Thanks for the insightful response, Nathan. Yours are great points. I totally agree that there is nothing wrong with a female entertainer flaunting her sexuality or having a sexualized image, and agree accordingly that scantily-clad definitely does not equal bad. And you certainly don't have to be a man to appreciate her beauty and fitness. I didn't mean to criticize her clothing choice.
I meant to criticize the people proclaiming her a role model for young girls based on the following: her thighs, dance moves, and wealth/fame (aka the entire halftime show). Those are all great individual accomplishments Beyonce should be proud of, and if you want to record pop songs or are doing lots of squats at the gym then you should go buy her poster. But it should not be mistaken for something more. She should not be deemed the height of female achievement because she gave a song and dance performance in front of a Pepsi-Cola backdrop and looked good doing it (nobody should).
The NFL/CBS/Pepsi gave Beyonce the gig because they knew she would perform well, attract viewers, and ultimately increase profit. That is why we just saw her on TV. It does not make her someone to look up to – she may have other qualities that do, but this halftime performance is not some great win for women. It was a business move and should not be misunderstood as any sort of feminist progress.
Fixating on her all-female band only shows that people are happy to take what is fed to them and justify it under the guise of feminism rather than wanting something more. It’s akin to being in an abusive relationship and being OK with getting beat up as long as there are flowers every once in a while. (An ugly metaphor and I don’t mean to make light of domestic abuse.) Beyonce just supported and perpetuated the system that feminists purport to change but nobody noticed because she had a couple women playing the instruments.
I can totally appreciate Beyonce's singing/dancing talent, but I have a problem with the people who are holding up this halftime performance as some sort of paragon of female achievement and empowerment. I saw too many disturbing status updates like this one after halftime:
"Beyonce is living proof that a woman can be sexy, strong, talented, intelligent, and classy all at once. A shoutout to Sasha Fierce for inspiring grown women and little girls everywhere. I will now make watching YouTube videos of that performance my full-time ambition in order to gain some of those #skillz, #dancemoves, #curves."
Which was affirmed by other girls with lines such as: "The day I confidently shake my booty on national television in a bangin' black leather bodysuit..."
I don't doubt that Beyonce is in many ways a great role model. But I will say that her performance was, from a feminist standpoint, pandering and regressive. Observing the reactions and praise it garnered from “progressive” women made me feel like I had been watching the wrong channel.
If Beyonce gyrating in her underwear about wanting a man to put a ring on her finger is the gold standard for young girls to aspire to then feminism has been completely swallowed up, subverted by the system, and turned into a gimmick that exists to maintain the status quo, championing what is utterly nonsense and believing that it’s a victory. And don’t give me the “But she had all female musicians!” argument. That is neither noteworthy nor impressive and serves only to trick you into thinking her performance was pseudo-progressive.
I don't mean to sound like a total grouch and say that there is anything inherently wrong with looking great, dancing suggestively, or flaunting it if you got it. There isn't. It's just that so-called feminists need to stop rationalizing how progressive it is. It's not, it's the status quo.
It was off to the side of the overflow camping area, and I was a bit facetious in calling it "woods," it was more like cultivated rows of small trees. Sort of like a Christmas tree lot crossed with a vineyard.
Totally agree. Festivals can't replace seeing a band you love in a small, intimate club (then again, nothing can). And I am less likely to get sunburned in a club, so that's a plus.
That said, at Sasquatch last year the Walkmen played a gorgeous set as the sun was setting and then Spiritualized took the stage and the combination of the two literally blew my mind (with the help of some choice substances). Then I had the hardest time ever trying to eat a burrito during Beck and basically dropped it all over someone. And then a friend hooked up with a girl in the woods. Hard to do all that in a club.
Literally the coolest possible voice a human could have. (Debatable of course.)
A few years ago I was on a subway platform with my brothers in NYC the day after seeing the Strokes play MSG and Julian walked by us (although "sauntered" is probably a better word). I wasn't facing him so I didn't know who it was at first but my brothers did and their jaws dropped in perfect unison, which was hilarious enough. We then slowly nudged along behind him until he turned towards us to go down some more stairs, which resulted in like 10 seconds of super awkward eye contact as we stood there mouths agape, totally frozen. I've always regretted not even being able to say something as simple as "Great show last night."
