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Savages' Jehnny Beth has written a lengthy blog post critcising Viv Albertine for saying that music is not revolutionary anymore, an opinion Beth believes to be "naive and dismissive."
Albertine, best known as the guitarist for English punk band The Slits, appeared on Channel 4 News to promote her new book, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.
During the interview, she was asked whether she believed revolutionary music was still being made today. She answered: "It’s not the medium I would choose now. Like I said, I always put myself in the place that I think is the most exciting. Now I’d probably be studying for a science degree and be some sort of human rights lawyer. I think music has actually become a bit bread-and-circus entertainment now."
Watch Viv Albertine's Channel 4 News interview below
In a new post on her Tumblr page, Savages' Jehnny Beth addressed Albertine's comments, saying: "I think Viv Albertine is mistaken in her judgement when she speaks about music today. Thank God she is! How depressing our lives would be if she was right. When I hear that generation talk this way, it feels like listening to an old parent dragging every member of their family into depression. I hear fear and confusion. Someone who’d rather say the world is ending than facing his own end. "
She continued: "The truth is, I don’t think Viv Albertine can say what she would do if she was 20 years old again today - because she isn’t. To suggest she would become a ‘human rights lawyer’ instead of picking up a guitar sounds like a sad negation of a great part of her life, and more importantly, it quickly dismisses the great deal of joy and rebellion a young woman could find today in picking up a guitar herself.
"Revolution doesn’t know gender, it doesn’t know age either. What about an older generation inspiring the young to create? I know it exists, I have plenty of examples in mind."
Read Jehnny Beth's full blog post below (and see the original here).
Viv Albertine recently published a book called ‘Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys’ that relates the story of her life and guitarist in UK band The Slits.
I’m not here to comment on whether it is good or bad literature; The Slits were a good band but I haven’t read the book yet, although many friends urged me to dig into it, probably thinking I could learn a thing or two from an elder woman who was a pioneering guitarist in a female Punk band. So to help make up my mind, I watched one of her interviews to see if I could be seduced into it. She was recently interviewed for Channel 4 News by journalist Jackie Long.
After answering a series of questions about her past and musical history rather interestingly - especially when she rejects the term ‘Punk Royalty’ saying that it ‘shouldn’t exist’ - here comes the question: “Do you think there is music being made out there that is revolutionary anymore?” This is what Viv Albertine has to tell us about it:
"It’s not the medium I would choose now. Like I said, I always put myself in the place that I think is the most exciting. Now I’d probably be studying for a science degree and be some sort of human rights lawyer. I think music has actually become a bit bread-and-circus entertainment now".
I know from experience that interviews can be edited, often resulting in a deformation of our original thought. I myself had to suffer many journalist’s twisted interpretations (read blog post here: http://jehnnybeth.tumblr.com/post/49680900491/bold-capital-letters) so I’m definitely keen to give Viv Albertine the benefit of the doubt regarding what she truly meant (maybe a longer explanation has been cut?). But let’s say that her words are her words and I’m writing under the assumption that she was, and still is, standing by them.
I’ve seen so many BBC Music documentaries that aim to glorify the rebel youth of the past, especially from the Punk era, which are certainly important in terms of cultural history, but I think occupy too much space when it comes to talking about rock music today. It is preached upon us by a generation who seem to benefit from the present time only by playing a nostalgia game. It’s almost as if directors knew they could get funding easily just by saying “I’d like to make a documentary about Punk.” I imagine their funds would be halved - if not vanish completely - if they ever diverted their concerns towards the present time. I have often wondered if this could be true.
I was recently asked to take part in a BBC documentary about ‘Women and Punk’. The film crew came to my house and I was interviewed for an hour, but in the end it didn’t make the cut. I was told they’d decided “to keep the emphasis on the original Punk women rather than newer bands/post-Punk in this program”. So maybe it is true. Sometimes we feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that it leaves no room for present.
Anyway, I think Viv Albertine is mistaken in her judgement when she speaks about music today. Thank God she is! How depressing our lives would be if she was right. When I hear that generation talk this way, it feels like listening to an old parent dragging every member of their family into depression. I hear fear and confusion. Someone who’d rather say the world is ending than facing his own end. The truth is, I don’t think Viv Albertine can say what she would do if she was 20 years old again today - because she isn’t. To suggest she would become a ‘human rights lawyer’ instead of picking up a guitar sounds like a sad negation of a great part of her life, and more importantly, it quickly dismisses the great deal of joy and rebellion a young woman could find today in picking up a guitar herself. Revolution doesn’t know gender, it doesn’t know age either. What about an older generation inspiring the young to create? I know it exists, I have plenty of examples in mind.
Assuming that music can’t be rebellious anymore is to deny the very essence of music, its primal, raw, true power, which existed long before Punk arrived in the UK and will outlive us all. This is to me the great danger: to assume that rebellion in music starts and ends with the Punk era. To be honest, I find her comment a bit naive and dismissive. Although I’m sure nobody young out there is stupid enough to take this prediction seriously. Actually I’m pretty sure none are listening! Maybe Viv has been underestimating the youth after all.
