EMP 2008 Pop Conference

well, my quick answer would be:
* some music is political
* most music is so awful and uninspiring
hence...

A less nerdy answer is: there are lot more great political music groups/artist than we think. We just don't think of them as political groups or artists.

I kind of like "Actually, you're wrong, there is plenty of great protest music, WE are the problem" instead.

But of course I don't have the time to back this boring-ass opinion up yet.

well, the latter comes from the former partially. So yeah, that too.

Actually, you're wrong, there is plenty of great protest music, WE are the problem" instead.

THERE'S A CHERCE WE'RE MAKIN', WE'RE SAVIN HOUR OWN LAHVES.

http://www.bigozine2.com/cdcvrs/images3/BSwegottagetout/BSwegotttagetoutFr.jpg

xp I hear ya, Big Mack.

A less nerdy answer is: there are lot more great political music groups/artist than we think. We just don't think of them as political groups or artists.

Quite. This in part is the focus of my paper (without pretending to have heard everything that could be described with said term, VNV's album this year was easily my favorite politicized release, or at least spoke to me on that level most strongly).

yeah, i am partial to that view. something about music being explicitly political is problematic.

except when it is and i like it

http://www.84tigers.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/crass4.jpg

(example of overtly political music that, IMHO, is awesome)

As artdamages says, it depends on the point of view of the listener. The Mexican American community, for example, loves details. Two of my favorite protest music things this year are quite explicit: Los Tigres del Norte's "El Muro" ("The Wall") basically tells Bush "go ahead build your wall, we'll burn it down," and Chingo Bling's whole album They Can't Deport Us All has been targeted by all those crazy Malkin clones for months.

PublicEnemyPics.zip

I fear we have taken this thread into a weird area.

I keep forgetting to seek out that Chingo album.

xpost - do you like weird areas?

if you do, you should come to the Pop Conf, whether you get accepted or not. (then again, not sure how far away you are from Seattle)

I am very far away, and I'm not sure it's going to be all that cool for me to just be like "see ya family". On the other hand, maybe we could all use a vacation that week....

agreed that crass is often. sorry to derail the inside music critic baseball that was intended.

by often i meant awesome or alternately that i often listen to their music

no no dont be all defensive like that artdamages; i was just pointing out that the thread had gone all wonky. but i like wonky, and the discussion is good.

With Ann Powers on the Program Committee hopefully that will mean she won't do a presentation. Her overly simplistic granola feminism take on music has never impressed me. Those of you who are submitting proposals can defend her (if she or her hubby Eric are lurking)!! I wonder if Program Committee members RJ Smith And Ned Sublette are submitting proposals. They've done great stuff in the past.

no no dont be all defensive like that artdamages

thanks. i just know these kinds of threads are usually and for people who are going to or presenting at the conferenceetc.

anyone want to tell me what "combative pop" is?

I'm sure the phrase is intentionally open to interpretation.

>anyone want to tell me what "combative pop" is?

My first thought is Pink. Which reminds me that "Dear Mr. President" is one of the most cringingly awful "political" pop songs in the whole history of man.

Yeah but there's plenty of other stuff, Green Day and the Clash and reggae is one strain, emo is another (I trace it back to the Zombies); Prince/Sly etc. There's TONS of combative pop!

Phil F. says he's in, so start checking your mailboxes!

so is Todd Burns.

They accepted my pitch! The fools -- the mad, mad fools!

And now the great question -- "WHO IS DAD AAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa...."

Aw shucks, it's no major mystery! My name's Dan Booth. I did the Tower Records tour of America in the early 90s, working a year apiece in Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston, which is where I wound up. I'm an unreformed music junkie. I did a little writing for the Phoenix about ten years ago, and I guess hanging out here over the last year or so gave me the bug again. This EMP thing is something I never would have done if not for this site, and I guess this is as good a place as any to say thanks.

My proposal wasn't accepted, but I will be there.

My proposal wasn't submitted because it wasn't written.

But

...I will be there for all of you.

