From Philip Sherburne Sent Wed, Jun 16th 1999, 16:58
From Philip Sherburne Sent Wed, Jun 16th 1999, 16:58
DJ Spooky: Says nothing. Period. Completely intellectually bankrupt stream-of-consciousness crap. Illusory depth projected behind jargon (both academic AND slang). Mainly I've read his column in Paper mag, which is just neo-beat crap about walking around the city and feeling multi-cultily rhizomatic. I'm not going to go into further ranting detail, but that's my take. Really, my beef is that he doesn't bring anything to the discussion. He doesn't englighten pop music, and he doesn't make critical discourse any more pop (or streetwise, or whatever). Perhaps the most amusing piece I ever read by him was an interview with RZA (in Raygun?) in which the intro was typical Dr. Paul D. Miller dissertation-stylee, and then for the interview he shifts into full DJ-Spooky-da-ill-homie-word-yknowhaimsayin? Sure, I know that identity is all about performativity, but get over it. The shift was so blatant as to be ludicrous (not to mention that it felt like he was trying really hard to be down with RZA). On collecting: anyone who's interested in the implications of the collection, and has ever felt even fleetingly guilty about sagging shelves full of unlistened-to records (or unread books) should read Walter Benjamin's essay, "The Collector." (I'd guess it's in "Illuminations" or the companion book.) A redemptive take on the "collection" which is the polar opposite of the brainwashed-consumer variety. All the more surprising, then, that it comes from the Frankfurt school. phil