Papa's Got a Brand New Bag!

My morning drives to school can be some of my most productive "me" time. This quality time with self is characterized by whatever music happens to be gracing the radio waves and of course the entertainment of the meat-head motorists who travel the same route everyday but still do not know which lane they need to be in to make their exit. This morning, Tuesday March 20, I was pleased to hear our local classic rock station, KZ-106, play an Aerosmith tune, which, for me, represents an original work. Steven Tyler definitely possesses a unique set of vocal chords that seem to have fallen from the musical heavens. I feel he is one of many old-school rockers who continues to pump out some highly creative tuneage. But are they original?

Last night's discussion of Lanham and the issue of originality in one's work really got the rusty wheels turning. In fact, it has stopped me in my tracks. What does this mean for future authors/creators? I had to ask myself if I have succumbed to the sloth-like tentacles of apathy and have relinquished any and all creative originality in favor of revamping old works and presenting them instead as a polished, stylistic uniqueness that is "mine, all mine" (read in your best Stewie voice). I feel the music world, like shaking the plastic, answer-filled, eight-ball, provides us with all of life's daunting and seemingly unanswerable questions. What does the music world contend is the future of originality? Let's shake it and see!

When ADELE hit the boob-tube several years ago with her single "Chasing Pavements", she exploded onto the scene with a whole new look (not starving, stick-insect, model-type who needs to eat a boatload of Twinkies) and a whole new voice (Etta James kicks the s@*t out of The Cure and steals their vibes). Considering I am able to make any connections to past works/artists, is ADELE original?

  What about pop icons such as Madonna and Michael Jackson? Historically speaking, they are considered two of the most original musical talents to have ever graced the pages of Rolling Stone mag. Madonna has tirelessly reinvented herself over-and-over to represent the current goings-on in her personal life as well as mimic any social movements that might be taking place at that time. Ranging from angsty teen to earth mother to hip hop, digital pimp-ess, Madonna has run the gambit expanding the musical world and moulding it into her creative playground.

Michael Jackson provided listeners and viewers with a completely different perspective of rock music. He journeyed deep into the introspective locales of his mind to bring his fans a level of creativity that continues to puzzle critics and pushes the boundaries of musical talent. Theatrical in nature, Jackson's videos and music bring a unique element to the table. But what about singer/songwriters such as Bjork who also create theatrical works? Who is the original?

Let's shake the musical ball once more. Fast-forward to the current episode of American Idol, which ironically has Steven Tyler sitting in as one of the judges. Phillip Phillips (damn his parents!) is not crazy good but kuh-ray-zee good! I am pretty sure his mother belongs in the Guinness Book of World records since she gave birth to him and his guitar. His stage presence commands respect as do his voice and appendage-like guitar. From the moment he steps onto stage, grips the mic, and opens his mouth--your ass belongs to Phillips as well as your soul. If I were a DJ playing any number of his tunes, I would be thankful that radio is an auditory medium only because I would jump outta my seat sending my chair flying across the room and dance until I look like I just competed in a Flash Dance contest (minus the horrible leg warmers and head band). Phillips is what happens when Dave Matthews and James Brown are tossed into a musical blender and poured into a glass served to Tom Waits who then responds, "Hot damn! Papa's Got A Brand New Bag!"

Indeed he does.

Let's ponder once more the notion of originality. Does it exist? Or like a song that has been remade 3,000 times too many (thank you Beatles for "Yesterday") are artists/authors left to build their creativity on an already established foundation? To answer this question, I leave you with this song...

Music in the making

Richard Lanham discusses in chapter 30 of the Handa book the state of music and its evolutionary path concerning what constitutes real music, how these changes affect copyright, and the notion of public and private performance. This is only a small portion of the chapter, but a very important topic in my world. During my journey through undergrad, I took a class taught by Richard Winham on music. He posed an interesting question, and I cannot remember it verbatim, but he essentially asked us if we thought music could still be considered authentic music if no instruments were used in the making? Lanham is basically getting at the same question only he focuses more on the issues concerning copyright just as the copyright on print media is rock-solid the introduction of digital texts also introduces issues with authorship and copyright. In answer to both Lanham and Winham, I feel music and texts are only as authentic as the composer and author want them to be. For example, many new "musicians" are creating music digitally without the augmentation of actual instruments. Is this still considered music? I think music is music whether it is created using a trash can and a wooden spoon or a $2000 mac. However, I prefer the tangibility and connectedness experienced when seated in front of a group of folks jamming out with various instruments. I have been a loyal listener of Nine Inch Nails since high school and have no issues with Trent Reznor's use of digital instruments.

But if given the choice, I would much rather rock with Aerosmith and their acoustic/electric old-school ways.

I feel text is in the same boat. Multimedia and digital text certainly have their place, but books will always possess a certain tangibility, authenticity, and realness for lack of a better word.

