First off, you're attempting to define art, which is always difficult. There are things I don't like about that, including the association with the video and the 12-year-old girl's sexual innuendo in that video with Shia LeBeouf. I just finished "The Fall" and I'm not comfortable with the perverse sexuality of the 15/16 year old in that show. (Odd how they emphasized the girl turned 16. Like they knew censors would be watching). But the definition of art is broad. Her singing is good so just about anything she does to accompany it gets the prot ection of being called art. It was odd, but is it that much odder than David Bowie in a tight, knee-length skirt or Tom Waits in full hobo regalia? Steve Allen railed against rock and roll in part because it lacked artistic merit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpxhEoV5IsE Is Frank Zappa playing the bicycle artistic? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MewcnFl_6Y
On Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 7:17 AM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > On Tue, Jan 20, 2015 at 11:27 PM, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Sorry for any offense taken to my reaction to the reaction. The dance >> routine could be seen as an extension of (if you will) the many ages/faces >> of Sia, depicting inner struggle, conciliatory moments, heartbreak and >> playfulness. Or not. Her veil (which she didn't bother with on a recent >> U.K. TV appearance) would seem to suggest her reticence at public >> appearance or serves as reinforcement of my idea that the dancers and the >> mime are extensions of her musical/artistic statement that she is hiding >> behind in plain sight. Whatevs. I enjoyed it. If she creeps you out or >> seems pretentious, tune out and have a bowl of your favorite cultural >> comfort food instead. >> > > I am not offended. I don't mind being called an old fogey (I probably am). > It is just that this is not a response to a critique of a performance, or > an answer to the question: "what was she trying to accomplish?" I > appreciate your attempt to answer that question more specifically above. If > that is what she was trying to do, I find it amateurish and ineffective, > but at least would give her credit for having some kind of vision. > > I appreciate the philosophy behind the phrase YMMV ("Your Mileage May > Very"), which we see on this list a lot, and again several times in this > thread. I think the value of this is to caution us all against the danger > of moving from "that performance was stupid" to "you are stupid if you > liked that performance" (or, more generally, if you do not agree with my > evaluation of that performance). On reflection, I realize that when I write > things like "Sia's performance on SNL was absurd and stupid", it does come > close to saying (or at least implying) that "anyone who liked Sia's > performance on SNL is absurd and stupid". I did not mean the second, and I > ought to be more careful when expressing opinions that could be taken that > way. > > I do think though that there is a danger of using the sentiments > underlying YMMV to imply that since art (broadly conceived) is subjective, > every performance is equal, and there is no point in attempts to engage in > a critical evaluation. I respect and am interested in the response and > evaluation of people here to the programs we see on our television, not > because all evaluations are equally valid or accurate, but because the > thoughtful response of a group of experienced consumers informs my own, and > often helps me appreciate performances in ways I would not have on my own. > At other times we will disagree, which is of course fine, and should not > lead to ad hominem attacks, but I do find disagreement more informative > when accompanied by an explanation for the opinion. > > -- > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
