it's not even worth talking about those people down there

James Panero flags an essay in the Atlantic complaining about the role and status of "quirkiness" in today's culture.  Like James, I can't help but cheer at any rhetorical bricks thrown at the insufferable Ira Glass, and to a certain extent agree that the author's later backtracking to only being against "bad quirk" is something of a copout.  Still, if one called Jonathan Richman a leading example of quirkiness in pop culture (and the case surely can be made regarding the composer of "I'm a Little Dinosaur") and found that a bad thing, well, so much the worse for the indictment of quirkiness.  Jonathan Richman rocks, and that's pretty much all there is to it (perhaps an exception can be made for quirky rock music that always has a strong backbeat.)

I was also quite alarmed when I read James' post and saw the claim that the "inert cuteness of "quirk culture" can be traced back to the Talking Heads and indie rock."  While I don't know exactly how James feels, reading the Atlantic article revealed the reassuring news that the author of it regarding the Talking Heads' culpibility for quirkiness to have begun with "Stay Up Late," from the Little Creatures record--you know, the one that when released caused all Talking Heads fans to wonder "What the hell has happened to this band?"  When David Byrne sang "Goo goo, ga ga ga, goo goo, ga ga ga" a few years before, it wasn't quirkiness, after all; it was an expression of contempt for the way the rest of his fellow citizens lived tout court.  Which may have, you know, its own problems, but Ira Glass it ain't.

Talking Heads -  The Big Country

Comments

[Franklin]

I see a veritable vortex of quirk sucking down all those involved, self included, and my gracious host here at ModKix, who, I feel obliged to point out, just linked to his own blog post about the Talking Heads circa 2004. At this point I think we all ought to refrain from aspersions about the quality of each others' quirk.

Besides, I'll take Ira Glass over Garrison Keillor any day of the week.

[will]

What is wrong with Glass? I love thisamericanlife.

[JL]

I feel obliged to point out, just linked to his own blog post about the Talking Heads circa 2004.

Your point being? I don't find it quirky at all, at least not in the way the Atlantic article describes. Really, I expected to get called on "I'm a Little Dinosaur"--it's pretty close to the center of Jojo's mid-seventies "childhood regression plus skeevy open puffy shirt" greatness.

What is wrong with Glass? I love thisamericanlife.

Well, many people do, but I can't stand it or him. His voice drives me up a wall (the Atlantic article kindly calls it "agreeably nasal" or something like that; I maintain that there's no such thing), and the endless stories that go nowhere don't help. I do remember one done sometime in the months just post-Katrina that involved talking to a group of people who were caught in New Orleans without shelter during the storm and its aftermath that was pretty gripping, but that's the only episode of it that I can every recall listening to for more than a few minutes without turning the radio off in annoyance. I'm not familiar with the tv version, but I doubt I'd like it better.

[Franklin]

You did see the Chris Ware piece for TAL, yes? That deserves the time of day.

[JL]

No, I'm only familiar with the radio show. Can't watch it now, I'll take a look later.

[JL]

You did see the Chris Ware piece for TAL, yes?

Ok, finally watched it. Except for the part about how it's an animation accompanied by Ira Glass and some guy talking about something, I guess I don't really mind it. Probably better with the sound off.