On a similar note, I was walking through SoHo over the summer and saw someone who I thought looked like Jude Law walk by. So as my then-girlfriend popped into an ATM I circled back 10 feet and cautiously investigated the dude who was now waiting to cross a street. I was like 5 feet behind him when Jude Law turned around, stared directly into my eyes, squinted a bit, and took a badass puff of his cigarette. I froze like a deer in the headlights until I was able to smile awkwardly and nod to myself as if to say yep, that's him. At which point I walked away.
I am an idiot around celebrities.
To take the subject away from chicken wings again, haha:
I agree with you Claire, I think it is disingenuous to reach for your wallet without the intention of paying. But is it much better to simply expect the other person to cover you?
You are complicit in the date and to not acknowledge this indicates either concerning levels of entitlement and self-worth or shows that you have been brainwashed into making this assumption. I would say that unless previously discussed expecting someone to pay for you is childish, in any circumstance (except when your mom takes you shopping of course, which actually helps support my point).
The problem with the gesture is that the guy (to use standard gender constructs and assume the guy asked the girl out and it’s the first date) will wave it away. When the girl reaches for her wallet it’s an empty gesture because she knows it doesn’t matter; the guy has always paid on the first date before and will this time too. So it’s disingenuous in the sense that she knows it’s all for show but it does have value in that it shows that the person is capable and willing to cover their own expenses and that the system doesn't necessarily have to work the way it does.
Ultimately the person responsible for making the gesture disingenuous is the person who has rendered it obsolete, but I appreciate when people at least exhibit an awareness of this and pretend like the guy even has the option of letting her chip in.
The expectation of a certain party covering the bill is a strange thing that is demeaning at worst and slightly gentlemanly at best.
YES for Dino Jr. I would add Jens Lekman to that list too. I think it will take a little while for people to see what a touching album I Know What Love Isn't is. It'll be one of those ones that writers will refer back to as "his excellent 2012 LP..."
Really bummed not to see a Jens Lekman track on there. So many beautiful tunes on that album.
A few other of my favorites/thoughts, if anyone cares:
Sun Airway: Over My Head, Close, or Black Noise
The Walkmen: Heaven, or We Can't Be Beat
Dino Jr: Watch the Corners
The Raveonettes: She Owns the Streets
Veronica Falls: Teenage (!!!!)
Wild Nothing: Only Heather (c'mon!!!)
Allo Darlin': Northern Lights
Teen Mom: I Wanna Go Out (not like p4k even reviewed them though)
Only You: Applying Myself (same)
Melody's Echo Chamber: Some Time Alone, Alone, or You Won't Be Missing That Part of Me
Dan Deacon: True Thrush
Polica: Dark Star (seemed like an obvious choice)
Beach House: probably would have went with Other People or The Hours
Merchandise: would have gone with Become What You Are
Passion Pit: would have gone with It's Not My Fault I'm Happy, or I'll Be Alright
Miguelito, I appreciate your contrarian stance and think you bring up some interesting ideas but if you could back up your statements with facts (like Bon Iver making $10k/night) and keep your personal tastes out of it you'd make a much more convincing argument. Bon Iver achieving some success despite being terrible in your opinion quite frankly means nothing. I wish that's how it worked because if it did there wouldn't be 4 radio stations for pop country in my hometown.
Merchandise!!!!
I have listened to the entirety of "Become What You Are" upon waking up every day for the past two weeks. My morning routine has never psyched me up so much.
I was disappointed to learn that those guys aren't actually his sons. That's where my distaste for them stems from.
My real problem with their music is the lack of modesty. It all sounds like they are trying SO HARD and with press photos like the one above it looks like it too. I like (love, rather) woe-is-me sad stuff but these guys just rub me the wrong way. It's like they're boasting about their sad feelings, and they offer no cleverness, originality, or subtlety. I saw the Avett Brothers at ACL and would put them in this category too, but maybe not quite as damningly so.
Extremely nitpick-y sounding but with all the other stuff I'd rather listen to, well, that's how it is.
I went to yoga initially to try to impress a girl who asked me to go with her, and oh man could I barely walk for like three days afterwards. Lots of weird little muscles get worked in lots of weird little ways, so for someone who usually just goes running and does your basic tris/bis/pecs workout it was brutal. I was sweating and shaking so much I had to grip the sides of the yoga mat to keep from sliding right off. Meanwhile a half dozen gorgeous girls in Lululemon pants are doing effortless ballet all around me.
Some classes are much less workout focused though and are more about breathing, which is cool too. I tend to like the workout and exertion though because it helps me find that I-am-barely-conscious mental zone/groove that allows me to forget everything (which is why I like running and going to the gym). And then the 10 minute "nap" at the end is just awesome.
