More Fear in Punks vs. Parents, a 1982 documentary from a Los Angeles tv station.

Punk band FEAR plays SNL in 1981

In case you need more reasons to admire John Belushi, he was a big fan of hardcore punk music during his triumphant days at Saturday Night Live, and because of his influence there, he was able to get the transgressive LA punk band, Fear, on the show. I guess I missed the show when it was on, but this footage makes me pine for the days of authentic subversive thought and rebellion in music. The band Fear is still around but I think only vocalist and guitar player Lee Ving is involved in the contemporary incarnation. Fear is the last band featured in the excellent punk documentary about the LA hardcore scene in 1980, The Decline of Western Civilization. If I had to peg this with a Frye-defined genre, I'd say it was ironic tragedy, right in there with cannibalism and the gnashing of the teeth.
Here's the link to the video.

Congress censoring again? This time hip hop...

Setting aside Northrup frye for a minute, and turning attention towards issues of authenticity and censorship. This article from the New York Times details a current hearing in which hip hop artists and record comapny execs debate the need for cleaner language and less sexism and violence in hip hop music. This works well as contemporary context for issues of authenticity (Cobain), and censorship (Frankenchrist) that we've been discussing in class.

About a Son

Speaking of tragedy, Kurt Cobain's demise by suicide at age 27 is among the greatest rise and fall stories of modern times, especially in contemporary music. Cobain as a cultural fixation is evidenced by the new film about him, released on 9/11/07, About a Sonfeatures music from bands of influence to Kurt.

So, this was supposed to be an image I made for the banner on this page, but alas, the darn thing is too big to fit, so here it is, with my own custom "Frye wheel" included. Actually, doing a simple image search on Frye, I came across a wheel that was similar, although not as detailed or exactly the same strategy as mine. But, since Frye aligns his genre map with the four seasons, it makes sense to approach them as a circular, recursive structure. The spatial arrangement in a visual structure, such as the wheel, also emphasizes the relationships between the genres, for example, comedy and tragedy don't really meet, except that sometimes there is irony in both. Romance and Irony/Satire do not overlap either. If you are watching Lord of the Rings (an excellent example of romance), in which the hero(es) have magical powers over their world, in which they are admirable characters, you are unlikely to see them mocked or to see ironic content.

Rep. Barney Frank on Bill Maher show on gay Republicans

On his political talk show, Maher provides Barney Frank a supportive audience for his informed status report on the current status of gay political issues. Aside from the enthusiastic audience and the talk show format, this clip draws our attention away from the cultural framing of gay issues through spin and towards the real-world, institutionalized, repressive state apparatuses that define what is legal (gay sex) or not, what deserves government support through tax code (gay marriage) or not. For both camps, the political utiilty of the Larry Craig scandal remains to play out. - MF

Republican Sex Perverts (Sen. Larry Craig, part 4)

Okay, here's more on the Larry Criag scandal from the satirists who work the late-night stand-up realm. Satire needs a target for its derision, and the mocking is intended, then, to have a bit of meanness to it.

The coverage here quickly sets aside any attempt at tragedy, and instead reinforces some genralized tension around the issue of gay sex anywhere. Thus, it contributes to a certain cultural imposition of ideology.

In critical thought, "hegemony" is a useful term for understanding and defining the way ideological boundaries around sexuality and acceptable behavior are inscribed by the ruling classes through culture and media.

Interestingly, this montage, which largely could be taken as lighthearted entertainment, ends with commentary on how the scandal affects the Republican "brand," a very pragmatic and serious political concern. Thus, the derisive satirical laughter in the cultural milleau has more than lighthearted significance. - MF