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

[koganbot]

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

Comments

Re: But what about what *I* wrote

[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

[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?