The Declining Role of Art and the Artist

Last night I watched a documentary on PBS called “Get Up, Stand Up” that discussed the birth and development of protest music in the 20th century. The show covered all the basics including Bob Dylan, Live Aid and (of course) Bono. It was very informative and even included a significant section on Joe Hill, the man considered to be the father of the American protest song (Did you know that the phrase “pie in the sky” came from a Joe Hill song?). Throughout our short history, it is obvious that art, music and most recently celebrity have all played an important role in providing a voice for the American people through which they can show their concern with current events and the establishment. Considering the current state of world affairs, where are the artists and musicians now? The only example of a present day protest song in the documentary was System of a Down’s “Boom” and who even knows that song. As we sit back and watch the news from Baghdad scroll along the bottom of our television screens the death toll in Iraq is about to reach the 2,000 mark for military casualties. Even Madonna, the Queen of Controversy, chickened out two years ago and withdrew her much discussed “American Life” video from rotation on MTV. When I first saw the video, even I was astounded by its vivid war imagery. But after seeing the news footage of yesterday’s bombings in Iraq, her video is only more relevant. Instead we get her recently televised documentary that veils her call for social responsibility in a schmaltzy Kabbalah-driven lexicon . Even American poets seem to have more guts than Madonna, but (unfortunately) no one reads poetry anymore.

Despite having participated in my fair share of protests and marches, I am not a political activist. But I do believe that art can be used to illuminate the concerns of the people, whether it be the masses or the few. Today’s artists and musicians talk about making an impact through art, but now I’m starting to realize that they really are a part of the “Me Generation.”

Its No "Secret"...

I don't have to tell you that I'm extremely excited about seeing Madonna's new documentary "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" this Friday at 10 PM on MTV (they're actually showing it without commercials). It is supposed to be very much like "Truth or Dare". The early reviews from her fans are (as expected) excellent. While I'm not interested in being informed about Kabbalah, I do know it is a part of the film. What I'm most excited about is seeing the whole creative process behind the tour (which she didn't show in ToD) and Madonna as a mother.

We're covering Robert Browning this week in class and I found this passage from his poem "Cleon" which I feel has a lot of relevance to my last post.

Thou leavest much behind, while I leave naught.
Thy life stays in the poems men shall sing,
The pictures men shall study: while my life,
Complete and whole now in its power and joy,
Dies altogether and my brain and arm,
Is lost indeed: since what survives myself?

Thank God for Creative Friends

This weekend I saw my friend Michael who recently independently published his first book. Seeing his work in print really got me thinking about everyone I know who has some of kind of talent or creative ability. I began to realize how lucky I am to know these people and be surrounded by them. But, then again, unlike Michael, most of my friends who are creative have set aside any artistic aspirations or goals to join the corporate rat race. Why have they done this? Many have decided to have children or homes and need to worry about financial stability rather than “living for their art.” And, in this day and age, creativity (at least in relation to writing, music and the other arts) really gets a bad wrap. For example, when I talk to my non-creative friends and relatives, they all ask me when I’m going back to work full-time. When I respond that I’m pursuing a degree in literature and hope to eventually write and teach rather than return to a soul-sucking Internet job, they look at me crossed-eyed. This reaction is both frustrating and debilitating. And I know it’s had an effect on other people I know. For example, there’s my friend Pat.

Pat lived across the hall from me my freshman year of college. Despite his sometimes infuriating personality, he is one of the most talented people I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling my friend. In college he produced a fantastic literary magazine and even launched an independent student newspaper which caused outrage among the administration, but was incredibly well-received by the student body. As a result of these controversial projects and his excellent fiction writing, Pat was awarded the Sophie Kerr Prize, the largest undergraduate literary prize in the country. We all expected Pat to go on and do great things.

After a brief stint as an intern at The Washington Post (which only caused him disillusionment), Pat set aside his creative aspirations and began a career as a proposal writer. Recently he attempted a return to writing, but once again became frustrated. While I know that he wasn’t exactly happy about the writing group he was a part of, there’s definitely more to it. There’s no health insurance or any of the other standard benefits. And, realistically, a person pursuing creative endeavors that don’t result in an instant profit isn’t considered to be responsible. Someone as talented as Pat should be writing! It’s what he was meant to do. So much emphasis is placed on earning gobs of money and living a cookie cutter existence, but without creative people there is no literature, art, and music. We need people like Pat to keep at it. My message to Pat and others reading: Keep the faith! Stick with it. And, most importantly, create!

