The Nirvana Era

The Nirvana Era [+ favourites]

I have begun to firmly believe that popculture from the 90s onwards has been one of the worst periods of the last 100 years. We are all witnesses to a generation of people who have sourced almost all their art from previous artists with little to no originality. This "canned" entertainment has begun to reach its saturation point, similar I believe, to the period right near the end of the 80s. The 80s had wonderful music but popculture was truly beginning to be monpolized by manufactured talent and by the end of the 80s people were no longer eating up the concept of happy superficiality.

So we digressed into a state of pop-chaos where boybands and pretty girls didn't run the show: It was the grunge era where depression and suicide was far cooler than dressing like a slut.

Of course, this in itself is a form of conformity but is likely healthier than holding onto the belief that everything is just peachy.

I believe now that a similar thing will happen quite soon... people will reach the saturation point of soul-lessness and it will implode on itself. Suddenly, talking about your gold chains and dancing like a hooker will be the object of mockery and people admitting they "are unhappy" will be the new pop-phenom. I'm sure this sort of thing is cyclic in that it happened in the 60s and the 70s, and it seems we are nearing our time too.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

I have to agree, with one a minor modification: I see the rot as starting earlier, perhaps in the sixties. That said, we certainly seem to have reached the nadir. Whether it is a jaundiced world view or not, post-modern culture, post-modern imagination, seems to me to be terribly and insurmountably impoverished.

Well, as I said, I think the rot is cyclical... I believe it happened before the hippie era and then the hippie era was very similar to our own Nirvana era in that people rejected what was previously cool and wanted to grasp a deeper meaning of life. It is also marked by rebellion.

So if everything was cheezy and controlled in the 50s, by the 60s and early 70s people exploded in rebellion during Nam. Then during the 70s popculture again degraded into "coolness" and in the 80s it was full swing. Early nineties was another explosion, but still a somewhat controlled one. Then the government and pop tried to gain control and right now they control everything.

Of course there's a deeper sociology to it... I'm sure there's an underlying rot that is also building up but I don't think that as a society that will explode anytime soon. People are just too self-interested.

I'm speaking mainly about the superficial rebellion towards superficial happiness. Things are just too superficial right now, so the bubble will burst soon.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

What's interesting to note, for me at least, is the time frame in which these bursts occur. I speculate that as humans grow closer to one another(as a whole) and adopt similarities from eachother, these bursts occur more frequently and more intensely.

The one on the rise is the most significant and society altering influence to date.

"I am Akba-Atatdia"

Actually my favourite albums were created in the 90's,.Of course most ideas are recycled and packaged as new but every new idea in general is built on someone elses ideas. Everybody is standing on the shoulders of giants!

As long as there is teenagers manufactured music will exist. It's supply and demand.The demand will always be there. Disposable and accessible, the perfect combination.

I don't think music necessarily works in cycles, at least not in strict ones anyway. For instance nothing will ever have the same impact as punk had. All rock and roll is a form of rebellion though I suppose. It has been said time and again that it's dead but until there is a worthy replacement it won't die.

I think you're generalizing and dilluting the point...

Rock and punk is bullshit now. Nothing is rebellious... All punk and rock is manufactured to look rebellious.

The entire point is that there is no genuine rebellion anymore. And this, as I believe it did in the past, will eventually explode.

Humans may be stupid and gullible but over time some part of them that knows they are being screwed puts its foot down.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

Okay, the music industry is full of superficiality. What's the solution? This seems to be a problem of education or is it common sense?

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."