Cute Overloaded

I recently read an article in the December issue of Vanity Fair--Edward Cullen was on the cover and I couldn't resist.  The article, "Addicted To Cute" by contributing editor Jim Windolf, takes a look at how cute is taking over popular culture.

An article in 1940 by ethnologist Konrad Lorenz stated that evolutionarily speaking, we’re more compelled to care for things that are cute—big head, big eyes, round face—it makes the mamma/papa complex kick in.  It also tends to make things that are not pleasant at all suddenly palatable; such as GEICO’s gecko who was much more reptilian when it first debuted in 1999.  Now the gecko became cuter, more debonair with a English accent, and a total advertising hit.  Same thing happened with Mickey Mouse.  As Disney become more successful, the mouse went from a scrawny rodent to the large headed character we know today.

Social misery and cutness have always been linked.  Take for instance, Japanese culture since the 1950’s.  It’s inundated with Hello Kitty, kawaii culture, and manga comics.  A theory on why cute is just so damn popular in Japan is that after the emasculation of WWII, Japan positioned itself as the non-threatening and bumbling “little brother” who needs protection more than anything else.

During the 8 years that Bush Jr. was in office, America went from being viewed as the world protector to aggressor.  Now it seems, America is in on the cute wave too.  Our new president’s face has graced pajamas called Ojamas and Ty Girlz have made dolls after the first-daughters until Michelle raised a complaint…now their names have been switched from “Marvelous Mahlia” and “Sweet Sasha” to “Marvelous Mariah” and “Sweet Sydney”.

Cars are cuter, YouTube’s Hahaha video is one of the most watched clips ever, Cute Overload website gets over 100,000 hits a day, and even bands are getting cuter; such as Weezer or Cute Is What We Aim For out of Buffalo.  Seemingly over the myth of the “tortured artist”, the deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, and Elliot Smith are now viewed with something more akin to pity than awe.   

With all this cuteness floating around, America is apparently saying, “Please like us again.  We’re not out to hunt terrorists, we’re out to have fun!”  I think we’re all over the doom and gloom and yeah, totally ready to have fun before the next round of catastrophy happens...
the Reign of Buttercup Sprinkles

Doc Ellis

I just began reading Austin music writer Thomas Fawcett's blog after hearing his Texas Soul Round-Up on Texas Music Matters.  I really love his writing and the subjects he writes about are great...such as the story about Doc Ellis.  In 1970 Doc pitched a no-hitter baseball game on acid.  The video that Thomas posted is fabulous and now I'll halt any attempt to botch the story up myself and re-post the video.
The Corner blog.


And now he's become a cult hero and star of many a song.

Newly Designed Piano

British musician, Geoff Smith, has recently redesigned a key instrument in western classical composition, the piano. Ten years in the making, this purely acoustic instrument introduces microtonal tuning capabilities on each note, so that they can all be altered while being played. No longer restricted to western tonal systems, the Fluid Piano can now be inserted into musical compositions of different cultures that use more microtonal based scales.
Guardian video clip of newly designed piano

Introductions

I feel that introductions are in order.

This is Conner, me, and Dan and we're about to set out on a year-long road trip across America to study 6 types of American music in May 2010.  We have a bit of time before we go and right now we're doing a ton of research, grant writing, and planning which goes back and forth from being terribly exciting and awfully intimidating.  Conner plays bass, Dan plays drums, and I write.  It'll be the three of us living out of a 1954 Chevy for a whole year studying Native American music, Blues, Country, Electronica, Latin, and Jazz music.