That's a big nope for me too. Fuckers.

Not in! Oh well, always a pity, but on the flip side, I get to wander and enjoy everything without having to worry about paper prep! :-D

And you'll finally be able to ride the SLUT to Tutta Bella

AW YEAH etc.

I haven't ridden the SLUT yet. : /

Neither have I. In time.

Karaoke on the SLUT?

That's just rude.

Hooray oh wait.

List of Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana certified Neapolitan pizza places in the U.S.

2 Amys / Washington DC
A16 Restaurant / San Francisco CA
Antica Pizzeria / Marina del Rey CA
Bricks Neapolitan Pizza / Hudson WI
Cafè Porta Alba / Madison WI
Flatbread Community Oven / Boise ID
Fritti Restaurant / Atlanta GA
Il Pizzaiolo / Pittsburgh PA
Il Ritrovo / Sheboygan WI
La Pizza Fresca Ristorante / New York NY
Naples 45 / New York NY
Punch Neapolitan Pizza / St Paul MN
Settebello / Las Vegas NV
Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana / Salt Lake City UT
Spacca Napoli / Chicago IL
The Prospector / Twain Harte CA
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, Columbia City / Seattle WA
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, Stone Way / Seattle WA
Vero Amore / Tucson AZ
Via Tribunali / Seattle WA

No mention of the Westlake Tutta Bella, so probably not a complete list but dayam, Seattle is all over my naples.

anyway, music.

Hey Mr. DJ

My proposal on the Jefferson Airplane wasn't accepted, to the betterment of the EMP.

But I will be there for the conference. Eager to see a bunch of youse.

Will be great to see you again Joseph! Your Monkees piece was great.

my presentation on the staple singers' lp 'freedom highway'* was accepted, so yayyy! i totally would have been there anyway of course, since it's just a few hours' ride and to be honest i like the conference more and more each year.

i'll have YETI 5s with me: featuring among a few other things scott seward's amazing EMP paper from '06, and my own presentation on blind willie johnson's "dark was the night" from last year, and hopefully ned r's great take on disco inferno (but i really want it to accompany music from the band on the cd and i've not heard back from those people yet, unfortunately, damn). anyway, those issues'll be out just in time for sxsw, which i'll also be at. all our books for the year are fall titles so i won't have any of those with me, not yet...

i was about to suggest that all those hanging around seattle on sunday afternoon go on a fremont sunday ice cream cruise on this cool old boat that tools around the lake. it's really close to the seattle center and is a fun trip -- but it looks like they've lost their parking spot, bummerrrr!: http://www.seattleferryservice.com/

* for any staples geeks/ whoever cares: my presentation is on the lp, not the cd -- the cd version of 'fredom highway' weirdly only includes two tracks from the album. which is weird 'cause it's this totally riveting record made live in a church on the south side of chicago in the midst of some riots, just a few months after dr. king's march from selma to montgomery. it's the raddest single example of the role that gospel played in the civil rights movement that i have found. (well, nothing comes close to same cooke's "change is gonna come," of course -- but that's what i call secular gospel).

in the interim, i hope to find out more about the staples' role in civil rights aside from their recordings, to find out which rallies they played at and etc. maybe this will happen while i'm doing research at the schomburg center in harlem early next month? i dunno.

it looks like the guy who produced the album is still alive so hopefully i can track him down and maybe do a phoner! his name's billy sherrill and is otherwise known for his super slick nashville country, some of which is awesome. he collaborated with george jones a lot, and i guess he's best known for not only producing artists but also writing/ co-writing songs with them? anyway, i really hope to be able to talk with him about it. since it looks like he didn't do anything else like it, and considering how charged those times were, i'm guessing he has a few clear recollections about the experience despite it being 43 years ago.

hopefully ned r's great take on disco inferno (but i really want it to accompany music from the band on the cd and i've not heard back from those people yet, unfortunately, damn)

Ack! Well hopefully they'll come through. (Also, it's great to see someone else in this time zone being as sleepless as I!)