Just to touch on one thing you mentioned (and not being sarcastic or dismissive at all), what you said about having a self-reflective meditative hour followed by a short nap made me think of yoga. Once you build up some fluency with the positions it's a really calming yet engaging activity and I always leave feeling great - mentally and physically. You sound like someone who might enjoy it if you don't already.
***Dan, this is in reply to you; I'm not sure why but there doesn't appear to be a reply button for me next to your comment.***
Totally get what you're saying and didn't mean to sound as if I think people should be close-minded. I can see how I sounded that way, though. I appreciate your thoughts and know that there are pros and cons and that everyone does things in their own way. You don’t sound like one of the people I’m talking about.
I’m talking about people who use the nonstop music news cycle to posture – to derive their identity as a tastemaker in their social circle by telling people they are. I like knowing about the latest stuff too but my feeling is that these people are not about the music. They’re trying to win the cool kid contest. This mentality, partially born and largely fostered of the internet, misses the point.
It’s narcissistic behavior. To back up my point I offer the at first incredibly idiotic but upon later reflection brilliant T-Mobile commercial with Oberhofer, the one where the girl sends a video to her friend of the show that they're both at and then the friend STOPS WATCHING THE SHOW to look at it. T-Mobile has recognized that their young target market doesn’t care about experiencing art. They care about the identity they can derive from being the person who finds it and says it’s cool.
The first girl is the aspirational figure; she knows what’s cool and has deemed Oberhofer as such. The second girl knows this and her desire to be part of this exchange and gain the social currency that comes with it leads her to literally ignore the band itself. They care more about Oberhofer being a new cool-kid-approved act than they actually do about Oberhofer. And heck, the second girl already knew about Oberhofer, she was at the show. But the actual art has become secondary.
T-Mobile spent millions producing this seemingly stupid commercial because it taps into a cultural insight. Their target market are the people I’m talking about. I don’t mean to indict all internet loving music fans or say that you should cancel your internet, just that the media cycle and constant focus on what's new causes us to miss the forest for the trees.
(On a personal level, I can indeed be very close-minded and hesitant to listen to new stuff, even that which my friends recommend. It’s kind of weird and I recognize that. The best way to describe it is that for some reason listening to music is a very intimate thing for me, and I don’t get intimate with just anyone. I used to be more of the person I'm lashing out against but then I stopped caring about whether my friends think I’m the indie music guru. Rather I do it for my own personal satisfaction now, not a need to self-identify.)
You struck a nerve for me here - especially with the line "People who listen to Grizzly Bear are more likely...to be constantly venturing out, looking for new music." Obviously this isn't news to anyone, but it's symptomatic of indie music on the internet and I kind of can't stand it.
I know a lot of indie-inclined folks who listen to whatever the new thing is for 10 seconds then move on to the next link/article/stream in the name of being a self-proclaimed "music nerd." Ask them their opinions on this music and they will probably say "dude, it's so good!" (and it all usually sounds like Two Door Cinema Club). They have a new band every day and it’s all posturing – they want to be THAT guy. I feel like the music and artists get taken advantage of in an effort to be the guy who is up on everything new. Sort of like that Portlandia sketch where Fred and Carrie compete about having read the latest everything.
I personally consume music much differently - I'm very guarded when it comes to the artists and music I associate with, and in that way I'm a skeptic whenever I hear something new, regardless of hype. I don't put a value on the number of bands I listen to, I put a value on who those bands are and what they have to say. I do listen to a lot of stuff that is new (to me), but I often to backwards to find it.
I’m not saying everyone should be like me, I just don’t like how people put so much value on quantity. The ceaseless online media churn and sweeping us into it and it works to the detriment of the artists (enjoying their 10 seconds of fame, then pushed aside) and the enrichment that music can bring to your life when it’s given a chance to really mean something.
Sorry if I sound all judgmental. I think I'm mostly just railing against one or two people I know who exemplify what I’m talking about. They’re all like, “Look at me, I listen to so much stuff and I’m always finding new stuff!” but they have no substance. They listen to so many bands and put a premium on things that are new just because they’re new. There’s definitely a problem with the incredible lack of diversity on the radio but I do feel like lots of indie-minded people take it too far in the opposite direction. Obviously the accessibility of new music online has some fantastic benefits, but this sort of music consumer is not one.
The internet is training people to try to listen to everything. But you can’t get to it all, so don’t try. That’s my viewpoint, at least.
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