The Naff

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

What is the relationship between coolness and naffness in pop history.

A version of it wd describe pop history as essentially a story of a thread of coolness constantly besieged by naffness. This seems deeply unsatisfactory to me.

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

the word for "naff" in jazz-lingo = CORNY!

but "cool" as originally used -- it was explored on that VICTORIA COREN prog -- meant sumfin a bit like "botherd", and didn't reference artists so much as those left unruffled by the rush of life

(in john miller chernoff's tremendous book on african drumming., he describes being in a club at a bar listening to african pop, and his toe is twitching to the music, and someone sees this and shouts with glee that this is the COOLEST DANCE EVER SEEN -- ie in west africa at the time, controlled elegant minimalism is a value

(re this anecdote: i can't remember if the word is actually "cool" though, or an african word meaning "cool")

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

those left unruffled by the rush of life

= those full of smack?

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

i think there may be a connection here YES!

though not back in the day in africa possibly