Sinister: youth movements and stuff

[Heather Marie Propes]

I wanted to begin by replying to a few of Genevieve's thoughts, and then
move on to some other stuff:

On Sat, 5 Dec 1998, Genevieve Wesley wrote:

> but i do not think there is a movement really...i mean,if they really 
> wanted to rebel against something,yes certainly they have got VERY 
> important things,not just your parents values..like maybe  how we're 
> destroying our earth?...seriously..i mean a lot good going 'fuck society 
> man! i'm a rebel!' when you might not have clean water to drink...or 
> fresh air to breathe,i think it's so sad,when even the most 
> beautiful,pristine places of wilderness on earth have smog in the air 
> floated over from other cities...rebelling against mass-consumption...it 
> would take lots of people  and unfortunatley,that big number of 
> teenagers are the ones who just contribute more and more buy falling for 
> the commericals,this image that they are supposed to be ("selling 
> ourselves to ourselves")buying every tommy hifiger,nike prouduct etc.

I think in the 60's, rebellion was more political than it is now, when it
seems to have been integrated completely into consumer culture. For this
reason, I can't blame anyone in B&S (or any other band) for just leaving
the entire "youth culture rebellion" image behind. It's meaningless
anyway. Although, I have to admit that I always loved the way Roxy Music
dealt with the dilemma of "how to appeal to the counterculture without
taking yourself too seriously." They always had such a nice jaded take on
teen fervor, for example, in the lyrics to Manifesto, which I have been
told are based upon a manifesto by pop artist Claus Oldenburg, called "I
am for an art," but could just as well have been based on any of the
communist, socialist manifestos.

I am for the man who drives the hammer
to rock you 'till the grave
his power drill shocks
a million miles away
I am for the revolution's coming
I don't know where she's been
for those who dare because it's there
I know I've seen
now and then I've suffered imperfection
I've studied marble flaws
and faces drawn pale and worn
by many tears

Anyway, it's a great example of eurodisco (hope nobody minds this term).

> are going to kick your ass" hee) but the one thing i find kinda fake in 
> all these groups is the importance of what you wear how you look..you 
> get loads of piercings and tattoos and spike your  hair and THAT'S why 
> your a rebel? or you wear a short skirt? or whateve..i mean if you like 
> that look,FINE..but so many define their whole soul around  an 
> image..and if you do that,it must be a kinda shallow movement?

The classic contradiction between image and substance, exactly
what we thought we were fighting for in 1984, I couldn't agree
more with you, Geneieve.

well, I'll shut up now on this tired old thread. Enjoyed the discussion,
though!

JJ - are you serious? Is there really an EP somewhere in the world that
sells for $1.97? If you could pick up a copy for me, I'd be happy to pay
you once I get to Ann Arbor (or make you a tape, whatever you'd like).

Whoever wrote about the Levi's campaign marketing to the "pop" audience -
that's really funny. I think Levi's is on a crusade to get hip. Here in
Berkeley they've got these subways posters showing a lot of young
Afro-American and Hispanic kids sporting g hip clothes and haircuts,
covered with tattoos, with slogans saying "Candizzy" or "Kizmet Rising."
They artwork is pretty neat but I don't know if I'd like to be put in a
"hip-hop bag" by Levi's, if I were Afro-American.

Well, that's it for today.

Ciao!

Heather


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