File spoon-archives/seminar-12.archive/transl-asia_1998/seminar-12.9803, message 19


Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 23:29:56 +0100
From: John Hutnyk <John.Hutnyk-AT-urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
Subject: [Fwd: cooler shaker]


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Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 15:54:33 +0000
To: John Hutnyk <John.Hutnyk-AT-urz.uni-heidelberg.de>
From: josie-AT-metamute.com (Josephine Berry)
Subject: cooler shaker

Dear John,

I've just finished reading your Kula Shaker piece for the next issue of
Mute, and while I'm still fresh and flustered from the experience, I'm
taking the opportunity to write to you.

Two remarks before I begin:

1) I'm *not* in any way a fan of said band.
2) I really like your piece over all

BUT..... I'm afraid I do have some questions and reservations,

The main question boils down to this: Is the logical conclusion of your
argument the fact that no white Western musicians can incorporate
non-Western instruments, rhythms, harmonics, scales, etc. etc. into their
music without being guilty of orientalism, hypocrisy or ignorance? Although
I fully agree that Kular Shaker's method of adopting Indian exotica is, in
the words of Time Out, racism by ignorance, the question being begged here
is what kind of musical exchange is legitimate? Are you perhaps saying that
legitimate adoption of non-western styles must occur outside the mainstream
or else it is hypocritical of 'the circumstances of its own production'?
I'm tempted to say that this line of thinking would lead to white,
patriachal, rock being the only option left to the 'mainstream', if I
weren't aware that Brit Pop and the like are also in denial as to their
non-white, non-Western musical genealogy.

I suppose what I'm saying is you need to make the premise of your critique
more clear - what are the implications more generally for music coming out
of the West. Especially when one considers that all music is in part
'mongrel', and in a world of global communication networks, liable to
become more so.

My last question/criticism is this: one of the most powerful points of your
article is when you root your critique in the concrete example of the scene
with Crispian, the MTV crew and the Brahmin temple. I suppose I feel that,
in contrast, your focus on Crispian's own personal family genealogy is ill
advised - a) because it becomes too specific in a context where colonialism
is in every white's history, regardless of their own particular family
stories - the guilt is communal, and b) because it inadvertantly gets
Crispian off the hook - this, because he becomes subject to his own family
history and circumstances which in turn seem beyond his control or
individual responsibility - he didn't ask to be born into this family etc.
etc. . Either all whites inherit responsibility for colonialism or none do.

Phew! Got that off my chest. Please don't infer from this that I think you
should rewrite this piece - it's just a question of maybe bringing out the
broader implications of your argument, and sorting out the family issue. I
realise that there is an irrisistable coincidence of both grandfather and
gandson employing the figure of Kitchener to notionally different ends -
which really form part of the same spectrum - but maybe the excavation of
the family history should be limited to this point.

Please just tell me to piss off if I've misunderstood you on any of these
points or, if you think the criticisms are founded, I would suggest the
following alterations:

- draw out the broader implications of you critique (no more than a sentence)
- limit the family history to the Kitchener issue.

I look forward to your reply!

love Josie


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----------------------------T: +44 171 613 4743/ F: +44 171 613 4052
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*  *  *  *  *  *   we no longer have roots we have bouffants  *  *  *  *  *
*  









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