Comments on: Race and Class: The Artists' Take http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/ Christopher Lydon in conversation on arts, ideas and politics Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:09:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Rochelle http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67013 Rochelle Tue, 29 Nov 2005 22:02:04 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67013 http://www.ourmedia.org/node/53964 http://www.ourmedia.org/node/53964

]]> By: A little yellow bird http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67012 A little yellow bird Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:51:12 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67012 Rochelle: Mashup rulez! Remix the universe! If ya don't like ketchup, try mustard on it! Yeah! Heck, everything in our physical reality is a remix or mashup--the periodic table of chemical elements is cut and pasted into--well--ketchup and mustard! Rochelle: Mashup rulez! Remix the universe! If ya don’t like ketchup, try mustard on it! Yeah! Heck, everything in our physical reality is a remix or mashup–the periodic table of chemical elements is cut and pasted into–well–ketchup and mustard!

]]> By: A little yellow bird http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67011 A little yellow bird Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:46:31 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67011 Somerville: Certainly, music and the arts seem to have done much more to bring people together than describe or create their separation. Somerville: Certainly, music and the arts seem to have done much more to bring people together than describe or create their separation.

]]> By: Rochelle http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67010 Rochelle Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:38:28 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67010 Totally fascinating show! I *love* the performance art piece about asking for reparation for slavery, that's just beautiful. It makes me want to hear more about these sort of politically-motivated bits of public art, and reminds me of these flash mobs that have been taking over cities (people arranging to appear for a few seconds in one place, and then dispersing) and things that read as pranks. I've only seen bits and pieces about these things, but I can easily imagine how art, pranks and political protest can pretty easily blur together. And on the music side; I've been completely fascinated of late by the mash-ups that are so easy to get a hold of now that mp3 files are so easily downloadable (within the broadband revolution). I have a great Kanye West mash-up in response to Katrina. I see you're thinking about hip-hop as its own show and I'm really looking forward to it, since the whole concept of the mash-up seems like a natural extension of rap music in its original form. Totally fascinating show! I *love* the performance art piece about asking for reparation for slavery, that’s just beautiful. It makes me want to hear more about these sort of politically-motivated bits of public art, and reminds me of these flash mobs that have been taking over cities (people arranging to appear for a few seconds in one place, and then dispersing) and things that read as pranks. I’ve only seen bits and pieces about these things, but I can easily imagine how art, pranks and political protest can pretty easily blur together.

And on the music side; I’ve been completely fascinated of late by the mash-ups that are so easy to get a hold of now that mp3 files are so easily downloadable (within the broadband revolution). I have a great Kanye West mash-up in response to Katrina. I see you’re thinking about hip-hop as its own show and I’m really looking forward to it, since the whole concept of the mash-up seems like a natural extension of rap music in its original form.

]]> By: Somerville http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67009 Somerville Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:38:09 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67009 Still, the music you're referring to, I take it, has words--that certainly has its place, but I'm talking about music without words: can that lead to any sort of understanding between different races or classes? Can it bond people in some way--is it, in fact, a universal language? I think you could also ask these questions of abstract art, that which isn't representational in some way--can it too bring people together? Still, the music you’re referring to, I take it, has words–that certainly has its place, but I’m talking about music without words: can that lead to any sort of understanding between different races or classes? Can it bond people in some way–is it, in fact, a universal language? I think you could also ask these questions of abstract art, that which isn’t representational in some way–can it too bring people together?

