Recently, I have been preoccupied with my latest obsession, which was compiling the "definitive" (or most representative) songs from my 90s days as a DJ and Video Jock. Songs I have barely thought about for ten years... It pretty much forced my hand to musically reevaluate a pretty hefty span of time.
Now, I had always pretty much viewed the 90s as a pretty vapid music era (or at least a stretch of time marked most notably by the distinctive LACK of anything overly interesting). I wasn't particularly grabbed by the grunge thing that launched the decade, and the boy band/ teen pop thing that closed out the century was pretty disheartening... I grew up in the 80s, which (to me, at least) was a pretty great time. We had "New Wave" and "Power Pop", which were basically radio-ready extensions of the Punk movement that jolted radio back to what "rock" music was supposed to be about in the first place. On the flipside, we also had silly pop groups like Culture Club and Duran Duran, that actually made great records. Artistic pretense was kicked down a few notches in favor of energy and attitude, and the rebellion was pretty exhilerating. Groups like The Pretenders helped make music become exciting again. Despite the trendy disco backlash that closed out the 70s and ushered in the 80s, there was (and is) always a place for dance music. There was some truly great disco music, and was basically my Motown, having been born when i was. So, as an 80s teenager, we listened to what was current at the time, but could also reach not too far back for any punk or disco/ dance music we liked. Radio stations on weekends had "oldies nights" that played stuff from the 50s and 60s, too, so we pretty much had the entire rock era to draw from. The surprisingly crazy popularity of the Doors Greatest Hits record in 1981, coming on the heels of John Lennon's murder, also served to indoctrinate many of us into what bis (now) considered classic rock. MTV, then an incredible cultural barometer, ran the gamut and broadcast everything from new pop music, to artsy stuff like Laurie Anderson, and also gave airtime to what was seemingly the antithesis of what was happening, music-wise, with Rush and Yes grabbing some airtime.
The 80s evolved into the development of (who would become) pop music icons, like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince. Even Bruce Springsteen evolved from a 70s phenom to a definitive 80s figure. The writing may have been on the wall, as spectacle began to overshadow (or at least compete with) substance. The amazing trajectory of pop music (and pop stars) could only pave the way for how corporate popular music has become in the post-Y2K era. While the careers of such performers as the aforementioned Madonna and Michael Jackson careened to heights that no one would have forseen, it is important to recognize the input they (and their peers) had in creating what they would become. )Madonna may have "EXPRESSED HERSELF", but she wrote the song and co-produced it...)
Today, it seems, that focus groups and businessmen are the ones doing the creating. While there was/is always room for the prefabricated pop star (the Monkees, anyone?), it is clear that the music industry veered way off course with just a few glances at the Billboard Charts over the past ten years. Personalities (often carefully created) supercede the music, and gossip rags are the ones that now pretty much take responsibility for creating "hits" and "stars", and spawning the celebs who are famous-for-being-famous.
I think its sad, in that I dont see anything INSPIRING in this. Hannah Montana, for example, is a MARKETING Phenomenon. The music is the messenger, and not the message. This is something that kids should be rebelling AGAINST, and not emulating... On the flip-side, I love it when a pop star like Kylie Minogue is "in on the joke", and embraces shamelessly the trappings of disposable pop. She's ironic, and yet she is completely literal at he same time. Perhaps that wisdom comes with age, as she has been in the biz for 20+ years. Thats her angle, though, and it is uniquely hers. Points for Kylie!
My friends and I formed a band in high school because it was fun, and because we admired bands that made us want to do what they did. I cant see anything inspiring about a Britney or an Ashlee. As a disclaimer, though, I am not completely blind. I do realize there is plenty of great music out there, and still being created. You just have to hunt for it a bit more.
I did need a bit of a rant, though, so there it was.
Which brings me back to my 90s DJ music project. I rustled up nearly 500 dance/pop songs that I loved, to varying degrees. Most of these are one-hit wonders (and most weren't, truthfully, even "hits). All take me back to a pretty significant time in my life. With most of these songs, the artist was pretty much incidental. They were the creations of producers and DJs. Much of this music, I freely admit, could be described as pretty expendable... These were, though, a part of a musical "subculture", if you will, and that is "Dance Music" (which, by definition- practically- is the art of the DJ as opposed to singer/performer). The concept of DJ as Artist was perhaps the most significant thing to happen (musically) in the 90s, building upon what preceeded it in the late-80s. It was also the most rebellious thing to the music biz since Punk, and spawned a whole underground of DJ Culture...
There was still some art to be had, and it was, at one time, relatively easy to find.
So, to wrap up this surprisingly lengthy diatribe on "Why Music Was Better When I Was Growing Up", let me just conclude that IT JUST WAS.
Woo-Hooo!!!
