What Is Rockism ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tcexWRFTp0

In the beginning God gave us musicians and vocalists - then came vocorders, harmonizers and mellotrons, which begat click tracks, drum machines, and sampling, which begat auto-tune and quantizing. Today, a degree in programming and Internet marketing trumps the God-given talent that is music. I hunger for the days of VOX amps with frayed cabinets and sweat stained Stratocasters. You were part of the dream back then Michael, and I am so grateful that your return is clothed in the cape of rock glory. That's all the bling you need. Rock on brother. Carnaby Street is an amazing work

Yes, the Marquis has little need for bling.

Take me to your vocorder.

Old boring white man, please ignore.

We're back! Kinda?

http://thequietus.com/articles/22389-rockism-poptimism

https://www.funpic.us/funny/were_trapped-1522/

https://media.tenor.co/images/044f83a239b94e5a4e0c527118f65434/tenor.gif

lol tim

y'd u do it bud

y'd u quote ilx in the comment section

I read that article because I love Ned.

Nedism is an obscure belief but I'll allow it.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_msHZhK8UVUE/SqFIbpYCqqI/AAAAAAAAAlA/9jYs743ngEE/s1600-h/ned.jpg

o ffs

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_msHZhK8UVUE/SqFIbpYCqqI/AAAAAAAAAlA/9jYs743ngEE/s1600-h/ned.jpg

i hate everyone

^^^ sadist

So THAT'S what poptimism is. I had always read the term around here, but every time I asked what it meant I got mocked. #TheMoreYouKnow

this article is a) simultaneously long and under-developed on every point b) entirely built on its own preconception, which is that pop music is, by default, bad and that anyone who likes or analyzes it must be cynical or lying c) part of the reason I never, ever trust anyone who compliments my work, given how the first half is a rundown of how shit various takes are that ends with "but I commission them anyway." I'm sure the writers of those takes heard how great their pieces were

^^^ this. My conclusion after reading it, "He's lying or he's one cynical guy or he hated having to publish all those Dylan pieces once upon a long ago."

like, we all know writers are sometimes commissioned because they're monetizable and are told they're good in order to keep the monetization going, but it's very demoralizing to hear someone cop to it

s/sometimes/always, I mean, *any* commission is done for monetization but ideally the recipe has at least a dash of "and we think these are good, useful thoughts"

woke snrub: force for good y/n

Poptimism has its own sacred cows, which are beyond challenge:

*The solo release by the member of a manufactured group is no longer the sad addendum to the imperial years; it is a profound statement of artistic integrity.


*The surprise release by the big-name act is in itself, a revolutionary act.


*To not care about Taylor Swift or Beyoncé or Lady Gaga or Zayn Malik is in itself questionable. It reveals not your taste in music, but your prejudices. In the worst-case scenario, you may be revealing your unconscious racism and sexism. At best, you're trolling.


*Commercial success, in and of itself, should be taken as at least one of the markers of quality. After all, 50m Elvis fans can't be wrong.


this is heinously, grotesquely wrong – it's like a Lincoln critic reducing the Gettysburg Address to, "We're so grateful you fucking turncoats are dead."

i haven't read the piece and don't plan to, but the guardian is a super-fucked up paper in terms of its judgments what to commission and whatnot -- can easily imagine its down-tier editors come out badly jaded and disorientated, given the pressures on them from above

lol my first post in this thread was 17 years ago, let me resist the urge to read that also

when i'm puffin mad ism and rockin out to a sick uriah heep jam

I don't see a thing wrong with this piece, and this--

"Most people aren't rockists or poptimists; they just listen to music, and they like it or they don't"

--is obvious. The illusory divide between so-called rockists and poptimists reminds me of that episode of The Simpsons where Lisa defiantly shows up for football tryouts and says “That’s right! A girl wants to play football. How about that?” to which coach Flanders says “Well, that’s super-duper, Lisa! Heck, we already have four girls on the team!”

