It occurred to me just now how seldom contemporary cultural icons comment on each others’ works artistically. There may be influence direct from one’s art upon another’s, but they seldom write a song which references another musician or another part of pop culture. Sure such things might be economically linked, but seldom artistically.
An exception to this are the musical satires of “Wierd Al” Yankovic. He brings culture alive, recognizes music’s impact on the culture by spoofing it.
Serious writers could make an important contribution as well. I believe classical composers wrote on each others’ themes more than modern pop stars do – “inside jokes” as it were for fans. To have artists commenting on each other’s work would be a great thing: getting culture to act like a jazz piece, with every artist in the know about what others are doing and contributing to/commenting off of them. Maybe every art should be like this if we are to have a truely living culture.
I hope all the pop artists online are listening.
My apologies if you are already working on a pastiche.
I’m talking about any art form, especially music. I know I’m not being very clear. On further reflection, folk music did this to some extent, and the song The Day the Music Died is a great example of it. In visual arts, Warhol did not just do this, he was this – but he reflected the pop culture more than advancing it. Another good example would be the song One Week by the group Barenaked Ladies. I’m talking about seeing cultural arts as part of the culture on which you comment. Maybe rather, songs and arts about culture and not solely about the author’s personal world.
As for “beefs”, I once read a poem by Dante which was a beef with another poet – good clean fun.
Well even if art is very personal it has roots in culture, there are limits to the imagination and those limits are defined by culture. About folk music, you mean american folk music? As in early 20th century blues, country, both of which are considered in the sphere of folk. They sang songs about their culture sure, songs about plantation owners (given that the bluesmen was a slave, which most of them were) and women; when they didn’t they still exhibited the same energy and stylistic tendencies. It’s rather complex what you’re trying to get at but I understand, some artists are more direct at commenting on society. Andy Warhol took pop culture and squeezed it into his artwork with the same stylistic tendencies used in mass media and advertisement.
Every artist will take from her experience and her experience will likely include experiences with other artists. No one is going to attempt an art form that doesn’t exist. In order for a form to exist at all it has to have others that have gone ahead and established the form.
Therefore, every artist that follows an established art form is reflecting on the artists that have gone before her. The difference is that Al Yankovich does it in a more explicit way. Kill Bill had references to Kung Fu movies. The Beach Boy’s Pet Sounds was a response to Sgt. Peppers and the Beatles. The new Killers CD shows the influence of Bruce Springsteen. After the Matrix came out every movie that followed had the same green tinted images. The difference is is that you can’t see who these artists are reacting too. It’s less obvious than what Al does, but if you look closely and can get into the minds of the artists and have come in contact with the artists the artist your looking at has come in contact with, then you can retrace the steps of their thoughts and see what they are doing.