The Discography quote is interesting (must read the book) but it kinda reads like a cop-out. It's a standard angle imo. Of course, underground has been appropriated as a marketing tool. Remember those words 'alternative' and 'progressive'?
But just coz a language has been stolen doesn't mean you can't still own it. When I think of underground i think of staying true to yourself and the music you are trying to make, or if your are playing others' music... getting in touch with what they are about and understanding where they r coming from and staying true to the way they want to be represented. underground is close to the roots. When i think of underground I always think of it as an utopian place, or state of being. and i think of the curtis mayfield track... emma mee-thod -it's in the way that you groove it-
