you might say that nothing was hidden when you hear Sylvester sing "You Make Me Feel Mighty Real" once you knew what he was about and how that song may have reflected a liberation in some listeners. For all human sexuality that accepted if one was straight/gay/bi, it was a time that did have some serious messages although sadly covered in a lot of glitter and fun, but as the song said "Love Is the Message", and in a time after Nixon almost had a nation under pre-80's Religious Right oppression, that was all one needed to hear to feel at least liberated.
In this light, I have the feeling that this is where I'm getting at...
Sometimes, especially after eras of Republican Presidency, the messages turn to personal matters possibly to re-assure those on the outside that they have a vital part in living while there's still a lot of resistance. Sadly, many of these messages can be very campy although maybe that's the way to attract them. In one's list of modern examples I see a lot of self-assurance, and while I admittedly viewed that with sarcasm in another topic, I took a step back and though again for a few seconds.
The only thing I see wrong today is the way that it's presented. Too smothering and not real enough, almost like Bubblegum with an attitude. Those on the Right/Tea Party side have easy targets - too many cliches and not enough reality. Sadly, it's possibly where the Mainstream Media wants it to be.
Getting back to Politics...
The music industry has way too many connections for an artist to actually make a deadly serious political message these days - maybe some lip service to the side they're on, but something not as hard hitting as before with maybe a few exceptions here and there. Plus, those who might be interested in making a deep message have years of well-known banana peel slips of the career connected to shouting out something but not having the conviction to make things a lifelong commitment. Plus, there's also several well known examples in the arts of those who burned out after some massive fights with "The Powers That Be" (Think TV's Smothers Brothers who returned very neutered in The 70's or legendary Comedian Lenny Bruce who just turned to the needle). It takes guts to stand out, but in this hyper-watching era of critics and listeners who take note of every contradiction, you know that it's going to take more smarts, and that involves knowing when and where to make your stand if you really want to voice something.
Today in the end, the only musicians trying to make an impact either personally or politically know that they have to usually work independently. This is not a critique but an observation. Just my viewpoint.