For me, when I hear the term '1980s', my first thought is of Thatcher, miners strikes, the Berlin Wall, Marxism, Captialism, the free market, politicised students wearing army surplus. Extreme Left. Extreme Right. Extreme wealth. Riots. Unemployment. Everything, it seems, stemming from a set of principles, ideologies, convictions.
Not far down these asyndetic lists would be punk and post-punk - The Clash serving up their masterpiece, Johnny Rotten forming PiL and Iggy Pop's 'The Passenger'.
It's at this point that nostalgia turns to nausea: if you've past a poster or turned on a TV in the last few weeks, you've no doubt noticed Iggy whoring himself for Swift Cover insurance. Cringingly, he crow-bars in references to his biggest hits: 'don't be a passenger, it's no fun - get a lust for life' etc.
Don't get me wrong, I know I shouldn't be looking to 60 year old leather-trousered heroin addicts for moral guidance. But Iggy's current omnipresence is a stark reminder that, truly, nothing is sacred. The Clash lent their music to a Levi's ad campaign in 1992. Johnny Rotten is the current face of Country Life butter. In each example, an interesting, adrenalising legacy is compromised for the sake of a few quid.
The most sickening modern example of this is Jack White's involvement in Coca-Cola sponsorship. I can't look at a picture of him and Meg in their resplendent red and white now without feeling that those very colours have been bought. Like Santa, from now on The White Stripes are synonymous with that sugary drink. Was Jack aware that Coke were one of the principle sponsors of the 1936 'Hitler' olympics? Perhaps if he'd been around he'd have signed over the rights to Seven Nation Army...
I digress. But it seems that as we scrap over the corpse of the 80s, re-hashing Human League riffs and frizzy haircuts; the one thing we're not trying to pillage is that intangible sense of conviction, stoicism and principle. As unemployment rises and our political options diverge, it might be the one thing we really need.
3 comments:
Those Iggy Pop and Johnny Rotten ads really are quite stomach churning aren't they?
Strangely though I never really had much of a problem with Jack White's effort. Perhaps I'm blinded by fandom or was swayed by Noel Gallagher getting on his high horse about it but I always thought if an artist I admire is going to do an ad its preferable that a) they do one for the world's most universal brand rather than some mickey mouse insurance company and b) at least write a song especially for it instead of selling out on - and thus ruining - a song I might have previously liked.
But surely doing a 'classy', 'tasteful' one-off plays into the hands of the company even more. I suppose the thing I've never understood is, let's say Jack White has earned £3million (a conservative estimate if you consider all the festival headline-slots and arena shows). What is it that motivates someone to go from £3million, to, say £3.5 million? That might seem an obvious question but i don't think it is.
Once necessity is taken out of the equation, surely the choice becomes one of integrity or greed.
I'm wading in here too and to go all high brow on you.....
All art should be about function and purpose, contributing some greater understanding or insight.
Giving it over to a commerical company intent only on sales and profit undermines its integrity, whether it be a painting or pop music.
Having said all that, I think Jack White's great, the Raconteurs album was amazing and I do get excited when bands I love do Bond themes or England songs. Where that leaves me I don't know?
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