Lecture #5 - Reality, Virtuality and Hyperreality

Lecture Notes

Task 2 - Popular Music

Quickly read Adorno's (1941) article 'On Popular Music'. In no more than a few paragraphs, summarise his ideas on pop music, concentrating on highlighting key points such as 'standardisation' etc.

In Adorno's eyes, music can be categorised into two major divisions; popular music and serious music. Popular music representing contemporary mass culture and its obsession with consumerism, and serious music reflecting that born of 'real' culture.

The fundamental characteristic of popular music can be described with just one word: standardisation. With limits placed on chorus length, range, content, structure, rhythm and genre, we are led to believe that the only songs worth any merit are those that conform to these rules. Ease of listening is of utmost importance in popular music, the structure aims at producing standard reactions from the audience. We are led to believe that we are hearing something new and exciting but in reality each songs purpose is not to be contemplated, but to be consumed.

Pseudo-individualism masks over the pre-digested choices that have already been made for us by leading us to believe that we are engaging in free will. We think we are individual because of the choices we make and the way our music makes us feel. In reality we are categorising and conditioning ourselves. We choose our musical taste by genre, we automatically know what it is going to sound like before we hear it because it has been categorised for us, therefore we instantly have a preconception - 'I must like Band A because they sound like Band B'. The myth of free choice encourages us to buy into a pre-made and regulated category of popular music.

The standardisation of popular music is so extreme the the only way to counter balance the lack of originality in songs is through the way they are marketed. The term 'plugging' refers to the constant exposure of a particular song in order to standardise its presence in our lives and in turn make it a 'hit' - if a song, any song, is presented to us repetitively enough we will intrinsically believe that it is good. To be plugged, a song must be as conventional and easily consumable as all the others, but must have an underlying distinguishable feature on which it can be sold - it must be the same, but different. The similarities will ensure automatic acceptance, and the differences will guarantee that it is remembered.

The acceptance of popular music helps us to feel a sense of collectivity in society. The reason we like the things we listen to is because of an underlying feeling that we are forming bonds with others, the realisation that we are not alone in the way a particular song makes us feel is comforting and reassuring. The ability of a song to effortlessly distract us away from reality is part of its appeal. Popular music requires no real attention and yet allows us to escape from the tediousness of work and the real world.

The physical adjustments achieved through music manifest in one of two ways: the 'rhythmically obedient' type and the 'emotional' type. Rhythmically obedient reactions rely on a beat, the audience conforms to a preconceived manner of dance, expressing themselves in a completely pseudo-individual way. The emotional reactions, however, rely on the sentiment of a song, allowing the listener to drift into a dreamy state of wish fulfillment and unconditional happiness.

The White Stripes - I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself.

For me this song epitomises the standardisation and pseudo-individualism of contemporary culture. The song itself is, of course, a cover version of a song written by Burt Bacharach and originally recorded by R'n'B singer Tommy Hunt in 1962. Since then it has been covered countless times by artists across all genres of music. A perfect example of plugging. The song is, literally, the same as previous hits, there is little to no structural difference between this version and that released by Dusty Springfield in 1964 - the industry knew it was going to sell before it had even been recorded. The memorable feature of this cover lies in the 'alternative rock' genre in which it was released, providing it with a 'cool', fresh edge over previous versions. Hooks were also placed in the music video that made it stand out from other songs at the time. The video fully engages with todays celebrity culture, playing on the inclusion of supermodel Kate Moss and the contribution from renowned director Sophia Coppolla - both elements give the song an instant status.

Lecture #4 - Communication Theory

Lecture Notes

Resistance

This year I'm trying to contribute more work to competition briefs, at the minute I'm responding to the D&AD Illustration brief, which is simply:

"Create an image for don't panic that captures the theme of resistance"

They want it to be innovative, unobvious and to 'question the politics of existence'. All in all, it's pretentious and vague as hell. So my response is simple: resist the brief. To do this I've been looking at conceptual art, institutional critique, situationism and the avant-garde.

Here are some scans of the research I've done and the questions I've raised so far.

Task 1 - Panopticism

Choose an example of one aspect of contemporary culture that is, in your opinion, panoptic. Write an explanation of this, in approximately 100-200 words, employing key Foucauldian language, such as 'Docile Bodies' or 'self-regulation, and using not less than 5 quotes from the text 'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan.

One panoptic aspect of society that is ever present is religion. The religion itself may vary but fundamentally they are all based on the belief that a god, or higher being, is an omniscient presence in society. This concept alone is a prime example of ‘conscious and permanent visibility that ensures the functioning of power’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 82) – the Church never has to physically discipline its followers because God will eventually determine a person’s worth; society self-regulates on the promise of Heaven in the after life.

The importance of God is strengthened through mass and celebrations within which society is subconsciously led to accept a power that is both ‘visible and unverifiable’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 82). We are constantly exposed to religious artefacts, paintings, teachings but we can never totally prove or understand if this power is being exercised. The power is ‘non-corporal’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 83) and the threat of surveillance ensures that we, as docile bodies, adhere to an accepted behaviour. ‘A real subjection is born mechanically from a fictitious relation’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 83), within society we have imagined a power dynamic that we willingly subject ourselves to. We are not forced into religion. We are raised to understand that it is natural; a myth of the modern day. The idea that ‘visibility is a trap’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 80) is essential to understanding the power mechanism in place – nothing is hidden, every move you make is recorded and registered in the eyes of The Church.

Religion may be one of the ultimate panoptic tools within society as it embodies two key political dreams: ‘the first is that of a pure community’, the idealistic community of Heaven and also a very real society free from deviants and non-conformists; and ‘the second is that of a disciplined society’ (Foucault in Thomas, J. 2000: 79), we are ordered, docile, regulated and most importantly, correctly trained.

Lecture #2 - Media Ideology

Lecture Notes

Lecture #1 - Panopticism

Lecture Notes

Annotations on 'Panopticism' in Thomas, J. (2000) 'Reading Images', NY, Palgrave McMillan.