Brittany Spears is a freaking genius

The other day I read a quote from Brittany Spears that went something like "Anyone can write an artsy song, pop music is hard". Now it would be easy to dismiss this prolific breeding diva as just another dumb blond. But I think that would be a mistake. Why, you ask? That's a good question and I am glad you asked it because I would really like to answer. Actually, I have nothing else to write about so this is what you get. Let's look at this statement closely. We'll break it down. First, we will look at the second part of the sentence. You think I should go in order? Well, no - I don't want to I would like to dissect this sentence in the manner in which I choose. My post, my ordering. "pop music is hard" - look at it. Could this be a true statement? I think it is. Think of how hard it would be to come up with songs that everyone likes. Pop music is is elegant in it's simplicity. Basic cords, basic rhythyms, repeatative lyrics - anyone could write it. You really think so? Look at the record industry. It is a business, a huge business. If anyone could just crank out the "pop" songs don't you think they would? Wait a minute, that is what they do. What the hell am I talking about? Brittany Spears isn't a genius. Well, at least I don't know that she is a genius. I mean she sould have scored 1540 on her SATs. How should I now, I'm not privvy to that kind of info. But if that one snippet from her mouth is an indication of her intelligence...well, my mother told me if you don't have something nice to say ... However, the first part of what she said happens to be true. Anyone can write artsy stuff, right. Then if it judged as crap, the listener just didn't get it. Since any art is subjective, it is easy to say the material was above the audience or that it was ahead of it's time. The argument to this is that if it is actually "good" it will sell. Anyone confused? If you would indulge me, for the rest of the conversation today I would like to extend this statement to include art in all media. If "pop art" is churned out on a daily basis from art "factories" and anyone can create "art", then how do you know what is good. See the conundrum. If it's good, it sells. If it sells well, it sucks? Was Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" the best album created in the seventies? Or did it suck because it stayed on the charts so long? Are Van Gogh's crap since they didn't sell in his life time? Were the Beattles any good? Is Nirvana better than Pearl Jam because they were first? What is an acceptable level of sales? Does everything that really sells well turn into a MacDonald's cheeseburger? Or can something that has real artistic merit maintain it's integrity if when it starts selling? Personally, I think so. In my mind it is very easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. All you have to do is shift though it and pay attention. It's not just a matter of personal preference either. Although I can appreciate the musicianship of jazz players, it does nothing for me. It is very apparent that I just don't get it. Still, I can still tell good jazz from bad jazz. Lately, even though I don't really enjoy it, I have developed a high level of respect for rap music - good rap music. Yes, there is such a thing. You would know it if you ever took the time to appreciate it as an art form. Okay, no rap appreciation homework for you, unless you really want to. If you can't stand it, just trust me, there are people doing amazing things in this media. Now that is circuitous route to get to the point of my little narrative. Point being, don’t discount seemingly dumb blonds. Their quasi-moronic statements can actually be thought provoking and get us to realize that done well, anything can be considered art. Additionally, I think we can see the inherent beauty in all forms regardless of whether or not they are to our liking. More stories from Paul Gavin. Info on novels Paul Gavin's Storefront. Technorati Tags: Fiction, Online Book, Chapter, rebeleyeball, Paul Gavin IceRocket Tags: Fiction, Blook, Chapter, rebeleyeball Copyright (c) 2006 Paul Gavin. All rights reserved.