Aside from the increasingly sad and tragic person parodied in things like this, my feeling is that the rockist boogieman doesn't actually exist, at least not in any capacity that might in any way threaten the pop / hip-hop / r&b hegemony.

If there's anything that rankles me about the modern pop critic, it's a total lack of discrimination: pop always good, earnest dudes with guitars always bad. But, really, who cares what the "modern pop critic" thinks, anyway?

I don't mean to pick on the Guardian, it's a large swath, very possibly all, of music publications.

xp: I would consider myself a modern pop critic, I do not like everything, and since all this goes on in public you can verify that easily.

If there's anything that rankles me about the modern pop critic, it's a total lack of discrimination: pop always good, earnest dudes with guitars always bad.

I've never met this person. Every critic I know, as katherine points out, writes honestly about music he or she likes, is lukewarm about, or hates. The writer conflates two ideas: taking pop seriously and market forces/SEO forcing the commissioning of pieces on pop stars. Based on my own observations and experience (having bee assigned some of these pieces), Radiohead, Jack White, the late Prince and Bowie all got CLICK ON THIS treatment.

I mean, I have met variations on that person, but none of them would describe themselves as pop critics, or pop anything; they view themselves as entertainment writers, which they are.

author is an ilxor fyi

it all makes sense now

this display name for one post only, enjoy

Like I said before, there is no true poptimism right now.

An actual poptimist critic would be riding for the pop music that America actually, actively embraces and enjoys like the Chainsmokers, Meghan Trainor, Twenty One Pilots, Lukas Graham, Flo Rida, Mike Posner, Shawn Mendes, etc.

Instead artists who work in the pop genre just started releasing albums and "statements" like rock musicians do and we look at them through that rockist lens because there's no fucking rock bands any more. The end.

I thought people DID ride for Flo Rida, at least.

http://www.southendpunk.com/images/books/punkbo25l.jpg

pub.1 jan 1978: ground zero dudes

My House was the 14th most popular song of 2016. Not one critic voted for it in Pazz and Jop. Everyone can blow the posturing jerk-off lie of modern "poptimism" out of their asses

there's no fucking rock bands any more.

there are a zillion great rock bands fyi

sorry, forgot about Imagine Dragons

a bit of a massive stretch to say America (or the UK, in this case) doesn't actively embrace and enjoy multiple No. 1 hitmakers and noted click factories Taylor Swift and Harry Styles

Hey everybody, come on, Robert Pollard just enjoyed his 93rd Magnet cover feature, rock is clearly alive and well

sorry, forgot about Imagine Dragons

― Jay Elettronica Viva (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, May 11, 2017 12:58 PM (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

if you're not attached to some dumb alternative rock nation idea that rock bands need to be popular or relevant or "cool" or whatever, yes there are more interesting rock band album than i can find time to listen to, also fyi heavy metal is rock music so judging by that thread there's like 5 albums a week worth checking out

i'm listening to this new slowdive album it's great!

i finally bought sheer mag EPs i-iii off bandcamp that's great!

have their been any good articles explicitly about poptimism that weren't responses to other bad articles about it

Save your Jute Gyte posts for I Love Gaming or whatever, we're talking about pop music

basically, every reference to "poptimism" could be replaced with "celebrity fandom" and be more accurate, or accurate at all.

(a lot of this is related to Top 40 radio's relative lack of said celebrities. huge number of factors there, but the result is a weird inverted looking glass, where someone like Shawn Mendes or Meghan Trainor is viewed as more disposable because they primarily are known for music)

Also, Harry Styles just made a rock record, come on, katherine

Save your Jute Gyte posts for I Love Gaming or whatever, we're talking about pop music

― Jay Elettronica Viva (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, May 11, 2017 1:02 PM (thirty-two seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i don't post to ilg and who or what is jute gyte?

i want to know about the best rock records of recent vintage because i feel like i miss them. i mean i like Big Thief, does that count?