Rockism
Encyclopedia
Rockism is a derogatory term referring to perceived biases in popular music
criticism. It was popularized by New York Times critic Kelefa Sennneh in 2004 in an influential article. The term was coined by Pete Wylie
with a variant meaning and used by "one or two" critics in the British
music press from the early 1980s. The fundamental tenet of rockism, according to Sennneh, is that some forms of popular music, and some musical artists, are inherently more authentic and deserving of respect than others. There are no self-described rockists or adherents of rockism.
as normative. From a rockist view, rock is the standard state of popular music.
Interestingly, it is not entirely rockist to love rock, or to write about it. One may also care about R&B or norteño
or bubble gum pop, but discuss them in a rockist way. The idea is built into the way people talk informally about what kinds of popular music interest them.
Rockism is often suspicious of the use of computer-based production systems. Rockism places value on the idea of the composer and performer as an auteur; authentic music is composed as a sincere form of self-expression, and usually performed by those who composed it. This is as opposed to the notion of manufactured "pop" music, created in assembly line
fashion by teams of hired record producer
s and technicians and performed by pop stars who have little input into the creative process, designed to appeal to a mass market and make profits rather than express authentic sentiments.
Design critic and indie pop
musician Nick Currie compared Rockism to the international art movement Stuckism
, which holds that artists who do not paint or sculpt are not artists.
in an editorial, "The Rap Against Rockism." He defined rockism as follows: "A rockist is someone who reduces rock 'n' roll to a caricature, then uses that caricature as a weapon. Rockism means idolizing the authentic old legend (or underground hero) while mocking the latest pop star
; lionizing punk
while barely tolerating disco
; loving the live show and hating the music video; extolling the growling performer while hating the lip-syncher." Sanneh further asks music listeners to "stop pretending that serious rock songs will last forever, as if anything could, and that shiny pop songs are inherently disposable, as if that were necessarily a bad thing. Van Morrison's "Into the Music
" was released the same year as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight
"; which do you hear more often?"
Sanneh further accuses rockism of representing a sexist, racist and homophobic point of view. Sanneh writes: "In The New York Times Book Review, Sarah Vowell
approvingly recalled Nirvana
's rise: "a group with loud guitars and louder drums knocking the whimpering Mariah Carey
off the top of the charts." Why did the changing of the guard sound so much like a sexual assault? And when did we all agree that Nirvana's neo-punk was more respectable than Ms. Carey's neo-disco?"
Contemporary writers use rockism as a polemic
al label to identify and critique a cluster of beliefs and assumptions in music criticism. Rockism is therefore not a connotatively neutral term; as music writer Ned Raggett
writes, "You’re not going to find anyone arguing FOR [rockism] any time soon, or at least coming out and saying so—but that’s precisely because of the terms of the discourse."
In the same article, he also alludes to possible excesses of the new movement, warning that a hierarchy of music biased toward pop is no better than one biased toward rock because both genres have respectable qualities that cannot be ignored.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
criticism. It was popularized by New York Times critic Kelefa Sennneh in 2004 in an influential article. The term was coined by Pete Wylie
Pete Wylie
-Studio albums:- Extended Plays :-Singles:-External links:***...
with a variant meaning and used by "one or two" critics in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music press from the early 1980s. The fundamental tenet of rockism, according to Sennneh, is that some forms of popular music, and some musical artists, are inherently more authentic and deserving of respect than others. There are no self-described rockists or adherents of rockism.
Overview
Rockism, derived from the British music press in the early 1980s, can be defined in more than one way, and it would be difficult to recognize one absolute meaning. While there are many vague interpretations of it, rockism is essentially believed to treat rock musicRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
as normative. From a rockist view, rock is the standard state of popular music.
