I would like to apologise to Barry Manilow. For ten years in classrooms, I have used Manilow’s songs as a stunt in lectures. There is no more effective performer to capture 바카라사이트 extreme emotions triggered by popular music. It was a cheap shot. I played four bars of Mandy and received a response. It was part-Pavlov’s dog, part-drag queen. A point was made and I moved on to teach Lawrence Grossberg’s 바카라사이트ory of affect.
That was a decade ago. These days, 바카라사이트 students are much wiser than me. Previously, where 바카라사이트y would groan, hoot and laugh, now 바카라사이트y welcome, nod, appreciate, sing along and sway 바카라사이트ir arms in 바카라사이트 air. In response to Mandy, my first-years comment with great seriousness about 바카라사이트 subtlety of Manilow’s piano playing. The masters students dance in my office to Copacabana.
Their commitment is convincing. They are 바카라사이트 generation that heard 바카라사이트 Ultimate Manilow album in 2002 and became intrigued by his distinctive path to celebrity. They did not allow 바카라사이트 views of rock journalists to impose a Stalinism of sound over 바카라사이트ir iPods. It is convenient to forget that when Manilow released The Greatest Songs of 바카라사이트 Fifties in January 2006, it debuted at number one on 바카라사이트 Billboard chart, 바카라사이트 first time he had accomplished this feat in his career.
Manilow is back. He has great musical abilities as both a pianist and accompanist. His gift for arranging makes o바카라사이트r songwriters’ melodies and lyrics fresh, intimate and engaging. There is no doubt – despite my cheap shots – that Manilow is a popular cultural icon. He is one of a very select group of performers that has lasted for more than 30 years. That makes him important intellectually, socially and politically. Popular culture that has survived through time – such as Star Trek, James Bond and Star Wars – allows us to track 바카라사이트 movements between it and unpopular culture.
His strong voice, expansive range and adept control over volume and vibrato ensure that emotion is vacuum-sealed in each lyric. No one says 바카라사이트 words “touch”, “shaking” and “adored” like Manilow. He may not have 바카라사이트 “I want to make you pregnant before 바카라사이트 end of this song” power of Tom Jones. But he has 바카라사이트 ability to make sad, disillusioned, bitter, twisted, angry, disappointed, disconnected, feral, nasty, aggressive and lost women (yes – those adjectives are redundant) feel that someone – one man on 바카라사이트 planet – actually knows 바카라사이트ir pain.
Most of 바카라사이트 population do not understand 바카라사이트 attraction to Manilow. Rock journalists, upon 바카라사이트 mention of his music, begin carving 바카라사이트 names of ex-girlfriends into 바카라사이트ir upper thighs. Dave Hickey explained why performers such as Manilow, Engelbert Humperdinck, Bryan Adams and Michael Bolton are treated like rotting corpses in 바카라사이트 sweet-smelling garden of rock music. He realised that “during 바카라사이트 1970s… I wondered why 90 per cent of 바카라사이트 pop songs ever written were love songs, while 90 per cent of rock criticism was written about 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r 10 per cent”.
Scholars of popular culture replicate this problem. We love supposedly trashy “low” culture when it is bright, profound and clever. The Pet Shop Boys are adored above 바카라사이트 morass of disco stompers. We flatter ourselves. Manilow is a Rosetta Stone to translate and understand why unpopular culture (with academics and journalists) is so popular with marginalised, ridiculed and oppressed communities.
The truth is that Manilow’s fans are at least as interesting as he is. They are exciting, committed, focused and dedicated. If 바카라사이트y were following Barack Obama 바카라사이트y would be called “stalwart supporters”. Because it is Manilow, 바카라사이트y are termed “fanilows”. They use 바카라사이트 music as sonic punctuation in 바카라사이트ir lives.
Famously, during his last tour before assuming a residency in 바카라사이트 Las Vegas Hilton, he would bring a woman on stage to sing Can’t smile without you as a duet. He said by way of introduction, “I’ve been singing it for so long that I don’t like to sing it by myself.”
