Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Cultural Sabaticals

Some things have become so ingrained in our culture that they've become multimedia muzak. Take for example Shakespeare, The Simpsons and The Beatles. I love all of these things, but the level of saturation for each of these is such that we need a break. I've had this idea for a while of a cultural sabbatical. Bill Drummond the greatest conceptual artist in the history of popular music (I'm dead serious) had proposed something similar with No Music Day, but this would be for a year.

Imagine a year without Midsummer Nights Dream, or Simpsons references or Hey Jude. Shakespeare in the Park and Shakespeare Theatre would have to change things up for a year, Michael Jackson would stop licensing the Beatles to bad commercials for a year. I think it would be quite refreshing and we would appreciate all of these things that much more when the year came to a close. Then the next year we could have a Rolling Stones break, or Prince, or Madonna.

2 comments:

David Pratt said...

With the freedom we have these days to determine how we're entertained (mp3 players, youtube, XM radio, On Demand, etc) I think this system more or less regulates itself.

Max Nova said...

If I go to the mall, I am still be subjected to music, if I go to a restaurant, there may be a tv in the corner by the bar. I wish I wasn't subjected to culture against my will, but that's just not the case.