It’s odd to think back on the time—not so long ago—when there were distinct stylistic trends, such as “this season’s colour” or “abstract expressionism” or “psychedelic music.” It seems we don’t think like that any more. There are just too many styles around, and they keep mutating too fast to assume that kind of dominance.
As an example, go into a record shop and look at the dividers used to separate music into different categories. There used to be about a dozen: rock, jazz, ethnic, and so on. Now there are almost as many dividers as there are records, and they keep proliferating. The category I had a hand in starting—ambient music—has split into a host of subcategories called things like “black ambient,” “ambient dub,” “ambient industrial,” “organic ambient” and 20 others last time I looked. A similar bifurcation has been happening in every other living musical genre (except for “classical” which remains, so far, simply “classical”), and it’s going on in painting, sculpture, cinema and dance.
We’re living in a stylistic tropics. There’s a whole generation of people able to access almost anything from almost anywhere, and they don’t have the same localised stylistic sense that my generation grew up with. It’s all alive, all “now,” in an ever-expanding present, be it Hildegard of Bingen or a Bollywood soundtrack. The idea that something is uncool because it’s old or foreign has left the collective consciousness.
I think this is good news. As people become increasingly comfortable with drawing their culture from a rich range of sources—cherry-picking whatever makes sense to them—it becomes more natural to do the same thing with their social, political and other cultural ideas. The sharing of art is a precursor to the sharing of other human experiences, for what is pleasurable in art becomes thinkable in life.
This article first appeared in the December edition of Prospect magazine
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What’s a record shop?
[...] is from a Brian Eno article that appeared in Propsect Magazine (thanks Colin [...]
Yes Brian, The Future Labratory did a report in 08 detailing how what is currently being widely refered to as “Generation Y” being more aptly fitting the title of the “slash/slash” generation; I highly recomend giving it a read if you’ve got the time as it ties into the points you’ve made here.
“Distinct stylistic trends” are an ongoing phenomenon, the reason why they seem to disappear as you approach the present is because it is impossible to define a movement currently underway. As to the problem you refer to regarding record store classifications, I would recommend going to less pretentious and obsessively organized record stores. I think that cherry-picking music the way the aforementioned record stores do just leads to vainglorious music snobbery. Now instead of heartfelt pride in a local scene we have a generation of kids looking for the ultimate reincarnation of the “old and foreign” as the new cool.
Tower of bablyon! Does it have a lightning rod? We understand each other! Is your tongue confused?
brian eno will always be cool
Of course, “classical” doesn’t get genres for one main reason: “classical” music has for generations been too diverse to be contained in genres, and there is often such variety within each piece that the number of genres required would be much more than impractical. The other main reason, of course, is that, whatever you may say in your column, “classical” music is *still* uncool. I’m amazed you missed that, since you even mentioned “classical” music! “Classical” itself is as much a genre label as “popular” — encompassing everything from rock to R&B to reggae — but due in part to public ignorance and indifference, not even any attempts are made to classify, most of the time.
“Cool” got co-opted and corporatized. Where once, from the 1960’s on back, it was down to a few “teen magazines” and AM radio to set the tone for, pretty much, organic and localized ‘coolness’, that 60’s generation entered the workforce recognizing that the world of teens, pop music/culture and young adulthood was a virgin forest for marketing strategy and exploitation. The WW2 generation who were running things in the 1950’s and 60’s were never quite sure how to tap that emerging market but the ‘boomers’ did – and in the process destroyed both its vitality and ’specialness’. “Coolness” is now a contrived, self-conscious, totally commonplace – and totally safe expression. One perfect example are pierced ears and earrings for the average, everyday male. Once upon a time something like that could get a guy beaten up or, at least, verbally assaulted. Male earrings were the sole domain of the avant-garde, gay men and pirates, not your average joe. Now, they’re as common – and as boring – as printed T-shirts and bumper stickers.
I’m not sure I buy this argument, and I’ll tell you why: elementary school children. I imagine they’re just as cliquey and brutal as they were when I was younger (many moons ago). Ask some nine-year-olds what is and is not cool – I’m sure they’ll be glad to inform you what is “uncool,” and probably tell you who in their social circle likes “uncool” things and, as a result, is ostracized, beaten up, etc, etc.
We’re THROUGH being cool….
seems strange to be correcting Brian Eno, but Classical is just one period in what music schools would call “Art History of the Western World”, which has many “subgenres” if you’d like to call them that. I think “stylistic periods” is often more accurate until you get past the turn of the 20th Century when many styles exist simultaneously like Russian Nationalism, Serialism (12-tone music), Minimalism and Electronic Music.
I saw a presentation years ago by am Anthropologist (Grant McCracken – sp) who explained Platos theory of Plenitudes.
This is an example of that theory.
dude doesn’t know much about classical music. there is opera, symphonic, chamber, choral, piano/keyboard, and so on; then there are the different and distinct eras: baroque, classical, romantic, 20th century (with its numerous sub-genres [12-tone/serial, minimalist, Cagian dada]). the list of genres under the inferior heading of “classical” goes on but mr. eno already knows this. right?
and all music is ethnic music. if one’s frame of reference is boss then we call it “world music” but even there the categorization of genres could depend on what record store you are in and where.
the general point, though, is valid. styles are crossing paths like never before. crossing paths but not intermingling too ambitiously, i hope.
[...] 8, 2009 · Leave a Comment Interesting short essay in Prospect that argues that the distinction between cool and uncool is increasingly irrelevant. We’re living [...]
I would concur. The youth that I know seem to take it all in, sound tracks, joiking, gamelan, Hildegard, Roma music, thrash.. all are on equal footing. This is indeed a good point to be at.
[...] Brian Eno on The death of uncool [...]
[...] the sharing of other human experiences, for what is pleasurable in art becomes thinkable in life. This article first appeared in the December edition of Prospect magazine Is this true in your experience, and if so, then in what ways? What effect will and does this [...]
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The fact that classical music is undivided is ironic, since it is one of the genres that has actual concrete subdivisions, spread out over hundreds of years (vs the handful of years some of the “parent” genres you mention have existed, not really enough time to evolve that much imo. Further, the classical sub-genres are almost scientifically definable. Yet since classical is only appreciated by old people and nerds, it all gets lumped together.
We have the digital revolution to thank for all this. Once upon a time, before CD’s and DVD’s, you had to trek through moldy used record and charity shops to find vintage LP’s, books, etc (or watch the ‘Late, Late Show’ on TV to see old movies). Today, you can find just about anything from anywhere in the world, in a shop or on a blog, with a few keystrokes. The result is a world of pastiche, where yesterday has become today in a multitude of styles, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
Digging up the past is frowned upon in many countries, though : “Why do you want those, they are old?” is a question I’ve been asked many times when digging for LP’s in the Third World; “We have the latest here, it is better!”
As one of the contributors made mention of the fact that another’s post was somewhat excessive (longer than the original article), I had to agree, in principle, that one’s response should not be greater than its inception. (With the exception of religio-politico nonsense which requires the marshalling of ideas and facts to counterpose the points of faith-based statements.)
So, with that in mind, I present the following as a response to the responses:
http://stationsign.blogspot.com/2010/01/harmony-in-dischord.html