]]> By: A little yellow bird http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67008 A little yellow bird Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:27:36 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67008 A fly in the ointment: How about racist race music? The white separatist girl group composed of two sisters, known as "Prussian Blue" (and their repulsive mother, too, I imagine, since "A child is born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of mankind..." -Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982) has been on Technorati's top ten for awhile. Also, Sista Souljah, and bits and pieces of other white power and black power records over the years... I've read that white racist pop is selling alarmingly well to young people. I've heard some ugly expressions of racial discord, to put it gently, in several hiphop tunes in the last decade. It's real, even if it's not pleasant. Peace. A fly in the ointment: How about racist race music? The white separatist girl group composed of two sisters, known as “Prussian Blue” (and their repulsive mother, too, I imagine, since “A child is born with no state of mind, blind to the ways of mankind…” -Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, 1982) has been on Technorati’s top ten for awhile. Also, Sista Souljah, and bits and pieces of other white power and black power records over the years… I’ve read that white racist pop is selling alarmingly well to young people. I’ve heard some ugly expressions of racial discord, to put it gently, in several hiphop tunes in the last decade. It’s real, even if it’s not pleasant. Peace.

]]> By: Somerville http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67007 Somerville Tue, 29 Nov 2005 00:23:09 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67007 The conversation tonight seems to concentrate mainly on visual art, and art that makes has overt political commentary. As a composer, I must ask what is the role of music—specifically music without words, so-called “absolute musicâ€?--in reacting to human tragedies such as Katrina or 9/11? Can abstract tones make as much of a statement and be as meaningful as visual art that can make direct references to issues of race or class? Is music in this way less useful or less important than visual art? I would argue not—take for instance the power of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,â€? which the American conductor Leonard Slatkin conducted at one of the “Promsâ€? concerts in London immediately after 9/11—he reported later that he was crying all throughout the piece while conducting it. So I ask how necessary is it to make a definite political reference in a piece of art, and where does music fit into this whole picture. The conversation tonight seems to concentrate mainly on visual art, and art that makes has overt political commentary. As a composer, I must ask what is the role of music—specifically music without words, so-called “absolute musicâ€?–in reacting to human tragedies such as Katrina or 9/11? Can abstract tones make as much of a statement and be as meaningful as visual art that can make direct references to issues of race or class? Is music in this way less useful or less important than visual art? I would argue not—take for instance the power of Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,â€? which the American conductor Leonard Slatkin conducted at one of the “Promsâ€? concerts in London immediately after 9/11—he reported later that he was crying all throughout the piece while conducting it. So I ask how necessary is it to make a definite political reference in a piece of art, and where does music fit into this whole picture.

]]> By: jbracken http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67006 jbracken Tue, 22 Nov 2005 17:29:13 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67006 How about Zadie Smith? (For that matter, a whole show with her, on race in the US, her take on 7/7 and Paris would be interesting.) How about Zadie Smith? (For that matter, a whole show with her, on race in the US, her take on 7/7 and Paris would be interesting.)

]]> By: subcrawl http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67005 subcrawl Thu, 17 Nov 2005 07:16:16 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67005 <strong>Open Source Media: O ill named-venture</strong> Neo-con blogging network Pajamas Media has remade itself this week with a reported $3.5 million in seed capital and a new, astonishingly poorly-chosen name, Open Source Media. Why is the name a bust? Why isn't it? Problem #1: it sounds a lot like, and... Open Source Media: O ill named-venture

Neo-con blogging network Pajamas Media has remade itself this week with a reported $3.5 million in seed capital and a new, astonishingly poorly-chosen name, Open Source Media. Why is the name a bust? Why isn’t it? Problem #1: it sounds a lot like, and…

]]> By: Pete http://www.radioopensource.org/race-and-class-the-artists-take/#comment-67004 Pete Wed, 16 Nov 2005 04:14:01 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=308#comment-67004 There's a great soul/funk singer from New Orleans named Theryl "The Houseman" DeClouet; he has played for years with the group Galactic from NOLA. If you could track him down, I'm sure he'd have some interesting insights on the situation in New Orleans (and in many other similar cities aound the country). There’s a great soul/funk singer from New Orleans named Theryl “The Houseman” DeClouet; he has played for years with the group Galactic from NOLA. If you could track him down, I’m sure he’d have some interesting insights on the situation in New Orleans (and in many other similar cities aound the country).

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