Music Thread: This Is America (NSFW)

[Symmetry]

What do you think?

This is America by Childish Gambino:

[saxitoxin]

The first thing that comes to mind is fat. No, I didn't misspell phat.

Honestly, he doesn't have the body to pull the video off. He either needs to do the video fully clothed, maybe in a burka or something, or don't do the video and just release a single.

Some celebrities are just very ... cherubic. Adrian Grenier is another one. While everyone else in Hollywood was doing coke, Adrian Grenier was doing cake.

I also find that his head is extremely large which is distracting because - as he's dancing - I keep thinking he might topple over. He reminds me of Diego Luna in Milk. Diego Luna actually seems to have a pretty normal sized head but, in Milk, it looked weirdly giant for some reason; possibly because of the bad wig he was wearing. I used to be Team Garcia but I've been Team Luna since Gael Garcia Bernal started to be massively overexposed. So I can say that about Diego Luna without being biased. In fact, I'll miss Diego Luna's performances once The Wall has been built, but we all have to sacrifice something, I guess.

So, to summarize: fat, Adrian Grenier, Build the Wall.

[mrswdk]

I think this video is very American:



He likes gold and mostly finds himself talking about how much he likes gold.

[thegreekdog]

Is this a preview for the new Black Mirror season?

I do like the song...



Although I did feel a little like...

[Symmetry]

There's a new season of Black Mirror?

[TA1LGUNN3R]

I thought one of the dancing girls was pretty hot.

Also, Danny Glover moves like a puppet and makes weird faces.

[Symmetry]

I thought one of the dancing girls was pretty hot.

Also, Danny Glover moves like a puppet and makes weird faces.

I think that's part of the satire- acting all comic and then breaking that perception.

[TA1LGUNN3R]

I thought one of the dancing girls was pretty hot.

Also, Danny Glover moves like a puppet and makes weird faces.

I think that's part of the satire- acting all comic and then breaking that perception.

Yes, i anticipate your upcoming 12-page breakdown on the meaning of symbolism used in Catcher in the Rye.

Maybe he's just a weird guy. Nothing bad about that.

[Symmetry]

I thought one of the dancing girls was pretty hot.

Also, Danny Glover moves like a puppet and makes weird faces.

I think that's part of the satire- acting all comic and then breaking that perception.

Yes, i anticipate your upcoming 12-page breakdown on the meaning of symbolism used in Catcher in the Rye.

Maybe he's just a weird guy. Nothing bad about that.

I've never really been that interested in Catcher in the Rye. What is about the book that attracts people, gunner?

That said, I thought it was kind of an obvious point- he does the weird dancing then immediately undercuts it, and the music changes.

It's not rocket surgery, TG.

[TA1LGUNN3R]

Let no one ever accuse you of not being coy, sym.

[Symmetry]

Let no one ever accuse you of not being coy, sym.

I doubt that anyone has ever been accused of "not being coy", so I reckon that's gonna be pretty easy.

[thegreekdog]

There's a new season of Black Mirror?

I really hope so. It's probably my favorite show.

This video seemed a ham-fisted attempt at symbolism, but the song was quite good.

[mrswdk]

I didn't really like either. Just mumbling nonsense. Might as well listen to a Lil Xan track.

[thegreekdog]

I didn't really like either. Just mumbling nonsense. Might as well listen to a Lil Xan track.

Oh, I should be clear - I didn't listen to or understand the words.

[mrswdk]

I guess it's listenable, in that sense. I just laughed when the BBC described it as saying 'something so important'. I don't think it's saying anything at all.

[thegreekdog]

I guess it's listenable, in that sense. I just laughed when the BBC described it as saying 'something so important'. I don't think it's saying anything at all.

Probably because it's Donald Glover. There are plenty of other musicians who make more subtle and more effective attempts at social commentary. A lot of media people are fellating Glover over the video like it's some kind of wondrous social commentary.

