The Mechanics of Popular Culture

If you discovered after years of being a devout vegetarian (going as far as to chastise your meat-eating bretheren) that you had a hankering for raw flesh, how would you react? what about, after finally satisfying your hunger, you discovered that you actually like meat? Would you go tell people? this is the question I am forced to consider when I look at the current landscape of music. Leafing through the pages of my most recent Roling Stone issue, I came across the "Singles Review" page, chock full of B-sides, Rarities, and future hits from the Indie community. However, buried in the third column, three stars caught my eye. Below this solid review? The words "Britney Spears". The fact that any reporter would conciously rate any music by Britney Spears so highly has to be a sign of impending doom. Considering that RS has also given three star ratings to John Legend, Common, Interpol, Velvet Revolver and the VASTLY underrated Kenna, I should not be suprised by the BS printed...no pun intended. Realizing that this is the first step in Britney's plan to re-conquer the radio, I threw down my magazine. You see, I have been secretly hoping Britney's comeback would fail...I just don't see why something like the return of Britney can be so anticipated, when the Eagles are getting ready to release their first album in THRITY YEARS. Regardless of your opinion of The Eagles, I believe only after thirty years can you say something is really ANTICIPATED. Back on subject, I looked down to pick up the magazine (I did want to finsih the review!), only to see that it had landed right next to last month's issue, featuring cover boy Zac Efron. Now, while I have to admit Efron is the currently hip new star, I have to wonder- Is this the future of popular culture? Each new magazine featuring a flavor of the week, soon to be forgotten with Haley Joel Osment and Hanson? I mean, how many high School Musical sequels CAN they make? It honestly frightens me to think that the very people that are our nation's future are ALSO the people responsible for making Lil Mama's "Lip Gloss" a hit.
My goal, both working at the chronicle and for the rest of my life, is to be a journalist. And not just any journalist- a staff writer for Rolling Stone. However, when I read things like Britney Spears creating "infectious beats", I wonder- is pop culture merely a popularity contest? This is a seruious question, readers. Is it worth investing all this time into my future, just to see it run by fads, cliques, and the popular people? Yesterday, "cool" was John Mayer, Kanye West and, I suppose, Nelly. However, tomorrow is only as certain as the people who make it, and right now I see nothing but girls dressing like old women and guys openly declaring that the Plain White T's make them cry. Are these the kinds of stories I will be forced to cover?
As you probably have noticed, I have yet to discuss my earlier statement of "enjoying meat"...for you see, I do find myself (at times) humming "Umbrella", this summer's jam. And I do (at times) wish I could "Crank That" like Soulja Boy. So, I suppose I am just another weight on the scales of civilization, weighing down the progress towards good music. However, this lasts to a point. I like to think that I let fads flow around me, not through me, to avoid the infectious nature of pop culture today. I will not go down without a fight. Maybe the 00's are just a fad in themself, like the 70's and disco? I think I can survive another three years of a culture created by The Disney Channel and celebrities who are now in rehab. However, the alternative is even more grim- maybe this is the beginning of the end. I should steal a page out of Rip Van Winkle's book and just take a nice nap. I mean really, how many more albums of original music can Brooke Hogan actually make?

Wake me when up Chinese Democracy is out.