Ian, Not being an expert on punk, I do recall reading that an early trait of punk music was adjusting the output from all the instruments (and mic) to equal levels. I don't know if that was so much a thought-out critical response to the elevation of the front-man above the rest of the group, but it must've been at the very least subconscious. Didn't Spinal Tap have a bit on that? Have to get that on DVD one of these days.
The one artist I did not mention in my post is, of course, Escher, who has several works of art aimed at overcoming this wall of division (the hand drawing itself is one, the artist painting his reflection in a reflective ball painting his reflection is another). And, to give a contemporary example, the television show The Office (the US version anyways, never seen its Brit predecessor), positions the viewer as being part of the show, a confidante to the performers. Also, remember the books that came out maybe 10 years ago that contained only "letters" (in actual envelopes) of a correspondence? Even Pirsig saw this wall, and reacted to it by including a narrative to his thoughts that painted a very real (and naturally imperfect) human behind the abstract words of the text. "The trouble is that essays always have to sound like God talking for eternity, and that isn't the way it ever is. People should see that it's never anything other than just one person talking from one place in time and space and circumstance. It's never been anything else, ever, but you can't get that across in an essay." (ZMM) Its not quite as radical a device as Escher or Johnny Rotten used, but its subtle nod to the reader presented as privvy to the dialogue is powerful. And I think that's where I will tie the paradox of the performer needing to be "enough above to influence" but also "on the same level as the audience". In the moment of Pirsig talking metaphysics or Johnny Rotten snarling "God Save the Queen" one must accept the elevation as real, but afterwards that elevation must be seen as artificial and even damaging to maintain. I don't know Pirsig, but I get the sense he would be much more comfortable sitting down and having a pint with you than standing behind a podium hoist above a crowd, and that's the way (I'll go out on a limb here) it _should_ be. As influential and groundbreaking as the MOQ is, as much as I admire and respect Pirsig, he is still just a man, and all the celebrity and accolades only make us forget that. And thanks for the music suggestions, will check them out. Arlo Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
