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Here's my latest, in which I reveal myself to be a rockist, unless that's not what I'm revealing. I also don't come to a conclusion about what rockism is. Stay tuned for the exciting sequel.

The Rules Of The Game #31: Rockism And Antirockism Rise From The Dead

EDIT: Here are links to all but three of my other Rules Of The Game columns (LVW's search results for "Rules of the Game"). Links for the other three (which for some reason didn't get "Rules Of The Game" in their titles), are here: #4, #5, and #8.

UPDATE: I've got all the links here now:

http://koganbot.livejournal.com/179531.html

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

Date: 2008-02-21 05:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mcatzilut.livejournal.com
"A rockist is someone who reduces rock 'n' roll to a caricature, then uses that caricature as a weapon. Rockism means idolizing the authentic old legend (or underground hero) while mocking the latest pop star; lionizing punk while barely tolerating disco; loving the live show and hating the music video; extolling the growling performer while hating the lip-syncher."

So in the Sanneh sense, I don't see why'd you be a Rockist. But you're trying to ask, when you deride new punk as fashion and not music (compared to class punk) whether you're being Rockist. But obviously, Rockism is supposedly blind prejudice. So if I like new punk music, I'm going to say you're a Rockist. And if I agree with you that new punk lacks the same value, I'm going to say you're not a Rockist. (For the record, I think the new punk = fashion statement *is* a Rockist assumption. Since, wtf? Plenty of Hot Topic bands are GREAT. And some of them are even dangerous and punk and very much *something*.)

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

Date: 2008-02-21 05:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mcatzilut.livejournal.com
You *can*. But you weren't. "this primitiveness is a cliché, it’s a new brand of deodorant, punk-hardcore deodorant; ultimately, it’s nothing. Punk isn’t punk anymore, it’s a bunch of musical/clothing signs that symbolize punk." You're inherently linking (if not in argument, then in proximity) the idea that punk is fashion and that it isn't "punk anymore." And since I happen to believe that fashion punk (or mascara punk, or emo, or hardcore, or hot topic punk) is "punk," I obviously have to call that sentence a Rockist assumption. Since you're saying that 'grit' has become cliche, it first appears that you're subverting the Rockist beliefs (since a Rockist belief is that any grit is good) but you're still championing grit. You're just saying that you only champion real grit, and that this is bogus cliche fashion grit.

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

Date: 2008-02-21 05:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mcatzilut.livejournal.com
To wit: Glitter Grit!

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

Date: 2008-02-21 08:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] skyecaptain.livejournal.com
This might relate to something I said to Carl Wilson about "dismantling my contempt" being analogous to "dismantling my gun"; i.e., am I dismantling it to disarm myself, or am I just one of those people that likes to see how well they can dismantle and recombine their guns?

I think good rock criticism can do the latter -- I understand my contempt better, but hell if I'm going to STOP feeling contemptuous (see: mumblecore!!!).

So maybe one question here is: is there any way to use rock 'n' roll as a weapon in which contempt ISN'T at issue? How can I use rock 'n' roll as a weapon that doesn't hurt someone, or why would I even want to?

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

Date: 2008-02-21 09:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] skyecaptain.livejournal.com
That is to say, if rockism is about contempt in some fashion -- for a piece of work, for an audience, often both -- the problem with rockism can only be whether or not that contempt is misplaced, either because when you try to dismantle it it comes apart (poor craftsmanship) or when you try to put it back together in a new circumstance you find the pieces won't go together the way you want them to.

In the former category, dismantling "but they don't write their own songs!" usually just makes the argument fall apart. But let's say this IS a valid criticism that reflects your values: does it apply when you start talking about a different kind of music, a different production method, or a different sensibility? Does my dad, who only listens to classical guitar music and for whom skill and excellence in performance are key, really get to level his skill-and-excellence gun at Ashlee?

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Frank Kogan

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