TIME TO SHATTER SOME MYTHS
Sat. October 18, 2003Categories: Abstract Dynamics
Could things get any more crass?
Ages ago – in internet time; in real time about three months – I was moaning about TV and films’ tendency to lazily appropriate Pop as a period signifier. Tonight I accidentally stumbled across BBC2’s Big Read (yet another one of those TV charts; this time of the British public’s favourite books) which exemplified a related syndrome: here songs were yoked to books whose theme or title they shared. Needless to say, the BBC left no stone turned: nothing was included unless it was completely, totally Obvious. For example:
The Great Gatsby ————— Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’
Great Expectations ————– Billy Joel, ‘Uptown Girl’
1984 —————————— Oakenfold’s ‘Big Brother theme’
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire —- Guess what? Arthur Brown, ‘Fire’
See what I mean? It was so Chris Morris, it’s untrue…
But, just as you’re looking forward to hearing Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights, guess what they play? Marilyn Manson’s ‘The Beautiful People.’
The cross-linking of book to song produced a mutual delibinization in just about every case. Each song was structurally put in the position of bathetically deflating the book, familiarising it through e-z, unthreatening reference.
Stop it!
I’m almost scared to ask but…what did they use for Lord of the Rings?
I can’t remember…. What would you suggest?
For relevance, ‘Ramble On’ by Led Zep, for cheap shots, ‘Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before’ by the smiths
Ha, yes, I like Philip’s second suggestion.