Comments on: Do The Warhol—Part 3: The Velvet (Underground) Revolution

By: FigJam

FigJam — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:08:19 +0000

I was one of those thousand who bought VU's first album (still have it, by the way!), but I never either formed a band or became a music critic….What's wrong with me!

By: astorian

astorian — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:35:12 +0000

I think it would be more accurate to say, "Only a thousand people bought the Velvet Underground's records, but every one of those thousand people became a music critic."

By: Mike

Mike — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:31:40 +0000

And the Monkees debut was a full year before VU.

By: Carlton

Carlton — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:31:04 +0000

I am so glad to have read this column, but there's something you should have pointed out. On the fifth of november in Prauge premieres a film that has me salivating and that I would do anything to see, staring an extraordinary czech actor named Krystof Hadek, 3 sezony v pekle-Three seasons in hell-based partially on the life of Egon Bondy, his early years in the late forties when communism was first installed in Czechoslovakia, financed as a czech-slovak-german-polish production, I believe Hadek has said that Bondy-or at least the character based on Bondy, his name in the film is Ivan Heinz-was somewhat naive for believing that a libertarian marxism was possible. Do you have any idea if this film is going to get a national distribution in the US?. I think it'll get to New York and LA for oscar consideration, but what about the rest of us, I so do want to see this film.

By: Frances

Frances — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:31:04 +0000

Absolutely. That is the simplest and most effective way we can combat the Liberal ideology. We need to show people that 'free love' and 'free lunch' don't make YOU free. We have to expose the lies that Capitalism makes you a slave to the man and Collectivism makes everyone equal. Even if that were true, it would make us all equally poor. The average American Idol fan isn't using a tenth of their brain cells. We have to address the othe 90% on a subliminal level to get through the haze of pop culture.
Start simple – Liberty and individuality – and build from there.

By: funkybunch

funkybunch — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:29:00 +0000

that is beautiful. we should all be proud for our individuality. be the best czech you an be, and i'll be the best irish and polish i can be. wouldn't it be a wonderful world full of interesting people. that's what i think conservativism demands of us.

By: ChronicPaine

ChronicPaine — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:08:06 +0000

I think the secret is to simply create entertainment that respects and exalts the average American, or, in passe liberal parlance "the common man". By simply extolling common virtues in a present-day context, all the excesses of celebrity culture (and just about every liberal-chic cause) is made to look silly and trivial. Enough of this and the whole house of cards comes down. It's called "exposing reality."

Mike Judge's new animated series The Goode Family is a start, although politically speaking Judge takes a more direct approach by simply poking fun at liberal causes and the people who obsess over them. But the Goode's black neighbor and Ms. Goode's SUV-driving, meat-eating, football-loving, father provide counterpoint. Those characters are merely one-dimensional foils and don't even challenge the "Joe Sixpack" stereotype nurtured and sustained by liberals–yet even they manage to make the case for sanity when contrasted against The Goodes' not atypical environuttiness.

By: CrisD

CrisD — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 11:59:27 +0000

I am reading this series intently but as I said before, I do not follow the thread of conversation afterward well. I can only make this assessment so far:

I think that the best example of a counterpoint to pop-culture is in advertisements. This is where our culture "buys" product and BELIEVES it looks at itself in the mirror, thus "buying" itself. Among other things products are sexualized. Popular music is applied to reach a demographic.
Ads are more important than the 30 minute sit-coms (if you do not take into account product placement.) The show only has to attract the audience while the ads do the work of selling the culture.

By: Tennessee_Jed

Tennessee_Jed — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:23:18 +0000

"Between Thought and Expression, lies a lifetime." – The Velvet Underground. "I'll Be Your Mirror" is a great song. I still love the original version with Nico. Your point, of course, is much larger than my comments. Bravo, Scott

By: StanH

StanH — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:02:35 +0000

A brilliant essay, thought provoking indeed. In my mind conservatism means freedom that should be the inspiration.