Comments on: Popjustice tells it like it is http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333 Freelance journalist Gary Marshall on technology, the Internet, music, Macs and more Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:08:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: McGazz http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333/comment-page-1#comment-6749 McGazz Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:27:15 +0000 http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333#comment-6749 "They’re not moaning about it being packaged; they’re moaning that the package doesn’t include a shiny pop nugget…" Rockism operates a high culture/low culture split - discriminating in favour of 'proper' music made by 'proper bands', and against mindless chart nonsense. As you know, I'm no fan of rockism. But I don't like Popism either. Popism is a kind of anti-intellectualism masquerading as postmodernism. Rather than accepting pop as something which can be criticised on the same level as 'serious' rock, it brings everything down to the lowest common denominator - rather than everything being equally worthy, everything is equally shit. How good music is becomes about it's 'popness' or whatever - an essentialist value judgement. Once you start claiming "this isn't proper music", you've exposed yourself as a rockist - just one with a different standard of what makes legitimate music. “They’re not moaning about it being packaged; they’re moaning that the package doesn’t include a shiny pop nugget…”

Rockism operates a high culture/low culture split – discriminating in favour of ‘proper’ music made by ‘proper bands’, and against mindless chart nonsense. As you know, I’m no fan of rockism. But I don’t like Popism either. Popism is a kind of anti-intellectualism masquerading as postmodernism. Rather than accepting pop as something which can be criticised on the same level as ‘serious’ rock, it brings everything down to the lowest common denominator – rather than everything being equally worthy, everything is equally shit. How good music is becomes about it’s ‘popness’ or whatever – an essentialist value judgement.

Once you start claiming “this isn’t proper music”, you’ve exposed yourself as a rockist – just one with a different standard of what makes legitimate music.

]]> By: Gary http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333/comment-page-1#comment-6734 Gary Sat, 20 Oct 2007 07:35:31 +0000 http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333#comment-6734 I dunno, is that rockist? They're not moaning about it being packaged; they're moaning that the package doesn't include a shiny pop nugget... I dunno, is that rockist? They’re not moaning about it being packaged; they’re moaning that the package doesn’t include a shiny pop nugget…

]]> By: McGazz http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333/comment-page-1#comment-6732 McGazz Fri, 19 Oct 2007 21:19:52 +0000 http://www.bigmouthstrikesagain.com/archives/1333#comment-6732 Odd that a rampantly popist site like Popjustice should take such a rockist view of this, and post essentialist nonsense like "this is not a pop single". It is - just a rubbish one. You could argue that Samanda's single is the inevitable result of the prevailing popist mood of recent popular culture. Odd that a rampantly popist site like Popjustice should take such a rockist view of this, and post essentialist nonsense like “this is not a pop single”. It is – just a rubbish one. You could argue that Samanda’s single is the inevitable result of the prevailing popist mood of recent popular culture.

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