Subject: Re: ny times article From: perkins@neptune.iex.com (Bill Perkins) Date: 1991-05-08, 23:45 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks In article <1991May8.102250.12616@pbs.org> mpax@pbs.org (Cool Bean) writes: > >In article <1991May8.032410.18417@rodan.acs.syr.edu>, bwdavies@rodan.acs.syr.edu writes: >> >> In article <1991May7.175126.11490@grebyn.com> fi@grebyn.com (Fiona Oceanstar) writes: >>> >>>I'll tell you what I really objected to, in that article. It was the >>> >>>strong statement that Peakheads are elitists--that our interest in the >>> >>>series wanes in direct proportion to how many others are getting >>> >>>involved, that if it's not "hip" to a small select in-crowd, then we, >>> >>>like the avant-garde art scene in NYC, will decamp for unsullied >>> >>>pastures. Yuk. Didn't y'all find that comment offensive? >> >> YES! And I didn't even see the article (much less get to *read!*) The reasons why follow...they are hot on the trail of these other comments from others... (THEN you "get" to hear (read) my "brief" summary (if you know me from my other postings, you KNOW *that's* a joke -- if you don't: *That's* a Joke! (I tend to carry on!)))... >> >> I don't know. While I wouldn't consider myself to be an "elitist", >> >> I'm still pretty disappointed when musical groups or literary movements >> >> I'm interested in are suddenly "discovered" by the mass media and >> >> large numbers of people. Maybe it's just me, but it often seems like >> >> the quality goes down and many of the aspects that interested me >> >> begin to be dropped in favor of a more general appeal. I have to agree -- especially w/ regard to musical groups...I *want* to tell others about them, but (1) they just don't seem interested until the band "breaks-out" (read: SELLS-out) w/ some POP number - in which case, I pretty much give up on 'em; or, (2) a song about 4 years old "suddenly" catches-on like fire (and this happens a LOT), and *everyone* acts like "OOOhhhhh! This is SUCH a COOL song!!!" Examples of this are (several) Dire Strait's songs ("Sultan's of Swing" was out about two years before anyone noticed...), Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" (et al) -- out for *way* over a year - and now it's "new & great!"... Anyway, that's not the point of *this* newsgroup, per se... I tried to get people to watch TP - but over time, I just came to realize (and this isn't easy to qualify, but I think you'll understand...) that there are *only* *certain* personality types that are even *willing* to try this type of show (let me hazard a profile of that type person - or, rather, what type person does Not meet that profile (There Will be exceptions - DON'T flame me - if possible- if I happen to mention a "type" that *you* might fit! ;-})): If You Do Watch/Follow TP: - You like adventure. - You like the "unknown" - and you do NOT need things sewn up in 26 minutes once a week. - You are willing to go out on a limb - as long as you believe that there really *is* a reason for it, and you will get your answers in time...but there is NO promise of how long that might take, AND, even if you do get them, you are 'ok' about it even if you have to figure them out for yourself (by putting things together -- in other words, THINK!). - You EXPECT and DEMAND *some* "plausible" explanation when there *is* a *real* "mystical"/"other-world"-type situation. I think TP has held up this end of the deal "pretty" well (I still have problems/have been annoyed with some "solutions", though...). WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Well, IMHO, it rules out 92% of the viewing public...who are SO USED TO "let's get everything wrapped up in the last 3 minutes", that they'll NEVER sit through 8 episodes of TP to find out WKLP/What are the OWLS?/ you name it.... Point being: If it isn't immediately (at least, it must be answered in the *next* week's show...), then they will not watch it again -- people want *instant* gratification/resolution...otherwise, they *might* be required to *actually* THINK/(even WORSE!)*REMEMBER!* what the hell was going on last week! >> >> >> >> Is it elitism to want something you've enjoyed to stay amazing, >> >> even if a lot of other people hop on the bandwagon? > > > >They picked the wrong word. I don't like to follow the masses either. > >My skin crawls everytime one of my favorite bands sells out and then > >everybody loves it and I hate it. > > > >Maybe it's just that we don't buy into all the marketing bullshit and don't > >like things diluted for the "general audience". There's something > >intriguing in the unusual and the original that is lost when it goes > >commercial. When something then gets that popular they forget about > >the original fan and only seek to please the masses. i.e. Duran Duran, > >Pet Shop Boys, Billy Idol, etc... > > > >I wouldn't call that elitest. It is abandoned by the fan, because the > >fan was already abandoned. > > Ooohh! Good line! And TRUE! But Not in re to TP, IMHO. > >Just because I'm not the average American pinhead and don't go gaga over > >America's Home Videos, Danielle Steele or New Kids on the Block, doesn't > >make me or anyone else an elitest. I'm offended because they said that > >because we don't fit into their idea of the average American. Who says > >we have to like what everyone else likes? What happened to freedom of > >choice? Once again the "moral majority" passes judgement. EXACTLY my point! But do you think WE get listened to? Hell no. Why? Because of just what you said -- The (Moral - I don't necessarily think it's an issue of "morality") Majority passes judgement (but the majority thinks that Wheel of Fortune is intellectually stimulating...HEY!!! LET'S START OUR OWN NETWORK!!! We could call it "Citizens with Brain Substance" (CBS) - Oh, shit! That won't work...it's already taken by the "Creatures Becoming Stupider" network... Hmmmm. How 'bout "All of us think Because we Can" (ABC)? Ohhhh! That won't work either; that's the acronym for the "Anything But Credible" network... Ok...I have it now... "Notably Brilliant Citizens" (NBC) - a bit pompous, perhaps...but in this age of inane broadcasting, "Brilliant" would not be understood by most of the population, anyway, and it's all relative...what do you consider "brilliant" compared to the millions of couch-veggies out there, anyhow? Wait a minute --- I have just been informed of some late-breakin (and, frankly, saddening) news... the 'NBC' acronymn is already being used by "some" network (I hear it is the "Nothing But Crap" net...). Well, there goes THAT! I'll let the rest of you out there figure it out, then! I made three tries -- all were shot-down 'cause these "TV Networks" have some sort of "claim" to the suggested ideas I presented...Do they control EVERYTHING?! They sure act like they do...! God forbid they ever *listen* to anyone...! > > > >At least we're not wienies and pretend to like something just because > >everyone else does. > > > >--Cool Bean > >-- > >**This is not cultural. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bill Perkins (AKA William Franklin Perkins IV) IEX Corporation, Plano, Texas (!iex!perkins (or) perkins@iex.com) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Outstanding Lyrics Excerpt of the Day (OLE' for the Day): ========================================================= A girl woke up in a naked light and said, "Oh no, not again." He even looked like her brother in the army, but She never mentions him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~