Arts Commentary: . . . art, I guess.
By Dock Currie
Artistic apathy has, sadly, got the best of me as I missed out on what would have probably been a stellar performance by one of the members of Canadian “grrrlpop” band the Dirtmitts. This fate has befallen many a Vancouver resident and, as such, I realise that I am part of, and not the solution to, a major problem with alternative media today. People don’t care about culture, and they are content to let this ship of fools sail blindly towards inappreciation and ignorance. How many modern visual arts shows have you gone to in the last month? When was the last time you bought a CD to replace those MP3s you’ve got tucked away? Why are we subjugating our artistic class?
The answer lies in the convenience of avoiding participation. Who wants to pay for something that they can get for free, and who wants to go to an event if they know that other supporters would be there? What we have to realise is that while MP3s won’t kill the music industry, if we don’t spend money to buy CDs and shell out to go to shows, then there will increasingly be less music culture, and any other sort of culture.
I think of the times that we live in as culturally and artistically devoid, if not because of coincidence, then because of this aforementioned apathy. And not just a certain period of apathy, but years of apathy that have built up to reach a full-blown stagnation. Every decade has had a unique feel to it, but based upon the last four years, what can be said about our music? Very little, if anything, that’s what. Our societal identies are being lost to laziness. I blame myself, really, but I blame you, too. Sure, a certain percentage of the population, especially in a university environment, attends shows regularly and buys bands’ CDs in the hopes that they’ll make another one. But, the majority of us don’t buy CDs and don’t spend five to thirty dollars to go to a show.
Musical culture is a prime example of apathy in the arts, but its economic downturn isn’t the end of the cultural recession. Our university puts on dance shows that barely anyone outside of the contemporary arts department attends. SFU provides shows like BlackBox that, on a per show basis, a maximum of a hundred people will ever see. It is impossible to reconcile our support for the arts with these facts.
These facts pointed out, however, it is important to note that, in actuality, I didn’t go to the Dirtmitts show because I wanted to see the band rather than some girl from the Dirtmitts. Seeing one of them, and not the whole band, would be boring. I go to BlackBox shows and I bought a Cat Power CD earlier today. So, I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t blame myself as much as I blame you for the downfall of musical culture. Now, if you need me, I’ll be at the French Kicks show.
