Weird convergence of interests
Aug. 15th, 2019 11:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
between_time_and_42One of my favorite bands (though I rarely talk about them) is R.E.M. They have a song called "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" which contains the following lyric: "Richard said withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy." Now, R.E.M. is known for having obscure lyrics and making vague references, and this line falls under the "vague reference" category. It refers to Richard Linklater, one of my favorite filmmakers, and his debut film, Slacker. The scene from Slacker in question shows a woman offering cards with strange sayings on them to a man, and the one that he selects reads, "Withdrawing in disgust is not the same thing as apathy." Ergo, "Richard said 'Withdrawal in disgust is not the same as apathy.'"
But wait... what are those strange cards, and why do they say what they say? I was pretty excited to hear them referred to directly by name in the film. The cards are called Oblique Strategies. They were devised as a tool for creative persons (specifically musicians) to help encourage their productivity or take them in a new direction when stumped. Other cards have sayings like "Repetition is a form of change," "Honor thy error as a hidden intention," or shorter, more oblique (hehe) sayings such as "Use filters" and my personal favorite, "Water." My father has a set of Oblique Strategies, which I enjoyed looking at long before I knew what they were for. And now there's an app for that.
So, who created Oblique Strategies and why is it significant? The masterminds behind these cards are visual artist Peter Schmidt, and musician Brian Eno- the latter of whom I became familiar with through his production work on several U2 albums and his collaborations with David Byrne (U2 and David Byrne being two of my favorite musicians, though not to imply U2 is one musician). However, I was first introduced to Brian Eno through my father, who played me some of his bizarre solo albums as a child. As an adult, I came to love some of his less-bizarre work, with Another Green World being a highlight, and Music For Airports being my go-to study music. Brian Eno is one of my most highly-regarded musicians, and a shoo-in for my fictional "musical dream team." That is, if I could form a hypothetical band with anyone, I'd want Brian Eno to be in it.
Does this mean that the line in "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" should be "Eno said withdrawing in disgust is not the same as apathy?" Well, no... because apparently, the "withdrawing in disgust" card wasn't actually an official Oblique Strategy, instead it was likely created by Richard Linklater specifically for Slacker. The more you know.
I tried to embed the video but sharing doesn't seem to be working on YouTube for whatever reason, so here is a link to the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWBS0dTpWUM
But wait... what are those strange cards, and why do they say what they say? I was pretty excited to hear them referred to directly by name in the film. The cards are called Oblique Strategies. They were devised as a tool for creative persons (specifically musicians) to help encourage their productivity or take them in a new direction when stumped. Other cards have sayings like "Repetition is a form of change," "Honor thy error as a hidden intention," or shorter, more oblique (hehe) sayings such as "Use filters" and my personal favorite, "Water." My father has a set of Oblique Strategies, which I enjoyed looking at long before I knew what they were for. And now there's an app for that.
So, who created Oblique Strategies and why is it significant? The masterminds behind these cards are visual artist Peter Schmidt, and musician Brian Eno- the latter of whom I became familiar with through his production work on several U2 albums and his collaborations with David Byrne (U2 and David Byrne being two of my favorite musicians, though not to imply U2 is one musician). However, I was first introduced to Brian Eno through my father, who played me some of his bizarre solo albums as a child. As an adult, I came to love some of his less-bizarre work, with Another Green World being a highlight, and Music For Airports being my go-to study music. Brian Eno is one of my most highly-regarded musicians, and a shoo-in for my fictional "musical dream team." That is, if I could form a hypothetical band with anyone, I'd want Brian Eno to be in it.
Does this mean that the line in "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" should be "Eno said withdrawing in disgust is not the same as apathy?" Well, no... because apparently, the "withdrawing in disgust" card wasn't actually an official Oblique Strategy, instead it was likely created by Richard Linklater specifically for Slacker. The more you know.
I tried to embed the video but sharing doesn't seem to be working on YouTube for whatever reason, so here is a link to the scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWBS0dTpWUM