But what about the shift in music performance from the public to the private? Lanham feels concerning music "to replay it at home is as 'authentic' as to replay it in a concert hall" (463). Hmmm...I'm afraid I disagree to an extent with that statement. I see where Lanham is going, but I'm afraid there is a huge difference in jamming out at home in your garage or house to a set of speakers muscled by a computer than to the raw, emotionally driven, sensory overloading experience of a live performance. Maybe I am missing the point, but Lanham apparently has not been to a concert in a while. My last concert was A Perfect Circle in Nashville and holy moly those guys rocked the house. Sitting at Starbucks with my little, white earbuds cranking out to the best of their ability "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" just doesn't have quite the same effect.

So, again I feel tangibility, the emotional connectivity experienced by the reader or listener will always win.

Copyright is last on the to-do list. What does one make of it? Is it an issue in the digital world? Returning to my previous statement, "I feel music and texts are only as authentic as the composer and author want them to be"; if one wants to establish authority and concrete validity in one's work, don't publish on the web or create music from digital snippets or music creating software. I think each world, print and digital, have their uses and to expect the rules of each to be completely compatible is futile or naive at best.

Bernhardt and Bike Magazine

In case you haven't noticed, I am a mountain biker. I have been riding and racing bikes since I was 17 years-old. My favorite rag is BIKE magazine. It is HIGHLY, visually stimulating with photos that make you want to pack your bags and hit the trails. I continue to subscribe to their print mag, but in an effort to stay alive BIKE mag has found a spot in cyberspace offering the same vibrant pics, mind-shreddin' articles, and a layout that keeps the reader moving from page-to-page as fluidly as your bicycle flowing along a beautiful, sinewy piece of single-track heaven.

Just like its print counterpart, the cyber-version offers much of the same info. (Bear in mind there is an online version that is identical to the print version, however, the website contains much of the same info., but with up-to-date news added as well as a forum or two.) Notice the "cover article" in the black box just below the tabs and heading followed by subsequent articles below.

All advertisements are placed along the right-hand side on every page. This is an example of Bernhardt's Modular Text with all of the "modules" containing articles, photos, or ads. What I like most about this web-based text is that all of the "pages" are laid out exactly the same. This allows the reader to quickly locate whatever s/he is looking for. Notice the section below labeled "PHOTOS" looks the same as the "HOME" page above.

This is an example of an Interactive Text allowing the reader to choose where to go next and not just within the BIKE mag website. The reader can load photos to his/her Facebook page or Twitter account and journey to YouTube and various other interactive sites. The reader can also watch imbedded videos and travel from page-to-page based on the image chosen.

Should the reader decide to "read" an article; s/he is met with a barrage of photos and very little text reinforcing the new digital media literacy we have been studying. We are not just reading text any more. We are "reading" images along with text to create a story.

The cyber articles still rely on the same layout as the print version with a title or heading followed with the by-line. The difference being the narration is done by the text and the photos. It is impossible to have one without the other. The print version of BIKE mag has a great deal of photos as well so the transition from print to an online version is easy.

Since you most likely have no idea who you are looking at...Tinker Juarez (the hispanic dude with the long hair), is training to race an endurance race. He is "training" with his teammates and is one of only a few veteran riders to have remained with the main sponsor he started out with many moons ago. Tinker has been racing with Team Cannondale for as long as I can remember. He is truly an amazing rider and anyone reading these mags knows his story. So "reading" these images has real meaning for cyclists the world over due to the legacy of pro cyclists such as Tinker. (I got to hold his bike for him once in Arizona at the port-o-potties! I felt so privileged! What a goober...I know.)

Just in case you didn't catch it, the author is also the photographer signaling a shift in emphasis from writer to photojournalist. It seems the ability to tell a story is no longer done with words but with pictures. Although the shift from creative writing to narrative images may seem to be a "dumbing down" of one's storytelling abilities, I assure you it is not. Next time, see how well you do to convey a particular message with images and present them to total strangers and see what kind of response you get. You will be surprised. Even these training images seem overly simplistic, but each one adds another piece to the puzzle until you finally get this...

Then it all becomes clear. Each rider's stats are being monitored for improvement. Cycling has become a highly technological industry just like the automotive and computer industries.

Bernhardt presents Hierarchical, Layered, Embedded Text as one of the distinctions, but I found traces of this in BIKE mag online as well. There are smaller hypertext that take the reader to contact info. or to other pages within this site. This is distinguished from the rest of the text with tiny, blue font while the remaining text ranges from large to medium with black font. Regardless, there is a distinct hierarchy signaled by font size and color that leads the reader's eyes across and down the "pages" as is desired by the designer of the layout using Navigable Text. Everything on BIKE mag's site utilizes Spacious Text since the "page" length can be endless. Text can now take on any size and shape and fill up a small space or a large space. It goes without saying that this is absolutely a Graphically Rich Text. As for the publisher of BIKE mag, s/he is creating a Customizable, Publishable Text that can be altered at any time.

Initially, I thought I would be able to pick one type of text listed by Bernhardt and apply it to my example, but quickly realized that his breakdown of text is antiquated but relevant. Current screen-based text applications layer all of these types creating more complex texts that require a great deal of media literacy and a knowledge foundation that is rich and runs deep.

Storyboard for Video Project