This makes a great deal of sense. Our current musical environment looks to be a concerted effort to squash the concept and personae of the antihero. It seems clear that the streaming/digital music environment also illustrates the tendency of technology to damage culture and allocate non-tech-related centers of money to itself. It's no accident that the technology business scene is fully populated by monopolies and oligarchies. To a one, these agents enforce conformity and compliance. Streaming companies act as fronts for this baleful cultural trend. The anithero has likely never faced such a powerful and dangerous adversary.
No one would've guessed that without the tunes of Robin Hood, we wouldn't have the rebellious anthems of the Sex Pistols like 'Anarchy In The UK' – who knew outlaws in tights could inspire punk rock legends?
The one exception to this rule might be the depiction of heroic and anti-heroic figures in Broadway and Hollywood musicals, where music is, of course, an essential part of the narrative. There have been many depictions of these figures in both dramatic and comic forms through this vehicle.
I’m in an Irish/Celtic band and we sing many songs that “glorify” less than savory characters. Would “The Wild Colonial Boy” or the lead character of “Whiskey in the Jar” be considered anti-heroes? Possibly. Then there’s the unfortunate ‘Michael’ in “Fields of Athenry” (which only dates from 1979) who commits a crime to feed his family. So the tradition still exists in folk music, though it’s probably more fictional than historical.
It's antiheroes all the way down, check the Sagas of the Icelanders for moral idiosyncrasies. Impossible to separate out the Norse from the Brits. The Arthurian legends were probably of Persian lineage.
The Anti-hero really is evolving. It's going through the same stage as we are as humanity (the point where we fully develop our little, but so important, Self) to slowly go back to the source carrying all these amazing life experiences : just like the prodigal son.
I’m curious what’s your recipe for music getting back to its roots? By the way, even though hypnagogic writing/ art is often discouraged, it’s very therapeutic as it allows deeper insights on a subconscious level.
What an interesting post. Robin Hood and King Arthur were my heros from childhood. But as I read "heroes now had to abandon their songs. And for the saddest (and simplest) reason of them all: you can’t sing on the printed page of a mass-market, text-driven narrative", I thought: audio books are becoming more popular than printed ones. Those could be sung instead of read. You could start a whole new (or reverted) trend. And then a related thought: if that became a thing, would it change the way writers write?
This will be released traditionally at some point right? I think this is the second excerpt from it I've read and it looks promising. Would kind of like to have it on my bookshelf.
This makes a great deal of sense. Our current musical environment looks to be a concerted effort to squash the concept and personae of the antihero. It seems clear that the streaming/digital music environment also illustrates the tendency of technology to damage culture and allocate non-tech-related centers of money to itself. It's no accident that the technology business scene is fully populated by monopolies and oligarchies. To a one, these agents enforce conformity and compliance. Streaming companies act as fronts for this baleful cultural trend. The anithero has likely never faced such a powerful and dangerous adversary.
So nice...! A little less famous than Miles but perhaps as similarly iconic as anti-hero wd be Mingus, no?!
No one would've guessed that without the tunes of Robin Hood, we wouldn't have the rebellious anthems of the Sex Pistols like 'Anarchy In The UK' – who knew outlaws in tights could inspire punk rock legends?
The one exception to this rule might be the depiction of heroic and anti-heroic figures in Broadway and Hollywood musicals, where music is, of course, an essential part of the narrative. There have been many depictions of these figures in both dramatic and comic forms through this vehicle.
Uh, heroic essay! From Robert Johnson to Tupac to Glenn Gould to Miles Davis. What a lineup (so to speak).
Music as cloud storage...fantastic!
I’m in an Irish/Celtic band and we sing many songs that “glorify” less than savory characters. Would “The Wild Colonial Boy” or the lead character of “Whiskey in the Jar” be considered anti-heroes? Possibly. Then there’s the unfortunate ‘Michael’ in “Fields of Athenry” (which only dates from 1979) who commits a crime to feed his family. So the tradition still exists in folk music, though it’s probably more fictional than historical.
It's antiheroes all the way down, check the Sagas of the Icelanders for moral idiosyncrasies. Impossible to separate out the Norse from the Brits. The Arthurian legends were probably of Persian lineage.
The Anti-hero really is evolving. It's going through the same stage as we are as humanity (the point where we fully develop our little, but so important, Self) to slowly go back to the source carrying all these amazing life experiences : just like the prodigal son.
Thought-provoking and well-written, as always. One thing - do I see a typo? "The visionay power of sleep and dreams" - should be "visionary", right?
This just in, music preferences and morality https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0294402
I’m curious what’s your recipe for music getting back to its roots? By the way, even though hypnagogic writing/ art is often discouraged, it’s very therapeutic as it allows deeper insights on a subconscious level.
Excellent!
What an interesting post. Robin Hood and King Arthur were my heros from childhood. But as I read "heroes now had to abandon their songs. And for the saddest (and simplest) reason of them all: you can’t sing on the printed page of a mass-market, text-driven narrative", I thought: audio books are becoming more popular than printed ones. Those could be sung instead of read. You could start a whole new (or reverted) trend. And then a related thought: if that became a thing, would it change the way writers write?
This will be released traditionally at some point right? I think this is the second excerpt from it I've read and it looks promising. Would kind of like to have it on my bookshelf.
Thank you so much for sharing this!
If they're are still alive (in their original "image") it is only by the effort of artists like you, Sir.
I hope this book (and all the others you've published) to be spread like a plague of the ancient Egipt :)