Friday, February 2, 2007

Thoughts on Wednesday's (1/31) Class

The documentary "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" is a relative Rosetta Stone for budding cultural critics. It allows us to practice identifying the myriad signs of a particular subculture (butt-rock metalheads of the mid-80s) with relative ease, since everyone featured in the film look almost exactly alike ("individuality" seemingly not their concern . . . indeed, they just want to rock).

"Signs" were introduced by the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. His goal was to establish a "synchronic" (ahistorical) theory of language. That is to say, a theory of language that could be applied to ALL languages, regardless of the historical period they were used, or any unique socio-cultural situation. While he identified "signs" as words & phrases, more recent theorists (french critic Roland Barthes especially) recognized that signs are all around us: they are in the way we dress, what we eat, the music we listen to, the books we read, etc.

Within each sign, there is a denotation (loosely akin to the "signifier") & a connotation (loosely akin to the "signified"). Take, for example, the mullet. The denotative meaning of the mullet is simple: short on top & on the sides, long in the back. And of course, there are variations to that theme. The connotative meaning to the mullet is a bit deaper: when one sees it, they think "white trash," "butt rocker," "1980s" & what not.

Let me emphasize that this is just an example, and a harmless one at that. Things get more charged when we look at OTHER signs, however. Think, for example, of the AFRO (to keep with the "hair" theme). Again, the denotative meaning is simple and logistical ("poofy," "symmetrical"). The connotations of the afro, especially in the African-American context, is perhaps more important. Its connotations ("black power," "black liberation," "staying true to one's roots") say a lot about the culture in which we live. And the afro becomes part of a rebellious stance (perhaps, & not always).

Still, the point of view of those evaluating signs is significant. In other words, one person's "white trash" is another person's "high fashion" & and one person's sign of "black power" is an extreme threat to another person. So, the point of view of the critic is important to keep in mind and interrogate acutely.

To properly understand the denotative and connotative aspects of signs, then, is to begin to understand both the nature of subcultures, and their importance and significance to the culture at large. And if we look at an entire system of signs within an entire subculture, we recognize how truly complex sign systems can be. We'll talk more about this in class.

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Assignment #1: "My Culture"

Think about what makes up your culture: ethnic heritage, family rituals, food, music, neighborhood, religion, activities/interests, art, style of dress. What is your culture? Your assignment is to write a personal narrative about yourself and your personal culture.

Refer to the questions below in considering your culture. You do not need to answer each and every question (as though you were writing a “list”), but your piece needs to be a thorough and complete examination. You need to think hard and be specific.

Heritage:
Where do my biological parents’ come from?
Where do my adoptive/ “real” parents come from?
What do we do that is carried over from our ethnic heritage? (food, holidays, rituals at holidays, arts/crafts, etc.)
Food:
What do I eat that says something about who I am?
Are there special foods that are served in my family?
Are there special/specific foods that I eat with my friends?
What did I eat at Christmas/Hanukah? Thanksgiving? For my birthday?
Music:
Is music important to me?
What genre of music do I listen to?
What social group listens to this type of music? (Skaters, Rednecks, Preps, Jocks, Stoners, etc.)
Does the fact that I like this music make me a part of a specific social group? If so, what group?
What does this type of music make me feel? Why do I like it?

Neighborhood:
Is there a name for my neighborhood? (Laurelhurst, Garden Home, 82nd, etc.)
Who are my neighbors?
Is my neighborhood “rich,” “poor,” “middle class”? How else could I describe it?
If a visitor from out of town came to our street, what kind of neighborhood would they see?

Religion/Spiritual Beliefs:
Do I consider myself to be part of a religion? If so, which one?
What activities am I involved in because of my faith?
What are my beliefs, and how do show up in my life?
Is my family religious, or do they participate in any sort of faith-based activities?

Activities/Interests:
What do I like to do?
Do my activities involve other people? Who do I do stuff with, and how would I describe the groups I’m involved in?
Art:
How does art play a part in my life?
Do I create art? What does it say about who I am?
What art do I see around me? What does it say about my culture?

Style:
What is my personal style of dress?
What does the way I look say about my culture?
Am I part of a group that dresses in a similar style?

ASSIGNMENT SPECIFICS

What: Your assignment is to write a personal narrative about your own culture.

It can be in either first, second, or third person.
You must turn in both a first and second draft for credit.
It should be 3 to 5 pages long, typed, double-spaced.
Your piece must have a title that is relevant to the piece.
Remember to “show, don’t tell.” Use similes, metaphors, and dialogue.
Use the assignment to write a creative piece of work.