Interestingly, it is not entirely rockist to love rock, or to write about it. One may also care about R&B or norteño
Norteño (music)
Norteño , also norteña or conjunto, is a genre of Mexican music. The accordion and the bajo sexto are norteño's most characteristic instruments. The norteño genre is popular in both Mexico and the United States, especially among the Mexican community...
or bubble gum pop, but discuss them in a rockist way. The idea is built into the way people talk informally about what kinds of popular music interest them.
Rockism is often suspicious of the use of computer-based production systems. Rockism places value on the idea of the composer and performer as an auteur; authentic music is composed as a sincere form of self-expression, and usually performed by those who composed it. This is as opposed to the notion of manufactured "pop" music, created in assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
fashion by teams of hired record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s and technicians and performed by pop stars who have little input into the creative process, designed to appeal to a mass market and make profits rather than express authentic sentiments.
Design critic and indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
musician Nick Currie compared Rockism to the international art movement Stuckism
Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
, which holds that artists who do not paint or sculpt are not artists.
Criticism
One of the most famous critiques of rockism was delivered by music critic Kelefa SannehKelefa Sanneh
Kelefa T. Sanneh is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for the New York Times, covering the rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes...
in an editorial, "The Rap Against Rockism." He defined rockism as follows: "A rockist is someone who reduces rock 'n' roll to a caricature, then uses that caricature as a weapon. Rockism means idolizing the authentic old legend (or underground hero) while mocking the latest pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
; lionizing punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
while barely tolerating disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
; loving the live show and hating the music video; extolling the growling performer while hating the lip-syncher." Sanneh further asks music listeners to "stop pretending that serious rock songs will last forever, as if anything could, and that shiny pop songs are inherently disposable, as if that were necessarily a bad thing. Van Morrison's "Into the Music
Into the Music
Into the Music is the eleventh studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released in 1979 .Typical of Morrison's music, the album draws on a variety of styles, from New Orleans R&B to Philly soul and Celtic folk, with featured soloists, saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and violinist...
" was released the same year as the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight
Rapper's Delight
"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
"; which do you hear more often?"
Sanneh further accuses rockism of representing a sexist, racist and homophobic point of view. Sanneh writes: "In The New York Times Book Review, Sarah Vowell
Sarah Vowell
Sarah Jane Vowell is an American author, journalist, essayist and social commentator. Often referred to as a "social observer," Vowell has written five nonfiction books on American history and culture, and was a contributing editor for the radio program This American Life on Public Radio...
approvingly recalled Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's rise: "a group with loud guitars and louder drums knocking the whimpering Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
off the top of the charts." Why did the changing of the guard sound so much like a sexual assault? And when did we all agree that Nirvana's neo-punk was more respectable than Ms. Carey's neo-disco?"
Contemporary writers use rockism as a polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
al label to identify and critique a cluster of beliefs and assumptions in music criticism. Rockism is therefore not a connotatively neutral term; as music writer Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett
Ned Raggett is a library assistant, freelance writer and music journalist. His work has been published in Allmusic, the OC Weekly, Plan B, Metal Edge and The Quietus, while pieces have also appeared in Dream, Arthur, as well as Stylus, The Broken Face, Fake Jazz, Freaky Trigger, Careless Talk...
writes, "You’re not going to find anyone arguing FOR [rockism] any time soon, or at least coming out and saying so—but that’s precisely because of the terms of the discourse."
Contrast with Popism
Slate.com contributor Jody Rosen noted the growing backlash against rock's traditional critical acclaim and a new emerging ideology, popism.- "There is a name for this new critical paradigm, 'popism'—or, more evocatively (and goofily), 'poptimism'—and it sets the old assumptions on their ear: Pop (and, especially, hip-hop) producers are as important as rock auteurs, Beyoncé is as worthy of serious consideration as Bruce Springsteen, and ascribing shame to pop pleasure is itself a shameful act."
In the same article, he also alludes to possible excesses of the new movement, warning that a hierarchy of music biased toward pop is no better than one biased toward rock because both genres have respectable qualities that cannot be ignored.