T
therightone
Guest
Is Morrissey ahead of his time and an Advanced artist?
Perhaps not under this set of guidelines...
A few years back I got a call from Chuck Klosterman, who was writing an article about my Theory of Advancement. He had heard about the theory from mutual colleagues at Spin magazine but felt as though he hadn’t quite grasped it yet. The theory is an alternative explanation for the supposed inevitable decline of artistic genius, particularly rock ‘n’ roll genius. Its central premise is that artists like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed didn’t suddenly start to stink in the 1980s but had, instead, advanced beyond most people’s comprehension. If an artist like Reed was ahead of his time in the 1960s, the theory goes, it is plausible that he was still ahead of his time in the 1980s, when most people mistakenly thought he “lost it.”
Over the years, Britt Bergman (the co-creator of the theory) and I developed guidelines for what it takes to be Advanced:
* The artist must have done great work for more than 15 years — plenty of artists can make a few good records, but it takes a genius to stick around 15 years.
* The artist must have alienated his or her original fans — the Advanced thrive on change, especially in ways that annoy the people that like them the most. Think Dylan’s going electric.
* The artist must be completely unironic — Advancement only works when the artist seems to be the only one who isn’t in on the joke, because it is only later that people realize there is no joke.
* The artist must be unpredictable — Advanced artists don’t do what is expected of them, but they don’t do the opposite of what is expected of them either.
* The artist must “lose it,” spectacularly — the Advanced never go away, with each new project seeming more impossibly self-indulgent, grandiose, and out-of-touch than the last. For example, the last fifteen years of Michael Jackson’s life.
People’s first reaction when hearing about Advancement is to dismiss it as a joke. But it is a serious belief, and embracing it can be revelatory.
(Jason Hartley gives examples of artists that represent his best attempt to help you understand Advancement)
http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/living-with-music-jason-hartley/?hp
Perhaps not under this set of guidelines...
A few years back I got a call from Chuck Klosterman, who was writing an article about my Theory of Advancement. He had heard about the theory from mutual colleagues at Spin magazine but felt as though he hadn’t quite grasped it yet. The theory is an alternative explanation for the supposed inevitable decline of artistic genius, particularly rock ‘n’ roll genius. Its central premise is that artists like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed didn’t suddenly start to stink in the 1980s but had, instead, advanced beyond most people’s comprehension. If an artist like Reed was ahead of his time in the 1960s, the theory goes, it is plausible that he was still ahead of his time in the 1980s, when most people mistakenly thought he “lost it.”
Over the years, Britt Bergman (the co-creator of the theory) and I developed guidelines for what it takes to be Advanced:
* The artist must have done great work for more than 15 years — plenty of artists can make a few good records, but it takes a genius to stick around 15 years.
* The artist must have alienated his or her original fans — the Advanced thrive on change, especially in ways that annoy the people that like them the most. Think Dylan’s going electric.
* The artist must be completely unironic — Advancement only works when the artist seems to be the only one who isn’t in on the joke, because it is only later that people realize there is no joke.
* The artist must be unpredictable — Advanced artists don’t do what is expected of them, but they don’t do the opposite of what is expected of them either.
* The artist must “lose it,” spectacularly — the Advanced never go away, with each new project seeming more impossibly self-indulgent, grandiose, and out-of-touch than the last. For example, the last fifteen years of Michael Jackson’s life.
People’s first reaction when hearing about Advancement is to dismiss it as a joke. But it is a serious belief, and embracing it can be revelatory.
(Jason Hartley gives examples of artists that represent his best attempt to help you understand Advancement)
http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/living-with-music-jason-hartley/?hp