Due:
First Draft: Wednesday the 7th
The final draft will be due subject to my finishing revising/grading your rough drafts.

Recommended Listening List

In no particular order . . .

The Butthole Surfers: "Locust Abortion Technician"
Meat Puppets: II
Meat Puppets: Up On The Sun
Minor Threat: Complete Dischography
Black Flag: The First Four Years (or any album)
Suicide: S/T
Alan Vega: S/T (or really any album)
The Monks: Black Monk Time
James White & The Blacks: any album
Fugazi: any album (but esp. "13 Songs" & "Repeater")
The Minutemen: any album
fIREHOSE: any album
The Clash: London Calling
Beat Happening: S/T
Big Black: any album
X: Los Angeles
The Nation Of Ulysees: Plays Pretty for Baby
The Make Up: After Dark (or any album)
black dice
throbbing gristle
john wiese
luigi russolo
godspeed you! black emperor
discordance axis
Mr. Bungle
Phish
Grateful Dead
Tribe Called Quest
Burning Spear
Wynton Marsalis
Miles Davis
Frank Zappa
Oysterhead
Sly and the Family Stone
James Brown
Syd Barrett
Elvis Presley
Chuck Berry
The Flaming Lips
The English Beat
Madness
The Skatalites
Weather Report
The Vaselines
John Coltrane
Lee Morgan
Clifford Brown
Freddie Hubbard
Louis Armstrong
Charlie Parker
Chet Baker
Kenny Garrett
Terrell Stafford
Thad Jones
Wallace Roney
Sean Jones
Thelonious Monk
Cream
Fleetwood Mac w/Peter Green
Jelly Roll Morton
Marcus Miller
Jaco Pastorius
Link Wray
Dead Moon (first album especially)
Meat Cigars
The Books
The Harder They Come (soundtrack)
Ten-Foot Ganja Plant
Jellyfish
Redd Kross
The Dandy Warhols
Smashing Pumpkins
The Grays
Imperial Drag
The Three O' Clock
The Hold Steady
Earth
Velvet Underground
The Pogues
Wall of Voodoo
The Art of Noise
Boris
The Portland Radio Authority (http://www.praradio.com/mainpage.htm)
The Books
the greatful dead (early 60's especialy)
Frank Zappa
Lightning Bolt
Lamb of God
Pantera
Apocalyptica
regina spektor
Cypress hill (especialy Hits from the Bong)
the Flaming Lips
Pink Floyd (More and Meddle)
Wolfeyes
Merzbow
Green Milk from the Planet Orange
JonnyX and the Groadies
Sunn0)))
Earth
Boris
Thrones
Plan R
the Wipers
The Observers
Dead Kennedys
Animal Collective


More is forthcoming...and if you have any suggestions, submit them!

Reading/Viewing List

Below is a list of materials that we will use in this class. The list includes films and books, and I will update it as regularly as possible. Feel free to check out this material at any time (I have most of this stuff at school if you want to check it out).

1. Subculture: The Meaning of Style by Dick Hebdige
2. Heavy Metal Parking Lot (film directed by . . . ) & Harry Potter / Neil Diamond Parking Lot
3. Commodify Your Dissent & The Baffler Magazine (edited by Tom Frank)
4. Style Wars
5. Wild Style
6. Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azzerad
7. The Call of The Weird by Louis Theroux
8. Space Is The Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra by John F. Swed
9. Rock and The Pop Narcotic by Joe Carducci
10. Blues People by Leroi Jones
11. Trekkies (film by . . . )
12. Introducing Semiotics by . . .
13. F-You Heroes: Photographs 1975-1991 by Glen E. Friedman
14. A Secret Location on the Lower East Side
15. All Poets Welcome: The Lower East Side Poetry Scene in the 1960s by Daniel Kane
16. Songs For Cassavetes (film)
17. Downtown 81 (starring Jean-Michel Basquiat)
18. Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture by Stephen Duncombe

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Assignment List

1. My Culture
2. Looking at Style Wars (due Monday, February 13th)
3. Jesus Camp questions (due Wednesday, February 28th)
4. American Hardcore response paper (due Wednesday, March 7)

Course Description

In this class we will exmine various subcultures in order to better understand them. Our study of them will focus on their characteristics (or "codes"), the motivations behind them, and their histories. We will not split hairs trying to define "subculture" precisely, but will instead focus on identifying similar patterns between myriad POSSIBLE subcultures.