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ALL ANGLES

rasterize, rock, Rothko, rhyme, Rohmer

Published on the Next Great Generation »

We’ve all witnessed frustrated yet gifted contestants get kicked out of TV talent shows on which the guy or girl with personality, fans and some guile — though not necessarily the better artist — goes on to take the top prize.

This non-correlation between talent and achievement doesn’t only apply in reality shows, but in the music industry at large. I’ve noticed that my favorite folk rock artists unwillingly follow the same frustrating trend, even though I find these little-known musicians way better than the Gagas and the Biebers.

Folk rock also happens to be one of the few genres that requires real talent to combine ethnic sound with recognizable rock elements. Folk rockers must be artful, savvy and possess distinct and unfailing vocals. But those who love the artistically glorious but commercially abortive folk rock scene might be wondering, where’s our audience? Isn’t their talent enough to bring in crowds?

Teddy Thompson. Photo by Martin Palmer.
The “New York Times” called artist Teddy Thompson “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of his generation.” A descendant of folk rock nobility — Thompson’s folks (pun intended) are celebrated ‘70s musicians Richard andLinda Thompson — he has looks that can draw fans of both sexes, young and old, across cultures. Yet even after ten years in the business and five studio albums, he only has a meager thousand followers on Twitter today.

Patrick Park. Photo by Sherman W on Flickr.
In perhaps the same streak of talent and hampered success is Patrick Park, whose voice “recalls an older tradition of musicianship that translates across generations.” Despite a short stint contributing to “The O.C.” soundtracks, a contract with Hollywood Records and great reviews, his albums haven’t made it mainstream.

Ever heard of William Fitzsimmons? “The Guardian” described his record as “one hell of an album,” but right now, he is only as big as his beard and negatively compared to the more successful indie folk rock act Sufjan Stevens.

For these folk rockers, it’s not record labels that are to blame; rather, it’s the pop music world, in which they just can’t seem to find a place. “(The label) had no idea what to do with me…they were always trying to fit a square peg in a round hole,” Park says. Thompson agrees: “Even for the people in the business who are the real music lovers, it’s really about putting things in the right boxes, and my style doesn’t fit into a box,” he said in the same “Times” article.

But if it’s the hybrid genre that’s holding them back, one has to wonder why folk rock greats like Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Neil Young and (if you agree) Ray LaMontagne maintained a huge following for so many years.

William Fitzsimmons. Photo by Yuhei Fujiwara
We can only guess, then, the reasons why these young, talented, folk rock musicians haven’t made it big: an unwelcoming market of mostly pop music consumers, their record labels’ lack of marketing and PR efforts and, maybe, because the personalities themselves ironically lack charisma, which can’t be taught. In other words, what they need is more than just a lucky horseshoe or Irish blood.

Malcolm Gladwell confirms that genius alone — and, in this case, musical prowess — doesn’t necessarily make one a winner. It starts with natural talent, then one lucky break after another, sustained discipline and hard work, a “cultural legacy” and the world’s support.

“We overlook just how large a role we play — and by ‘we’ I mean society — in determining who makes and who doesn’t,” writer Gladwell wrote in “Outliers,” a book that debunks fly-by theories of success.

“To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages today that determine success — the fortunate birth dates and the happy accidents of history — with a society that provides opportunities for all,” Gladwell wrote.

Music fans among us cannot be spared the guilt of keeping ethnically rooted artistry like that of Thompson, Park and Fitzsimmons from blooming. Instead, we back variations of formulaic pop music by our zealous devotion to commercial achievers like Rihanna and Katy Perry without trying to explore indie labels or even our own community’s traditional tunes.

Music has become an integrated art form that gives premium to stage presence, packaging and performance, making us associate good music today with a seductive dances or outlandish costumes. But we also tend to forget that music is fundamentally auditive — that is, meant to be heard without our eyes playing a part.

If only we first listen to lesser-known artists whom we don’t see on TV and whose faces aren’t framed posters in record bars, I think we’ll find the kind of music that genuinely speaks to us as individuals simply by its pure form. This is how we help give such talents a fair chance, and, in turn, we discover the musical aesthetic that appeals not just to our senses but to our minds and souls, free from dictates of popular opinion. This is how I found folk rock. #
The entire span of Poblacion Itaas Street in the art town of Angono is lined with relief works done in tribute to the legendary Filipino muralist Carlos "Botong" Francisco. Not many people we asked knew where the painter's house is, even though it has been known as a tourism spot. 

Is this ignorance on account of people having grown used to living next door to one of the greatest artists who ever lived in the country? Or have they deemed it worthy to be ignored? Or maybe they just simply didn't know? Whatever the reason, it's unfortunate, though a simple signpost or landmark could have helped clueless tourists.

My friend checking out the museum's displays in Botong Francisco's house in Angono.
We were welcomed by his grandson Totong Francisco and told us how his famous predecessor would use the small door to go in and out of the main room and how he liked spending his time painting by the river near the house. Like other Filipino painters I've encountered (Pitok Blanco and Bernardo Duldulao), Francisco started in the mainstream industry working for media companies to design film posters and ads.

