I'm just going to define a few terms before I start.
irony:
1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
2. an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected
camp:
something that provides sophisticated, knowing amusement, as by virtue of its being artlessly mannered or stylized, self-consciously artificial and extravagant, or teasingly ingenuous and sentimental.
Ok. Having defined those, I can move on to my point.
THERE IS NOTHING IRONIC ABOUT NICHE MARKETING.
Should I state that again or was that clear?
The whole purpose of these stupid "cool headhunters" is to expose and exploit a subculture to use its' tricks and identity to appeal to a mass market to make more money. THERE IS NOTHNG IRONIC ABOUT THIS. By invading the indie subculture like the article pointed out, turning around and making it available to the mass market at an incredibly jacked up price, as they put it "making the old new again", is exactly was what expected. It really irritates me when people do not know the proper use of the word "irony".
On to "camp".
Camp isn't even present any more. The camp Andy Warhol and John Waters created died. It's not about those principles any more. It's now about digging up the corpses of the past, screen printing it on a backpack and selling it for an arm and a leg at Urban Outfitters. Fuck that. Divine rolls in his/her grave every time someone under 14 rents a copy of Pink Flamingos and doesn't get it. The whole drag queen subculture which embraced and killed camp, bastardized itself when it put Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes in a dress. Those goddman cool headhunters found the last exploitable subculture and sold it to Hollywood for their souls.
What the fuck does Chairman Mao have to do with Anna Sui, aside from the fact that they are both asian?
How would Che feel knowing his images are screen printed on tshirts all over the country and sold to kids who, not only can't spell his name properly, but only bought the shirt because they saw Zach de la Rocha wearing one?
What kind of bullshit is this?
And what was that whole thing about "rock n' roll CEO's"? There is nothing "rock n' roll" about having a basketball court instead of a conference room. It's just stupid and impractical.
There is nothing "rock n' roll" about Diesel's CEO riding a fucking DUCATI to work. Get a Harley!
Rock n' roll is Keith Richards saying he snorted his father's ashes in a line of coke.
Rock n' roll is Ozzy Osbourne admitting he just recorded his first album ever SOBER.
Rock n' roll is sticking to an image, not slipping into one like a cheap Armani-knock-off suit because that's what's cool.
This whole idea of giving products and image and a history and "feel" is probably one of the most difficult things for me to process. How can these executives, in good conscience, take something so sacred to one group of people and turn it into a pair of shoes? I don't know. And you know what? I don't want to know.
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3 comments:
aight, metcalf.
what is ironic about niche marketing, particularly when subcultures are mined, is the fact that the original "meaning" of sub- or indie- culture is just that -- inaccessible to the mainstream, subversive, exclusive, et cetera. when those cultures are mined and sold back to mainstream culture as "the new thing" the original meaning is destroyed because it is now commodified, mainstream, and rendered impotent.
based on my understanding of the situation, and your definition, i would say that is as ironic as it gets.
this has systematically happened to any subculture that has ever had authentic and original thoughts. you mentioned che guevara, and you can add to that list malcolm x, punk rock, hippie culture, and any number of formerly potent ideas.
i consider myself a genuine hardcore / punk rock kid, and i was helping put on basement shows in the '90s when all of that stuff started to get big again. i saw bands come into the scene strictly because they were on their way to the top of the money heap and it's painful to see something you care about get trampled upon in the name of commerce -- especially something that's so anti-commerce (at least strains of it is). and now most kids have a totally safe thin-veneered version of punk rock that is spoon fed through mainstream media channels and operates by all the same business rules as major label bands. that modus operandi, by definition, is not real punk rock.
but the people who really care about and participate in those authentic cultures and movements will just keep on doing what they're doing and let the shitwave of trendiness roll on by until next decade.
wow... that's the dumbest thing ever that i can't edit comments...good thing i'm handy at cut and paste. just wanted to add some thoughts, so here's the repost:
irony would be these subcultures blowing up their own without the industry as a catalyst.
my problem with them labeling this whole venture into "niche marketing" as irony is that the knew exactly what was going to happen with it. irony entails an unexpected outcome. it would be ironic if MTV started sponsoring a "hip" new company and it totally flopped. why? because kids pay attention to what's on MTV. that's what's cool. but for them to pour millions of dollars into a camaign and have it crash before it even got off the ground, would be ironic.
and you're right, it does suck to see something you were a part of, with every fiber of your being ruined by commerce. it sucks to see small venues crushed into dust by Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre. it makes me want to cry everytime i see someone i consider an icon sell themselves to a product.
there's a difference between embracing the icons of a culture, and selling out. there are certain parts of these subcultures that. while they are corporate, has outlived the fad and become icons.
i feel your pain, man. punk isn't hot topic. it's not 17,000 kids wearing vans their moms bought them to Warped tour. just the same as metal isn't dying your hair black and wearing a black sabbath T-shirt you got at target. unfortunately, though, music have become the primary way to identify people. and to kids, my sister in particular who tried to tell me she "discovered" a band my mom have been listening to since the 70's every week, the music changes so fast, they don't know who to identity with. and instead of making their own decisions, they let MTV or Z107 tell them. they get their impression on what's cool from the pages of Rolling Stone. oh, jessica simpson is wearing Steve Madden shoes? i better throw out my sketchers and get some.
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