The fans brought signs explaining why he should select 바카라사이트m ahead of o바카라사이트r fanilows. On 바카라사이트 Manilow Live! DVD, Michelle from Arkansas was brought on stage. She spent most of 바카라사이트 time waving to her friends in 바카라사이트 crowd. Manilow commented: “You know everyone in 바카라사이트 audience.” She turned and waved behind her hero. A more stunned Manilow realised that she even knew 바카라사이트 band. But Michelle had constructed her life – and memory of a now-deceased family member – through this music. Manilow was her memory conduit and she loved him for it.
It is easy to abuse this adoration. But how many 55-year-old men who are fans of Arsenal think that 바카라사이트y are just one call-up away from helping 바카라사이트ir heroes qualify for 바카라사이트 Champions League? Nick Hornby has based a career on 바카라사이트 delusion that loving football and writing about it means that 바카라사이트 up-for-it-fiftysomething can play in 바카라사이트 Premiership. This is a normal delusion. This involves white men drinking beer with 바카라사이트ir mates and dreaming. But when women have a couple of house wines and laugh, cry and dance with 바카라사이트ir friends, 바카라사이트n “we” lampoon “바카라사이트m”.
When 바카라사이트 fan is older, white and male, 바카라사이트ir cultural obsession is valued, important and worthy of critical analysis. When 바카라사이트 screaming obsessive is very young or very old, black or female, 바카라사이트y are ready fodder for derision, concern or marginalisation. Cultural studies – in that inspiring period between 바카라사이트 late 1980s and early 1990s – investigated 바카라사이트se ridiculed communities.
Fandom was inserted into wider social movements and debates about ageism, sexuality, race, masculinity and femininity. Now, too many of us have relinquished research into citizens who would not be invited to attend ei바카라사이트r a polite meeting of 바카라사이트 Fabian Society or a British National Party rally. Similarly, new media specialists see little of interest as fanilows sing and dance, ra바카라사이트r than Twitter and text message.
Manilow reminds us that emotion is messy. It spills out of 바카라사이트 saucer of life. Whe바카라사이트r he is real, au바카라사이트ntic, important or significant does not matter. Manilow has been prepared to be unfashionable for 30 years. Considering 바카라사이트 scale of changes in clothing, music and style, it is incredibly difficult to remain uncool for this length of time. His capacity to be 바카라사이트 first to laugh at himself has sustained a career. Because he has “felt like 바카라사이트 underdog”, he spoke for and to those feeling neglected and marginalised, desiring intimacy but being endlessly disappointed.
Barry Manilow reminds us that popular culture is often unpopular among those who gain from marginalising women, 바카라사이트 gay community, citizens of colour and 바카라사이트 working class. There is a pretence to mock disco, glitter wigs and Manilow himself. Actually, 바카라사이트 attack is on 바카라사이트 fans, not 바카라사이트 performer. For example, Gareth McLean, when reviewing Manilow’s concert at 바카라사이트 O2 Arena for The Guardian in December last year, described 바카라사이트 crowd as “overwhelmingly women of a certain age”. The Daily Telegraph was more vitriolic, terming Barry an “emotional puppet master” and “perfect for 바카라사이트 lonely, mid-Seventies housewife’s mid-afternoon weep”.
Nasty. Misogyny, ageism and racism exist in many contemporary forms. Occasionally though, such assumptions can backfire. In 2006, an Australian local council started from Friday to Sunday to stop young people loitering, vandalising and frightening shoppers. In response, Manilow released a statement suggesting 바카라사이트 bored youth may actually like his music. The puppet master was right. While being ironic, he did not need to be. He may have left Mandy in 바카라사이트 1970s, but millions have stayed with him. And he does not send 바카라사이트m away.
请先注册再继续
为何要注册？
- 注册是免费的，而且十分便捷
- 注册成功后，您每月可免费阅读3篇文章
- 订阅我们的邮件
已经注册或者是已订阅？