Everyone else is talking about it, so I thought I would too
Now I recognize that self-respect doesn’t really sell the way youthful good looks and wild abandon do. This could actually be a good thing. It could be a reset button, a way to lower the bar for the young performers who feel the need to top all that’s come before, because topping all that’s come before is eventually going to take us in to Annie Sprinkle territory and I can guarantee you that Annie Sprinkle has done it better.
We’ve come a long way from Elvis swiveling his hips on Ed Sullivan, or even Madonna humping a wedding veil. It takes a lot more to shock the audience. There was a time when playing around with a bit of religious imagery was enough to get some cries of outrage. However, religion seems to be on the decline in America so it’s hard to get the public riled up over something they may or may not care about. Besides, Madonna drained that well dry in the 80’s and 90’s and Sinead O’Connor all but paved it over.
It seems we’ve lost the knack for subversive imagery and we’re left with nothing but the actual acts we once artfully paid homage to via creative symbolism. Or maybe we have nothing left to rebel against. However, there are things that still seem subversive in our society – conspicuously aging, being fat, being poor, being gentle, being average and being okay with it. Unfortunately, none of these things make a marketable train wreck.
I maintain that here are a lot of musicians in this world, who in my opinion deserve way more attention than some of last night’s VMA acts received. Here’s a list of some artists/bands that would have shocked and amazed the audience both by delivering a compelling performance and also by breaking the ever devolving pop-star mold. Check them out if you get a chance.
