SMS Debating

The following is a conversation my brother and I had via text messages.

Brother "The only thing that really bites me about girltalk is the lack of originality...anyone who knows their way around a sampler could duplicate his work."

Me "Yah. Anyone could do what Warhol did but it still takes the insight he had to do it."

Brother "Well let's look at Mr. Warhol's achievements; in addition to creating his famous artwork he founded an art studio, created and published a magazine, owned an operated a nightclub, wrote and published his own book, and also shot over 300 experimental underground films. The Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh showcases these accomplishments... I'm not so sure just anyone could do all these things... Will the work of DJ Girl Talk one day be displayed in a museum for the arts? Or will it instead be celebrated in the highly choreographed routines of high school dance squads for years to come? I suppose only time will tell..."

Me "My comment was hardly comparing Girl Talk to Warhol, but rather implying that technicality isn't the only criteria for great art. The context and reason behind art sometimes surpasses the technical aspect of it. Girl Talk, unlike most dance squad top 40 'mega mixes', samples from a wide variety of genres."

Brother "Exactly! His decision to work beyond the top 40 barrier and incorporate a wide array of songs from many different genres is precisely what positions him for success inside all competitive dance circuits; In fact I couldn't agree with you more, for years many cheerleading and dance squads have had to structure their routines around the all too common 'mega mix' as it were, until now! Girl Talk has introduced his vast new arrangement of songs stitched together with unorthodox methods of production. His radical new interpretation of the traditional megamix concept stands to create improvement among teams and squads all over the world. Promoting diversity throughout the dance community and encouraging all its participants and spectators to increase their perception and explore these new and different avenues of sound. The groups who are successful in their efforts of doing so will be able to achieve a new level of performance, enriched directly by this progressive advancement in mega-mixology!!! Honestly, can you think of a more appropriate application? The fact of the matter is the earnings girl talk currently makes from his gigs and album sales would pale in comparison to the amount of revenue that can be made with the right proprietary licensing and distribution of his work (which is largely made up of other artists work) for use in dance competition..."

Me "I disagree. I think the main genre's he draws from, southern rap, indie rock, and 90's alt-rock, are musical tastes that strive from their exclusiveness. I don't see why you're forcing the idea that Girl Talk is mega-mix music. His demographic seems to be the indie rock scene, not high school dance squads. I hardly think he's a musical genius, nor in the future will his art be looked upon by the masses as generationally profound. However, I think it warrants the attention for signifying an important point in time. The rights and ownership of music are being tested more than ever. I think your sentiment about his music's potential to make more money is flawed in that he would never be able to clear all the samples used. As things are now, he is able to slide by, however if music corporations have their way, who knows if this sort of music will be able to exist in 5 or 10 years."

Brother "*laugh* man I don't really believe that. I was just clownin' dogg... Pretty much the whole dissertation. I just like fuckin' with you kid, u oughtta know that"

Me "Well duh - just seein' if I could justify my own enjoyment of the music - holla"

Brother "Don't play, i totally had u..."

Me "Prolllyyy"

My brother, who always had a knack for grammar and writing, ironically sends me grammatically flawed and l33t-speak filled emails and text messages. So, it was fun to get this little "debate" going. I did indeed have a hunch that he was just gassin' me up, but I wanted to try and keep it going, so I intentionally tried to play it straight.

I didn't realize how rediculous his second, long discourse was until I was typing it up.