Soc. 118 Media, Culture & Society

1. Soc. 118Media, Culture & Society Chapter 8 The Searchers: Audiences and the Quest for Meaning in Popular Culture

2. Chapter 8:OVERVIEW • Audiences and Meaning • Interpretive Communities • The case of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) • Video Presentations: • “MTV: When Lyrics Attack” • “60 Minutes - Eminem's Incredible Rise to Stardom” • The Changing Significance of Popular Culture • Popular Culture and the Search for Authenticity • Adventures in the Quest for Meaning

3. Audiences and Meaning • Does culture shape or reflect society? • Debates about the value or harm of popular culture • Controversies over explicit content • Concern about effects • Conflicts over ideology, values • Part of the culture wars • Is meaning imposed on audiences? • Interpretation

4. Audiences and Meaning • Interpretive communities • Personal thoughts, emotions • Common background • Shared worldview • Variety of different interpretations possible • Examples: • Focus: • How audiences attribute meaning and interpret culture • Example:

5. Born down in a dead man's townThe first kick I took was when I hit the groundYou end up like a dog that's been beat too much'Til you spend half your life just covering up[chorus:]Born in the U.S.A., born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A., born in the U.S.A.I got in a little hometown jamAnd so they put a rifle in my handsSent me off to VietnamTo go and kill the yellow man[chorus]Come back home to the refineryHiring man says "Son if it was up to me"I go down to see the V.A. manHe said "Son don't you understand" [chorus] I had a buddy at Khe SahnFighting off the Viet CongThey're still there, he's all goneHe had a little girl in SaigonI got a picture of him in her arms[chorus] Down in the shadow of the penitentiaryOut by the gas fires of the refineryI'm ten years down the roadNowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to goI'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen“Born in the U.S.A.”

6. Industry Regulation:The Case of the PMRC • Concerns about graphic images and explicit lyrics • Heavy metal, rap • Glorifies violence, drugs, sex, suicide • List of artists and songs • Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) • Senate hearings in 1985 • Expert witnesses • Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) • Musicians • Results in “Parental Advisory” stickers • Industry self-regulation • Avoid fines or censorship • Impacts sales

7. Video Presentation: "MTV: When Lyrics Attack"“60 Minutes – Eminem’s Incredible Rise to Stardom"

8. Meaning of genres can shift over time Reconsideration of art forms and artists Transformation in value, respect Historical factors leading to changes Case Study: Film (1960s--) Seen as lower class in 1930s TV in 1940-50s made film seem more sophisticated New educated middle class seeking entertainment Academy Awards for achievement Film studies at universities The Changing Meaning of Popular Culture • Auteur theory • Film festivals • Film criticism • U.S. national film registry • Case Study: Rock Music (1980s--) • Grammy Awards categories • Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame • Rock journalism • Rolling Stone’s rock canon (top 500) • Rhetoric used for other art forms • Academic study of rock music • Publications, conferences, rebuttals • The next genre?

9. Adventures in the Quest for Meaning Postmodern audiences seek something new Hybrid products Mix of cultures to create new possibilities Examples: Myles Davis – jazz, funk, psychedelic Bob Dylan – folk to electric Beastie Boys or Chili Peppers – funk, punk, rap, hard rock Kid Rock – heavy metal, R & B, rap, country Other examples of hybridity in pop culture? Irony and humor Camp Tribute bands Song parodies Other examples: Cult movies