The one quote that struck home during the readings this week was from the New York Magazine article by Emily Nussbaum - "Kids, the Internet, and the End of Privacy." It went as such:
"When it is more important to be seen than to be talented, it is hardly surprising that the less gifted among us are willing to fart our way into the spotlight"
I can't type the amount of excitement I feel when I read this. I can try, but
&*#^&*^*&@**&!!!!!!!!!GUYGGHJHFGUIYR&^T
I&**&Y&*$T*GDUYgr78y8fhyguygasdujfgahjksgdfuy
iagyuwgf78gf
is the only thing that comes out. So, I'm going to take a breath, and a muscle relaxer (ok, not really) and start my post.
Being involved in music and playing live since I was 15 (I am now 22), I have played most of the larger venues in Detroit and have opened up for very prominent acts. The band I played in during high school was making quite a few waves at the time and most friday and saturday nights of my late high school career were spent in dingy Detroit bars butting heads with record executives and (now) famous musicians. I missed many a high school dance and am damn glad that I did. It got to a point where we had bands contacting us from out of state asking to play shows with us - they were usually in their late 20s early 30s. And we were 17.
I don't want to name drop, and I apologize for trying to sound like a 17 year old rock-god, but my point is this: We didn't get to do all those things by simply looking the part. Or talking the part. Or having flashy gear. We rehearsed like hell and we played live almost every weekend for the better part of 3 years. We devoured all types of music, and we got our hands on different instruments (i.e. our guitar player bought a Theremin) and tried to create new sounds. And this is the point of my post - It's easy to look like you know what you're doing, but when the lights come on and the curtain is pulled back, you'd better be able to throw the fuck down. Facades are easy to make. Its easy to say something; like "I play guitar well." I've heard many, many people say this, but they play the same, monotonous, unoriginal garbage that most can imagine.
That is what my problem with the Internet is. Making one's self seem like something they're not. Look at those wiener emo-kids walking around. Sure, they may look like original hipsters, but there's a 99% chance they are just regurgitating the same bullshit that their friends are. It's easy to look original. Hell, just Google "Walt Whitman" and put his quotes up in the status updates on Facebook or Twitter everyday and people will think you're an intellectual. Go to Urban Outfitters and grab some $80 pre-ripped skinny jeans. It is so easy to seem original, unique, and talented, that most put portray themselves on the web to seem so. I know I'm leaning heavily on stereotypes to make a point, and I apologize.
To be more specific, my qualm is that more time is spent making the illusion to the person someone wants to be rather than actually practicing and becoming that thing they wish to be. But in reality, after the web pages come down, can they play the song? Have they rehearsed enough to play it note for note? And not just play it, but really play it? Its easy to fart into the spotlight. But once the people who put them in the spotlight realize they're just shitting their pants, they just move right along.
I used to play World of Warcraft, on and off for about 2 years (laugh all you want. It's probably the most fun game I've ever played), and in the game there is a general chat box in the bottom left corner of the screen. Depending on what city you were in, or if you were in a guild or a party (don't ask - that game has a language all its own) you could chat to hundreds if not thousands of people. The most disturbing aspect of this, however, was that many, many people playing the game were very abrasive, rude, racist, and downright insecure. Usually, these players had characters who were very advanced and had obviously been playing for quite some time. (If none of you know much about WoW, it takes a very long time to get a character to the max level and another very long time to get all the powerful gear and reputations to excel at the game. Basically, it never ends, and many of those who play it, play often and too much.) These players, who do nothing but threaten other players, are most likely insecure, 30-somethings playing on their computers in their mother's basements. On saturday nights. Sorry to go on a tangent, but this example of cowering in the glow of a computer screen is what makes me weep at the world. Not owning up to who you are as a person only seems to be perpetuated by the internet.
I hate to generalize but I think thats what it all comes down to. The internet can be just another drug that dulls the pain and gives us the ability to create an image that we wish ourselves to be.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to deactivate my Facebook account. Then start it up again in 4 days to check out the photos from wednesday night. And harvest my crops on Farmville.
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