Birthday Wishes

The month of October has a few important days for my family. One of those is my sister's birthday this Saturday. Over the past twenty years, it has basically been my mother, sister and I looking out for each other. During the past two years, my sister has been amazing, especially in having to deal with my illness as well as my mother's. Julie, Happy Birthday! Thanks for everything you've done and everything you are. There is no better sister out there. I love you.

Return

Well, I finally made it back yesterday. I'm usually a big fan of public transportation (especially since I haven't owned a car in about eight years), but what a pain it was getting back. Delays, traffic, crowds. You'd think that with the increase in gas prices things would be more efficient.

Of course now I'm back on the road up to Boston for class. We get comments on the first draft of our papers back tonight. I'm really curious to see what my prof has to say. I'm also a little nervous.

My trip to NYC was great and I had a blast seeing Bridgette, Morgan, Baby Peter, Heather, Sam and Sharon for dinner in Philly. Of course the whole evening was basically spent reminiscing about the good old days at Washington College (no thanks to the old photos, poems and newspapers Sharon brought along). We really need to make a trip to Chestertown.

Am eagerly awaiting the release of M's single next week. That will keep me happy for a little while.

On Reading: Brazil, 80's Pop and Gay Love in Tennyson

The first article in the news headlines this morning that caught my eye was this story about an illiterate Brazilian man who began collecting used books to start a community library. Hurray! Books really are a gateway to a life of greater possibility.

Two great friends of mine who I met while living in Philadelphia are Brazilian and I had the opportunity to visit their country twice. The class divisions in this still developing nation are incredibly apparent. While I was there I was able to live in the lap of luxury (maids, drivers, and four star meals), all thanks to my friend Alberto’s family. But surrounding the city of Sao Paulo are villages of shacks and the crumbling homes of a devastatingly poor people. If you ever get the chance, visit this country and support their economy. Brazilians are wonderful people and I will always have a place in my heart for their country.

My friend Michael has just published his book Flashbacks to Happiness : Eighties Music Revisited. Congratulations Michael. He has been working tirelessly on this project for the past year. It’s a collection of orginial interviews with singers/songwriters from the 80’s. He interviewed such artists as Club Nouveau, Tiffany and the very hot Paul Lekakis (“Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room)”).

Today I will be immersing myself in Tennyson’s “In Memoriam”. This is his most famous poem and is considered to be representative of the Victorian Age. He wrote it following the death of his best friend Arthur Henry Hallam. Tennyson began writing this epic work in 1833 and finished it in 1850. Talk about dedication! Supposedly many critics consider it a love poem because it is a man writing about another man. I will reserve judgment for now. It makes me wonder whether a man can write lovingly about another man without it being considered a gay work. Take D.H. Lawrence. Yes, many of his works are filled with what can bee seen as homoerotic imagery, but his idea of male friendship is much more cerebral than physical.

Note: Thank you to everyone for your kind words during my meds crisis. HDAP claims that my coverage will kick in this week. This, of course, is after a very kind pharmacist was able to backdate my health insurance (which cut off my prescription plan) so I could get my pills for $80.

Do you really stand out?

I read something quite interesting in The Harvard Crimson this week. The university is still being criticized for their grade inflation and students are concerned about how that will affect their GPA. The author of the article (who is serving as the mouthpiece for the Crimson staff) obviously disagrees with any changes to the grading policy and writes, “At Ivy League schools, it is hard to quantify excellence as a relative measure because so many of us are legitimately ‘excellent.'” I agree that professors shouldn’t be limited to the amount of A’s they award. However, the problem may be that the standards of the professors aren’t rigorous enough. Does anyone really want to graduate with a class where 91% (in 2001) are awarded Latin honors (summa, magna and cum laude) Your degree may be from Harvard, but do you stand out from the crowd? Maybe the problem isn’t the establishment of a new system but what is expected of the students.

Plus they just recently changed their requirements for Latin honors. Until last year, to graduate cum laude you had to have a 2.83 GPA (now you need a 3.33). At my undergraduate institution you had to earn a 3.4 GPA to be awarded cum laude. My class of around 220 graduated 35 people with Latin honors (almost 16%) and less than 1% of other graduates (including myself) earned departmental honors (a 3.5 GPA in their major courses and honors on their thesis or comprehensive exams). While Washington College is certainly not Harvard, I feel that my degree is a real accomplishment when compared to that of others--Ivy League or not.

I will add that I have no experience as an undergraduate at Harvard, nor do I have any friends who completed their degree there. I guess that’s because my college friends (a majority whom graduated with honors) aren't that "excellent."