I do feel like the current cultural emphasis on authenticity and lived experience has hit a dead end. (For one thing, it sure didn't prevent the rise of fascism or the backlash against "DEI.") I'd like to hear/read/see more art about its creator's fantasy lives, but I hope they're more imaginative than the Caamp song you quote.
I think even more than authenticity there's a question of scale and proportion, in a way. People hyped up in culture industry are full-blown celebrities and "visionaries" before they've done anything. People want the applause, or the satisfaction of the mic drop moment, without the patience of grinding things out. (Or as bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman famously put it, "Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”) And this race to the finish entails a fixation on engineering responses, getting instant gratification and brooking no skepticism of a claim that one is not producing the effect they want to produc. The dire sociopolitical moment we're in now is tied to all this, although of course it extends well beyond trends in music, of course.
I think Caamp is a fun band and the lead singer has a great vocal style. But I wouldn't try to sell anyone on them based on the written lyrics alone!
I do feel like the current cultural emphasis on authenticity and lived experience has hit a dead end. (For one thing, it sure didn't prevent the rise of fascism or the backlash against "DEI.") I'd like to hear/read/see more art about its creator's fantasy lives, but I hope they're more imaginative than the Caamp song you quote.
I think even more than authenticity there's a question of scale and proportion, in a way. People hyped up in culture industry are full-blown celebrities and "visionaries" before they've done anything. People want the applause, or the satisfaction of the mic drop moment, without the patience of grinding things out. (Or as bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman famously put it, "Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”) And this race to the finish entails a fixation on engineering responses, getting instant gratification and brooking no skepticism of a claim that one is not producing the effect they want to produc. The dire sociopolitical moment we're in now is tied to all this, although of course it extends well beyond trends in music, of course.
I think Caamp is a fun band and the lead singer has a great vocal style. But I wouldn't try to sell anyone on them based on the written lyrics alone!