tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post1656734182480423085..comments2023-10-21T07:44:20.549-04:00Comments on The Existence Machine: What is music for?Richardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-35575653917651583222010-08-21T19:13:37.399-04:002010-08-21T19:13:37.399-04:00It's an interesting subject actually, since fa...It's an interesting subject actually, since fan fiction started long before the internet, in the late 60s and early 70s, mostly around Star Trek, mostly by women. One of the first moves was to make Spock gay. The line between fans and writers in science-fiction has always been thinner than in other genres, so it's somewhat fitting that the internet would boost fan fiction interest and production.David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07066865720450132692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-64173038522188546262010-08-21T13:24:08.215-04:002010-08-21T13:24:08.215-04:00You know, this is why I like, despite its frequent...You know, this is why I like, despite its frequent lack of quality, the fact that fan fiction exists (and slash fiction -- not my kind of porn, but I love the idea that people are making their own porn in cooperation with other people who like to produce and consume that kind of porn). <br /><br />Although I understand people who feel that fan fiction impinges on their copyright, I cannot but love the fact that readers are appropriating the stories, retelling them, and refashioning them to suit their own desires, experiences and preferences. It's what existed in the oral traditions, where stories were told by numerous storytellers and passed on from one to another, at the same time remodelled based on the feedback from the listeners, so that they reflected the experiences, aspirations and fantasies of entire communities, not just individual storytellers. <br /><br />I mean, I know that popular stories told by individuals also reflect to some degree the fantasies and experiences of the audience, otherwise they wouldn't be appealing, but I still love the idea that the readers are actively participating in reshaping the stories and not just reading them. Because every act of reading is an appropriation of the story, every individual interpretation identifies something that speaks to that particular individual, and I like the fact that readers are, in a way, speaking back. Kind of. <br /><br />So I see in fan fiction a sort of reclamation of communal creation and performance of art, I think it can be considered a way of trying to regain some of that communal living, even though these communities may be virtual ones and gathered around one specific idea... I don't know, does that make sense?Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05389974401782795345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-57043704008418373432010-08-18T20:08:02.821-04:002010-08-18T20:08:02.821-04:00Well, I hear what you're saying. I'm tryin...Well, I hear what you're saying. I'm trying to explore that tension, between the individual and collective action. I feel we've gone so far in one direction, that we need to recapture (or remake) collective forms of living. If only for our own survival. I'd say don't want to say much more in a comment, since this is only one post on this theme, so I'll leave it there.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-3402646870389195552010-08-18T13:13:11.936-04:002010-08-18T13:13:11.936-04:00I recently heard neocon Donald Kagan ranting again...I recently heard neocon Donald Kagan ranting against individualism and holding up the glory of Athens as a glorious alternative, so I was wondering what sort of communities you were thinking of. <br /><br />Being somewhat fond of rights-based individualism (and suspicious of hegemonic communities--i.e., all of them: dealing with the groupthink of massed hardcore punks was unbearable for me), I wasn't sure what you meant by what had been lost. I never really bought Hegel's critique of the radical individualism of the French Revolution either....David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07066865720450132692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-37531563947991878672010-08-18T12:51:13.783-04:002010-08-18T12:51:13.783-04:00Actually, I think you're right. I wasn't t...Actually, I think you're right. I wasn't trying to imply otherwise, though I can see how my post could have been read in that way. In fact, in many areas, not just music, people have been trying to remake communities, or build new ones. But the focus on the individual remains dominant in our society. I think the trends you see in music, and I've noticed elsewhere, are positive movements against (or at least complications of) that paradigm.Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-62969647117967841402010-08-18T12:40:20.158-04:002010-08-18T12:40:20.158-04:00Yes, I think so. From my vantage, things are bette...Yes, I think so. From my vantage, things are better than they were 10 or 20 years ago. It's easier for creative individuals to find one another and to share/publish work without going through mass media channels. Now more than ever before, I know more people who create and publish art in their spare time, and the sense of community is far greater than it was in the 90s or the early part of the last decade.<br /><br />"It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it!"David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07066865720450132692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-27715703227688746512010-08-18T11:57:07.921-04:002010-08-18T11:57:07.921-04:00Many thanks for the kind comments, Richard; my con...Many thanks for the kind comments, Richard; my conclusion can be found in this <a href="http://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2010/08/various-artists-top-of-pops-volume-20.html" rel="nofollow">sequel</a>.Marcello Carlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11229931762155075276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-56832868095340374942010-08-17T20:44:36.298-04:002010-08-17T20:44:36.298-04:00Thanks, waggish. That sounds great. Though I have ...Thanks, waggish. That sounds great. Though I have to admit I don't really understand what you're driving at. Are you countering what I'm saying?Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014014605639738887noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-88189635395957546002010-08-17T11:28:36.837-04:002010-08-17T11:28:36.837-04:00I went to the bar down the street the other night ...I went to the bar down the street the other night and saw a jazz show. I knew two of the players, but I'm a nerd like that. Sounded pretty good to me. My friends involved in the bluegrass and rockabilly scenes here also seem to enjoy themselves. Doesn't seem as bad as folks make it out to be.David Auerbachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07066865720450132692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-6903588489181327092010-08-15T17:22:23.475-04:002010-08-15T17:22:23.475-04:00I've often thought that there was significant ...I've often thought that there was significant vested interest at work when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote "The Singer Not the Song."<br /><br />This is interesting stuff--and hah, I wish I'd read it before I just wrote my post about seeing ESG last night, because I probably could have organized my thoughts better. Thanks too for pointing me to the Then Play Long blog, looks fascinating!Ethanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07498712279382078624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23471801.post-3026678238497889332010-08-14T15:35:00.294-04:002010-08-14T15:35:00.294-04:00Here's an interesting trend I'm seeing: my...Here's an interesting trend I'm seeing: my 14 yo just spent his 5th year at a week long summer camp where he was matched up with others of similar talent level and learned to play 4-5 rock songs as a band. Rock camps are like those pre-celeb days when families played sheet music. The kids pick the songs themselves, listen to the songs, download the tabs (where available_, and try to play. Many are quite talented—tho' not yet to the point of adding their own style (like Sun Kil Moon to Modest Mouse, say). The counselors are generally professional musicians and music teachers and instrument and sound techs.<br /><br />His isn't the only 'Rock School' type camp.Jim H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02088100982761595050noreply@blogger.com