Sigur Ros will not sell out.

[ikol]

The fact that you are arguing semantics rather than the points I raised is validating in and of itself.

 

The fact that you typed the sentence above validates everything I've ever said.

[blindgonzo]

[ikol]

But doesn't Tolstoy's position as a true artist (please argue this, I dare you) give him some credence over the rest of us schmucks?

 

No. All of us schmucks enjoy art even if we don't produce it as prolifically as Tolstoy did.

 

(btw I save lives in my job, so I know a thing or two about morality)

 

I was wondering when this would be brought up.

[Guest j.bickerson]

The fact that you typed the sentence above validates everything I've ever said.

 

I am sure there is a message board for children somewhere, if it is your intention to make childish replies.

 

Engage in the debate at hand, or leave.

[bjorn_skurj]

People should really read usernames more closely.

[bobbob1313]

Wait. What? Is this guy a parody, or an incredible simulation?

[Atticus]

has how one pronounces "sigur ros" correctly been addressed in this thread? I'm more interested in that

[mountain bed]

I don't have any truck with the band in question here, but shouldn't they be doing commercials for Lunesta or something?

[boywiththorninside]

The original video is disabled so I couldn't watch it and I don't know what Sigur Ros actually said about "selling out."

 

Is this selling out?

 

[Guest j.bickerson]

It looks like the usual band of "untouchables" is here to see who can out-do each other with sarcastic comments. I am happy to continue the debate, but I am about to be mocked/ridiculed by those inside the clique, while the mods stand by and watch.

 

I'm out for the night. Peace.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

People should really read usernames more closely.

[ikol]

It looks like the usual band of "untouchables" is here to see who can out-do each other with sarcastic comments. I am happy to continue the debate, but I am about to be mocked/ridiculed by those inside the clique, while the mods stand by and watch.

 

I'm out for the night. Peace.

 

I think even I have made a couple serious points here (albeit accidentally, but still). When you post a couple Tolstoy quotes and say, "He didn't say anything about money. End of debate," maybe a little sarcasm is warranted.

[Beltmann]

But doesn't Tolstoy's position as a true artist (please argue this, I dare you) give him some credence over the rest of us schmucks?

 

Truth is, for every quote you trot out about the evils of mixing art with commerce, I can find another one by another famous theorist/artist/writer/musician/take-your-pick who feels differently.

 

I don't think you read my post very carefully. I didn't question Tolstoy's stature as an artist--btw I teach literature in my job, so I know a thing or two about Tolstoy--but rather questioned your use of his opinion as the only possible voice among artists. Again, there are many "true artists" who may not share Tolstoy's stance, and my point was that their voice, not mine, might be equal to Tolstoy's. That was my sole point, and once again you avoided my central question: Is it possible that your presumptions are not facts? I wish I could have your confidence regarding the subject, but my curiosity prevents me from sharing your faith.

[bjorn_skurj]

This is all becoming very meta.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

I'm concerned because I feel like Beltmann puts a lot of intellectual firepower into his posts and he's using it against a guy with a flag that says "bang!"

[Guest j.bickerson]

I don't think you read my post very carefully. I didn't question Tolstoy's stature as an artist--btw I teach literature in my job, so I know a thing or two about Tolstoy--but rather questioned your use of his opinion as the only possible voice among artists. Again, there are many "true artists" who may not share Tolstoy's stance, and my point was that their voice, not mine, might be equal to Tolstoy's. That was my sole point, and once again you avoided my central question: Is it possible that your presumptions are not facts? I wish I could have your confidence regarding the subject, but my curiosity prevents me from sharing your faith.

 

Thank you, beltmann, for at least not attacking me and treating my unpopular opinions with respect.

 

I guess my point is this: The goal or purpose of art is to communicate the artists feelings/emotions/views to another human being. (Art may have no purpose at all, but I feel this is it's purpose, in gernal).

 

So, once a piece of art is created, the artist shows it to the world. Maybe some people connect with it and understand the artist and what they are trying to say. Maybe not.

 

Now, enter the international corporations. They add or change meaning to the song in some way, to some people. For some people, the message/meaning of the art is changed, and the artist no longer conveys the original emotion/view that he/she intended to.

 

I think you'll agree that for some people (myself included), a use of art in a commercial way changes the meaning for them. The artist has deliberately caused some of the people he/she may have connected with to not connect with the song anymore. So by commercializing a song, less people connect with the art, and the art is less "effective". Some people may care that the music is in a commercial, but the artist has chosen to convey feelings to less people, and because of this we all lose.

[bjorn_skurj]

I'm concerned because I feel like Beltmann puts a lot of intellectual firepower into his posts and he's using it against a guy with a flag that says "bang!"

And what's he doing up so late on a school night? Doesn't high school start at like 4 in the morning or something?

[Beltmann]

The other day I saw a Wilco VW ad, and hearing "You Are My Face" reminded me of the time I saw the band in Madison. Whether I like it or not, that live show has tied itself to the song in my brain, and now I think of the Overture Center and State St. when Wilco plays. This was not the original intent of the band. The music has been muddled to mean something else, and I think it's obvious that bands should no longer play live shows.

 

Frankly, associations--whether a commercial or something else, whether sanctioned by a band or not--are an inevitable part of our relationship with art. The trick is not letting them discolor the original art, a task that, for me at least, isn't all that difficult. I understand that some other people have a hard time with it, and all I can say is: I wish it wasn't so. In all sincerity, I'm sorry the music has been tarnished for you. Still, why is it that only advertising associations interfere with your experience? If you can ignore other associations, why not those, too?

 

I completely understand how associations add/splice meaning into an existing work of art, or at least the version of it that exists in our own head. For example, the "Impossible Germany" that plays in my head includes the following additions, among many, many others:

1. My brother-in-law's loathing of it

2. LouieB's impassioned defense of it

3. The Chicago skyline

4. My wife vomiting on a road trip through Michigan, as the song played in the car

5. The heat of Summerfest, where I first heard the song live

 

I didn't choose any of those associations. None are wanted. None are intended by the band. And yet I live with them... and I don't see why one more association related to an ad should be any more significant or transmogrifying than any of those other associations. Such an assocation is merely one more breeze in the neverending swirl surrounding any given work of art.

[Beltmann]

And what's he doing up so late on a school night? Doesn't high school start at like 4 in the morning or something?

Ha, I actually had four hours of parent conferences tonight, so now I'm just enjoying some down time at the compy.

[bjorn_skurj]

Ha, I actually had four hours of parent conferences tonight, so now I'm just enjoying some down time at the compy.

Have you ever had to, or been tempted to, bust with the classic line, "Well, the world needs ditchdiggers too."

[Beltmann]

Have you ever had to, or been tempted to, bust with the classic line, "Well, the world needs ditchdiggers too."

Tempted all the time--although my variation usually involves flipping burgers.

 

Our department also has a running contest to see who can get the most parents to burst into tears.

[bjorn_skurj]

Tempted all the time--although my variation usually involves flipping burgers.

 

Our department also has a running contest to see who can get the most parents to burst into tears.

Heh. Keep up the good work!

[Good Old Neon]

My identity, it has, how you say, been stolen?

 

This is all starting to feel a bit too much like the relationship shared between Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in "Fight Club."

 

Did I sleep, have I slept?

[Beltmann]

This is all starting to feel a bit too much like the relationship shared between Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in "Fight Club."

[stooka]

Sell Out is a term usually used by insecure fans to describe a band/artist after the music starts gaining popularity with the uncool.