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RAT SUPERBOWL INTERVAL HIJINKS
Now I'm desperately sad that I didn't see it (the interval show at the
Superbowl) too. Unfortunately BBC I and 2 didn't show it.
But I must (once again) take issue with a few things...
Really Mr. Houts I think it's our responsibility to differentiate between
Mass Popular Culture and High Art. I think the fact that we deliberately
blur the line so often is just laziness on our part. I think it's easy (and
keep in mind I was a TV baby too-- and maybe it's that MY TV wasn't as good
as yours) to say that Josie and The PussyCats is a critical element in
public cultural debate. But is it really? Is there a dialectic presented in
that TV show that is not only meaningful but sparks public debate? Does it
really make us look at our lives differently? Does it really present some
kind of balancing act between the ridiculous and the sublime?
Just asking.
And Yes, Mr. Houts I'm a nasty cranky old slag.
L
>From: "Sylvain, John" <jsylvain@station.sony.com>
>Reply-To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
>To: "'rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com'" <rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com>
>Subject: RE: RAT THE SUPERBOWL?
>Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 10:14:25 -0800
>
>Aaah. Now we're getting somewhere!
>
>1. Chris, thank you for pointing out the burden of email. I am at work and
>I
>get and send email all day long. I love it because it distracts me and,
>having ADD, I can't really get anything done unless I am distracted. But
>now
>I get it. And I am sorry. I pledge to reduce the number of quick responses
>and junk that I generate.
>
>2. I agree with TimNGail and Brad. Popular culture is surreal. Its fun to
>dissect. It's fuel for the fire.
>
>Corporations are the enemy of individuals. We are the guerrilla fighters,
>hiding behind trees and digging in tunnels. Storytelling and performance
>are
>the ideological weapons that both sides use. But they stole them from us,
>from the RATs and the Shamans and the Gypsies and the Vagabonds and the
>Fools and the Nomads and the Clowns. We must take them back.
>
>Serve. Rinse. Repeat.
>
>3. I agree with Matt Bretz about the influences of dance theater and Peter
>Sellers.
>
>Lucie, I really wish you had actually seen the halftime show. It was
>terrifying and wonderful and banal all at once. It was beautifully designed
>and horribly staged. It had this sense of Epic Ritual and spirital Renewal,
>with Phil Collins, perhaps the least exciting performer of the past half
>century, in a polar fleece pull over in the the center of it all. It went
>beyond bad and into the realm of...alien-ness. But it was obviously
>influenced by Dance Theater and Contemporary Opera. Thats why its worth
>discussion. It was theater. It was bad, expensive and pointless but it was
>very theatrical and everyone saw it.
>
>"What am I doing here. I said. To my self."
>
>4. Thank you werner for the haiku. Thank you lucie for the opening of this
>discussion. Thank you peggy for whatever it is that you do. Thank you Chris
>for the course correction.
>
>In closing I'd just like to say:
>
>Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin.)
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Lucie Manheim [SMTP:luciemanheim@hotmail.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 6:40 AM
> > To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
> > Subject: Re: RAT THE SUPERBOWL?
> >
> > Well, since I wasn't clear, what I meant to say was this:
> > I don't think that artists need to live in some sophmoric cliche (ie
> > lattes
> > and cigarettes-- though both are lovely), in fact to the contrary. And
>I
> > certainly don't think we should always assume we're going to be poor and
> > at
> > the mercy of our respective corrupt governments for hand outs, but I DO
> > think that the list below (fashion week in NY, Golden Globes, the GAP,
> > "hot"
> > writers in Hollywood, etc) represent the most vile and insidious
>corporate
> >
> > packaging plans possible. They exist as an opportunity to make somebody
>a
> > whole bunch of money. And so, I think whenever possible we should
>suspect
> > the motives of corporate packaging. And sorry Yanks, to me, the
>Superbowl
> >
> > is nothing more than packaging, packaging, packaging. In my time in the
> > States, I watched many highschool and college football games and
> > appreciated, no loved the game. And in my own country I'm an Arsenal
>fan
> > through and through, make no mistake.
> > But I guess my question was this -- isn't this really a tremendous
> > opportunity to do more than talk about what corporate packagers want us
>to
> >
> > talk about? That's all.
> > I wasn't too surprised to get alot of Yank "In this country we have
> > something known as free speech" rhetoric back--What I meant to do was
> > question the validity and the necessity of that particular topic in this
> > particular forum.
> > As someone who spent more than 15 years in mainland China, I am fully
> > aware
> > of what it really means to have freedom of speech taken away. Please
> > don't
> > be sloppy. It's an overused term in both the US and the UK. Just be
> > aware
> > of what it actually means.
> > So I seem to have made people mad-- frankly don't care. I'mm going to
> > change the subject and see if anyone wants to come with me...
> > So here's a question...who thinks that the advant of Dance Theater as
>(ie
> > Pina Bausch) and contemporary Opera (ie Peter Sellars) are going to
> > actually, radically change the way we do theater? And I don't mean
>simply
> >
> > adding more music and dance to what we do.. but rather will we begin to
> > conceptualize differently? will we begin to think in terms of a larger
> > canvas when we make stuff?
> > I hope to God so.
> >
> >
> > >From: TimNGail@aol.com
> > >Reply-To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
> > >To: rat-list@whirl-i-gig.com
> > >Subject: Re: RAT THE SUPERBOWL?
> > >Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2000 00:21:23 EST
> > >
> > >In a message dated 02/01/2000 4:43:43 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> > >luciemanheim@hotmail.com writes:
> > >
> > > > Why don't we talk about the Golden globes next?
> > > > Thenw e can talk about fashion week in New York.
> > > > Then we can talk about really "hot" writers in Hollywood.
> > > > Then we can talk about really cool tv shows.
> > > > Then we can talk about what we want to buy at the GAP.
> > > > Then we can talk about Pokeman. Or teletubbies.
> > > > Or we can just go to e online.
> > >
> > >hmmm.... last time I checked, the theatre I was working on had nothing
>to
> >
> > >do
> > >with people sitting around, stroking their goatees smoking unfiltered
> > >Luckies
> > >and sipping a latte while trying to pontificate about grand
>theories....
> > >although, that may not be a bad idea....
> > >
> > >I'm much more interested in work that sprouts from conversations about
> > >fashion, or hot writers in Hollywood (if anyone is interested in
>reading
> > >it,
> > >Gabriel and I are collaborating on a piece called OPTION dealing with
> > this
> > >very thing... well, kind of...), or Telletubbies, or Taymor-esque
>puppets
> > >making an appearance at the halftime show of the friggin Super Bowl
> > (don't
> > >know if I really liked the idea, or if I thought it was an
> > >ABC/Disney/Eisner
> > >slanderous capitalist machine in high gear... then again, whaddaya want
> > >from
> > >the Super Bowl?) or WHATEVER....
> > >
> > >Creation comes from the act of living. And discussing living.
>Although,
> > I
> > >don't knock whatever may work for you.
> > >
> > >Gosh... that was deep.... well, gotta get back to my smoke and my
> > latte....
> > >
> > >tim
> > >
> > >P.S. - who KNEW there were any "theatre types" willing to come out of
>the
> > >closet and admit they watch football! Testify! Hallelujah!
> > >
> > >P.P.S. - Sorry... the clarification should be "American football"... :)
> >
> > ______________________________________________________
> > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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