Totong, also a painter, has converted part of the house into a studio that showcases contemporary art by him and his colleagues. He said that his father, his uncles and his siblings all grew up practicing painting, but he's one of the few who pursued it as a profession.

Some fading photographs and dusty displays
In the wide room downstairs were photos and sculptures of the National Artist's original murals and works which range from his own mural technique to pop art for films.

A relief displayed in the basement.
Totong also showed us a commemorative coffee table book of the life and art of his esteemed grandfather. He said he helped write and collect materials for it, and its relatively pricey worth is to partially cover the maintenance of the museum-residence he watches over. We wanted to get a copy, of course, if only it were more timely. After all, it's always a good idea to display a book on Filipino genius in our living rooms for guests to browse.

But what's the better idea? To help in art causes as this. As young Filipinos, there's a heritage we have to preserve, and a culture to enhance. #

Published as "True life: I don't watch TV" in the The Next Great Generation »

Whenever I find myself asking TV-related questions (Is “True Blood” the TV version of “Twilight”? What’s “Glee” all about? How’s Rihanna’s latest music video? And I hear MTV isn’t on air anymore?), I always have to follow with a rather defensive, “Sorry, I live in a cave,” or, “I’m really a 70-year-old in a 22-year-old’s body.” Acquaintances stare at me puzzled, but a few of my friends aren’t surprised.

I don’t watch TV. Not on weeknights or weekends. I only occasionally watch TV serials and BBC documentaries on DVD. And whenever I glimpse local TV shows in buses, I prefer to take a nap. In fact, I’ve had this (anti-)habit for four years now.

I live in the middle of a metropolitan capital city. I don’t belong to an Amish-like cult, nor am I an extreme leftist boycotting “the boob tube” for being a capitalist medium. I’m not work-obsessed, and my friends can testify that I’m no social freak. And we do have a TV set at home — HD, huge, cable enabled and complete with a second sub-woofer.

Oh yeah, and I have an academic degree in mass media.

Still, I don’t watch TV.


For the techie and tame

We’re in an age when people spout opinions on the growing influence of digitization and the Internet left and right. Television now shares its clout with social media and the Web, and it doesn’t allow control the same way our mobile devices and laptops do. New media could easily replace the original functions of TV, only the latter has become the more convenient and developed option.

But TV, for me, is not the wisest way to get information these days. When I have unlimited online reports and the major dailies to read everyday in the office, waiting for the more valuable news on TV poses to be a waste of time. I’m over the days when I’d flip through channel after channel to look for a show with substance and depth but also entertainment value. The first two seasons of “Gilmore Girls,” about a fast-talking, lovable mother-daughter tandem, topped my list, and the early seasons of “Lost” unfolded a fascinating puzzle that made a curious university student probe into the hidden meaning of the characters’ philosopher labels.

The boob tube’s capacity to positively influence ethical sensibility has also steadily dipped. Shows for young people today are nowhere near generic, but they seem to promote social and intellectual values below those in the ’90s. One recent TNGG post explains: “The difference between ‘Buffy [the Vampire Slayer]‘ and teen shows today is that it wasn’t about gossipy cliques, sex or melodrama. Buffy was about friendship, courage, love, sacrifice and, of course, lots of action.”

Van Gogh over Gaga

Comedian Groucho Marx once said, “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

We can better understand this non-viewing habit if we see the downsides as positives. Surely it’s hard for kids and teens to feel left out whenever classmates talk about a much-awaited episode from the night before, but yuppies can easily adapt this lifestyle.

Now, I’m not saying everyone should quit watching TV, but it’s definitely worth a try. From my experience, I’ve found that other activities prove to be more essential.

Going to the latest exhibit, watching a comforting indie film, exchanging opinions on current events with (equally geeky) friends, visiting church for prayer and its architecture, reading a well-designed coffee table book and seeing live musical performances in a nearby park are options anyone can readily look forward to after a crazy day in the office.

Another thought to consider: In a philosophy class I took, a professor once revealed that within one 80-year lifetime, we won’t be able to see all the films we want to watch or read all the books we want to read. We then have to choose the best of what we can get so that at the end of our lives, we can say we’ve only seen the best of what the world has to offer.
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Photo by Lubs Mary on Flickr under CC BY-NC-SA license | by Zoltán Horlik under CC BY-NC-SA license
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ART AS A PEDESTRIAN

Hi, I'm Camille, and I'm a real journalist from Manila. Without claiming expertise on the subjects, I try to write about my artistic and cultural encounters on this 17-year-old spot.

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      • Botong Francisco's house in Angono
      • Industry fails the best musicians
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Whut!

We will have but one option: We will have to adapt. The future will present itself with a ruthlessness yet unknown.
~Michelangelo Antonioni, filmmaker

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ...
~first lines of Charles Dickens' The Tale of Two Cities

Culture is to know the best that has been said and thought in the world.
~Matthew Arnold, cultural critic

The only way to really change society is through culture ... it's not through force, it's not through armies, it's not through politics (but) through freedom.
~Dony McManus, artist

You are a fine person, Mr. Baggins ... but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!
~Gandalf in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

"I find television very educating. Every time someone turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."
~Groucho Marx, actor

Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find a face of his own.
~Logan P. Smith, essayist

God is in the details.
~Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect

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