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My esteemed colleague, R.U. Sirius, has referred to modern culture as being akin to a wave. We  surf
this wave, the tides of trend, fashion, and occasionally substance.While this is a beautiful metaphor it calls up fantastic images in my head I think I have to disagree. Modculture, to me, is more like a sharp knife. It’s used to hack the bones from tradition, to surgically remove the outdated bits of society. And, occasionally, it cuts those who wield it. Ask Cobain. Ask Basquiat. But, really, would we have it any other way, in this dark-toned world we live in? Art has always been about the frightening, the grotesque, the revolting. We can trace these impulses back all the way to Grendel’s mother, coming out of her cave to battle Beowülf. We scapegoat our fears onto the boogeymen we generate in our creative work and, in doing so, alleviate some of the power of those fears. We are cavemen, peering out past the edge of the fire and making up stories about what we imagine that we see there. The brave tell stories about what they see out in the darkness; the cowards are the ones who insist that there is no darkness, and turn their faces from it. These people, these cowards, are the ones who do not understand that there is no light without the darkness, no Heaven without a Hell, no good without evil. And they are the ones who are the greatest enemies of modernity, because it is rarely pretty and never safe here on the knife’s edge. We live in what may turn out to be a crucial time for the future of humanity’s right to express itself without censorship. The political and moral currents in America these days are extremely conservative. Weak-minded politicans simper about returning to a "kinder, gentler" time; religious zealots burn rock stars (figuratively) in effigy, and it is generally a dangerous time for those people who refuse to limit themselves. Unfortunately, there are too many artists out there who are censoring themselves, before the moral majority (who, as Zappa rightly pointed out, are neither) get ahold of them. I find that almost as repulsive as the external censorship: it shows weakness of character. Our illustrious president has the audacity to berate the fashion industry for creating styles which glamorize darkness. The fashion industry (or at least a part of it) capitulates instantly, agreeing that yes, they’re wrong, and they’ll fix it. Why? I can’t remember the last time I heard Todd Oldham or Calvin Klein get up and deliver a speech on how to cut the deficit, or how to deal with affirmative action. It’s not their job. And, similarly, it is not President Clinton’s job to define modern fashion, and a good thing too I think we’ve all seen how the man dresses. We spend far too much time trying to justify ourselves to soulless political pundits and witless religious leaders who, quite frankly, are just not going to get it. I don’t expect Jesse Helms to understand Robert Mapplethorpe, and no one else should either, because the man is incapable of being taught the value of art. Trying to explain the artistic value of a Tarantino movie to Bob Dole is like trying to teach a rhesus monkey to play Quake. Why do we insist on these explanations? Do we expect the conservatives to be proud of us? Never explain; never apologize. We don't need approval from these people. They certainly don't have ours. I expect that we’ll take a lot of heat for this magazine. In fact, I hope so. I love a good fight. I’ve been told by people that the majority of Americans won’t get what we’re doing. The majority of Americans will dislike it or even hate it. My answer is: good. I’m going to be very blunt here, because I feel that I have to be: I don’t care. I don’t care what the majority of Americans like or dislike. The majority of Americans are bland, tasteless cretins who haven’t had an original idea since the beginning of the Cold War. The majority of Americans watch the same idiotic sitcoms, listen to the same idiotic music, wear the same idiotic clothing. We, the purveyors of modern culture, are tired of being blamed for your problems. Quentin Tarantino is not responsible for violence: stupid people are. Marilyn Manson does not cause teenage suicide: the neglect of parents does. Lest we forget it, there have been an incalculable number of people killed in the name of Jesus Christ these past couple of millenia. Quentin Tarantino can't even compare with the Bible in terms of body count. But no one tries to censor it, do they? The world's problems are mostly caused by stupidity and stupidity, unfortunately, crosses every boundary of race, religion, and creed. If you’re offended by anything you see here, then leave. That’s all: just leave. Don’t send me any e-mail about how you don’t like it: I don’t care and I won’t respond. Don’t call your Congressman: he can’t do anything to me and I’ll just laugh at him anyway. Don’t go off and make speeches about the "decay of America’s moral fiber", because you’ll simply be showing your naïvete to the world. America has no moral fiber. Accept that and go on with your life. But if you’re open-minded, if you’re interesting, if you’re ready to look out past the dull light of humanity’s campfire to the mystery beyond, then I welcome you. You’re the ones we’re here for; you’re the ones who are going to shape the world. Hope you enjoy the show. Joshua Ellis, Editor June 1997 Los Angeles, CA |
