Ken Macleod linked to this corny song. It's lame, but it makes me smile, because it's all about gene regulation. What a cool topic! That's what I want hear, that's what I want to dance too. Stuff that tells me something meaningful, rather than just infantile pubescent fantasies.
I keep stopping this writing to watch it again. But the point is that it contrasts well with another corny song, done without apparent irony, and produced with much more effort and, I assume, money.
This second video is by Superchick.
Dan sent it to me, to distract me from the three Child Development assignment I have to do, and the reading from David Hume, and the studying for my Chinese Quiz tomorrow.
How do you know a song is Christian when it doesn't mention Christianity. Well, there are no fullproof rules, but here are some guidelines.
-It Sucks.
-The lyrics don't say anything that Christians aren't allowed to, but still bump into the boundaries of acceptable Christian-Talk as much as possible (like talking about rebelling, but never against religion or your parents, talking about love but never physical love, talking about not conforming, but never telling you what to do instead, until they get to the God part)
This is the dominant face of the Christian-as-Shameless Salesman. As Mencken, noted, underneath every preacher lies a failed salesman.
Like the Capitalist culture industry, Christianity has gutted the soul of dissent and replicated forms of expression originally brought about by America's cultural revolution in the sixties and seventies.
Popular political music goes back farther, but it was during the whole obsession with youthful discontent that these styles became more central and exciting in American culture.
Rock and Roll became political, and then we got from that political punk and then political rap. But music doesn't have to be political or apolitical. As long as it's nice to listen to, it can attract people.
The content of music, usually the lyrics, is always important. And the content doesn't have to stick to any one style.
That's why it's so easy for the Culture Industry to completely absorb the energy of dissent and turn it into lifestyle capitalism, and why it's so easy for the Christian Culture Industry to then take the styles produced by Lifestyle Capitalism and then empty out the particular content and stuff in their own bullcrap.
The progression is as follows: Drop out of the System! Be an Individual ---> Hey Individual, you're not a part of the herd! That's why you enjoy the refreshing taste of Coca-Cola (or the feel of Levi 501's, taste of Budweiser, etc.) You're an individual, that's why you buy your individuality exclusively from PepsiCo. -----> Hey, all you guys love that Secular lifestyle, but you don't have to get out there, in The World, you can get from us, and our's is better, cause we're all part of Jesus!
But I shouldn't knock these true artists, merely expressing their sincere feelings... I can't even type that without giggling.
You cannot make good art when you have to reign in your thinking to that extent, when you're gently censored by everyone around you. The very world you live in is dangerous, in that you might think the wrong thing. You might think ungodly thoughts, or go too far in your speculation regarding other religions. Meditation can let in demons. In short, it's a dangerous world we live in, especially the mental world, full of possible deviation from Right Think.
But, let me try again with sympathy. I know they are...
Sorry... I honestly can't do it without laughing.
I'm not just religion-bashing on them. Johnny Cash did an album of hymns that I love. Outkast has that song "Church" on Speakerboxx. I love that song. It picks me up and gets me moving.
But it's just hard to make good music when you're task is ideological persuasion. Socialists have the same problem. The difference is, we have Rage Against the Machine. Those guys made good music, and they didn't have to live in a secluded, guarded world of constant ideological reinforcement. The Coup is pretty good too, as are Dilated Peoples ("If more than half the budget goes to military spending, than less than half goes to whatever it's defending.")
So ideological bias doesn't have to stifle your creativity, but check out Superchick. They're talking about being a rebel, crossing the line, standing out from the crowd! How can you be one of these born again Christian Culture Industry partisans and get that through your head and out of your mouth?
The whole thing becomes an artifice. They set out to produce music that reinforces the mental regime that is reinforced all around them, and then they produce music that reinforces conformity by imitating the music they can't listen to, and music that reinforces conformity by imitating the messages they can't listen to.
The song says: Revolutions start when someone crosses the line
They want us to lie down, give into the lie
Nothing has to change, and no one has to die
That's not the secret, but I know what is:
Everybody dies, but not everyone lives
It neglects to mention that by revolution they mean conformity to the Christian Culture Industry and a culture that has to constantly insulate itself from the world, which is to say it has to constantly concern itself with enforcing conformity, lest it's members stray into the open world, and the hell below it.
'Give into the lie' brings to mind Zoroastrianism. Zoroaster was fighting The Great Lie before little baby Jesus was born without sperm. 'Nothing has to change', reveals the most valuable message they can send to their target audience.
We ought to sympathize, even with self-blinding Christians like these guys. We all want to escape. Escape our limitations, escape death, escape loneliness. Someday, I hope they will take their places among the rest of humanity. In love, solidarity, and comfort.
Bless them all.
p.s. Here is an example of ideologically driven lyrics that are sincere, and part of a good song. This song touches me every time I hear it and gives me chills of hope and love.
(From The Coup, Heaven Tonite)
I used to think about infinity
And how my memory is finna be
Invisibly slim in that vicinity
And though the stars are magnificent
Whisky and the midnight sky can make you feel insignificant
The revolution in this tune and verse
Is a bid for my love to touch the universe
Strugglin' over wages and funds
Let the movement get contagious and run
Through the end when it's gauges and guns
And if we win in the ages to come
We'll have a chapter where the history pages are from
They won't never know our name or face
But feel our soul in free food they taste
Feel our passion when they heat they house
When they got power on the streets
And the police don't beat 'em about
Let's make health care centers on every block
Let's give everybody homes and a garden plot
Let's give all the schools books
Ten kids a class
And give 'em truth for their pencils and pads
Retail clerk - "love ballads" where you place this song
Let's make heaven right here
Just in case they wrong
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