[mrswdk]

It reminds me of a visit I once went on to an art school, where we were invited to analyze a painting of two people sat by a window and come up with all kinds of statements like 'the man is younger, and has a cat on his lap, which appears to be making him more uncomfortable than his friend, but he leaves it there anyway, which is a commentary on the materialism of younger generations'. Could the artist have just painted the guy with a cat on his lap? No, if you think that you are obviously not deep enough to comprehend art.

Childish Gambino is holding a gun, and is black, and keeps saying 'America' - OMGZ it's the video society needs right now! So deep!

[thegreekdog]

It reminds me of a visit I once went on to an art school, where we were invited to analyze a painting of two people sat by a window and come up with all kinds of statements like 'the man is younger, and has a cat on his lap, which appears to be making him more uncomfortable than his friend, but he leaves it there anyway, which is a commentary on the materialism of younger generations'. Could the artist have just painted the guy with a cat on his lap? No, if you think that you are obviously not deep enough to comprehend art.

Childish Gambino is holding a gun, and is black, and keeps saying 'America' - OMGZ it's the video society needs right now! So deep!

I suppose Donald Glover's attempts at social whatever could work. But I suspect that the people that are already in favor of cops not killing innocent black people aren't to be more in favor of that and people that are okay with cops killing innocent black people aren't going to say "Hey, Donald Glover is right!" People are already well aware of the issue so calling attention to it is probably 5 years too late. But whatever, I like the hook and I look forward to his portrayal of Lando Calrissian.

[Neoteny]

You can still do social commentary after the fact or just for the sake of art or for a variety of reasons. There's nothing wrong with that, if tgd's read was even what he was going for, which I don't think it was.

I think the easy read on the video is pretty simply that we have these cultural memes that land front and center that are (intentionally probably, but even if not) distracting from these issues that, by the way, have not gone away despite everyone being aware of them for "five years" (haha). He's doing these dance moves that have recent resonance over the backdrop of unrest which mirrors our current media intake. And that's just a baseline read from a biologist. One could be forgiven for not knowing the dance moves if you're old, but it doesn't really change the read. There's probably some subtext of minstrelsy too? And a Michael Jackson reference? There's a lot going on and it's fun to look at.

It's not necessarily groundbreaking commentary, but it's polished and presented dramatically. It's easy to see the appeal. I'm not exactly a spring chicken either, so most media isn't for me and I don't know how "the youth" is responding to it, but I think it's done well.

Art criticism can feel like droning sometimes but we're talking about pop culture here. Nobody should be praising this as high art, but it is art and can be interpreted if one is so inclined. There's nothing wrong with that either.

[mrswdk]

I feel like if he was really trying to say any of that he'd just do it in a way that's clear, rather than making a weird video that has been interpreted in 1,000,000 different ways already.

He probably just realized that if he put a bunch of black people, some police and some guns, everyone would jerk themselves senseless about how relevant and woke he is without even questioning it.

Like all the people piling onto white girls who have dreads or wear qipao for 'cultural appropriation', because they heard that's the latest way to prove how forward thinking you are.

[Neoteny]

There's no obligation to be clear. It's a music video, not a history thesis. I mean, I think it's clear, but it doesn't need to be. It mostly just sounds like you aren't getting what you want out of it. Which is fine. If it's not for you it's not for you. And if you're the sort to get wound up about tumblr nerds, there's probably not a lot for you.

[Symmetry]

There's a old quote that goes something like "writing about art is like dancing about architecture". I don't really agree, but there is a fair point in that.

It's interesting that some folk are so quick to dismiss it as a subject of conversation, and for weird reasons.

Mrsdwk- you say that because it was questioned and discussed by millions of people, it's not being questioned? That's an odd take.

[Neoteny]

[2dimes]

If I had saxibucks I'd award several of them for bringing that.

[thegreekdog]

There's a old quote that goes something like "writing about art is like dancing about architecture". I don't really agree, but there is a fair point in that.

It's interesting that some folk are so quick to dismiss it as a subject of conversation, and for weird reasons.

Mrsdwk- you say that because it was questioned and discussed by millions of people, it's not being questioned? That's an odd take.

I thought about this editorial when I read your post.

https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/5/ ... er-replace