Does this help?

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

Paul Morley throwdown on the rockism "debate". Only useful point as far as I can see = anti-rockism as laughing at the squares, or rather trying to make the kids who think they're cool feel like squares. But as always with Morley it all falls down when his emphasis on humour and polemic as a motor to saying something passionate about anything (Nick Drake AND Christina Aguilera are his examples) gets bogged down in X vs Y judgements. e.g. Springsteen vs. Beefheart has now flip-flopped surely -- Beefheart love is solid gold rockism and Springsteen is the chirpy pop act. But actually that doesn't get us very far with thinking about EITHER! My conclusion = anti-rockism is good as a levelling principle when used in support of something you are loving; but rubbish when used as an attack on something. Anti-rockism seems to work for Morley as an attack on a perceived consensus (and maybe works best when there is something to that perception), but when some form of broadly anti-rock (not the same as anti-rockism) has become the consensus (in realm of people who care about these things) surely it is time to USE OTHER WORDS PLEASE! Perhaps the mistake is about that perceived consensus: Morley sees himself as the loner going against conformism, but conformism is always in the eye of the beholder, and perhaps PM is really missing out on the fun out here in land of the (non)-conformists!

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

That's a horrifying goal!

My ultimate goal is to like as much as possible. I don't know if this requires an ism.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

My actual goal though is to hear and like all good music as soon as possible - this leads by default to having no one further along than you (and is also unattainable).

I'm quite happy to hate vast swathes of music.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I think I consider the ultimate goal of popism to have no one further along than you!

that's the indie trainspotter's goal dude!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

tho i probably fall into this myself as i do seem keen on elitism and digging for the gold nuggets in most genres out there but some more than others. just so i can feel more confident that i have heard the best tracks respective genres have to offer.

[epicharmus.livejournal.com]

But I think that's known as "cosmopolitanism," rite?