I'm listening to the soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture right now, and I could hear the collective groan as everyone read that statement. Now that you have it out of your systems, I'll start over again.
I'm listening to the soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture right now. Not because it's Star Trek (well, mostly... I'll get to that in a second), but rather because it is, in it's own right, one of the best film scores I've yet to hear. When one listens to it, one can hear what's going on in the film, one can feel exactly what the charecters are feeling. Perhaps it's simply my own Pavlovian response to hearing that oh-so-famous theme (which I have not included here), but I can't help but envision the Enterprise hanging in space, waiting to go on another grand adventure...
http://www.startreksoundtracks.com/MP3/st-tmp-ce/05-floating-office.mp3
http://www.startreksoundtracks.com/MP3/st-tmp-ce/10-vejur-flyover.mp3
During the past year, some of you have been unwitting victims to my rabid 'anti-irony' tirades. To clarify, these are not intended to stamp out the concept of irony as a whole, but express my dissatisfaction with a generation's apparent addiction to both the word and the concept. Irony's like pizza: The first night you have it, it's delicious. The morning after, when you have it cold from the fridge, it's eminently satisfying, but a small piece of you wishes there was more, so you decide "What the hell?" and order another pizza the next evening. And so the vicious cycle commences... Now please, don't confuse me and my distaste for the abuse of the concept of irony with facist 'Tofu Goebbels'; I likes me my pizza, thank you very much. I likes me my irony too.
I like Star Trek. I like it a lot, to be honest. I've liked it ever since I was a little kid. The thing is, I've grown to like it even more than I did as a kid, because I've come to appreciate it in new ways. When I was six or seven, I couldn't wait to see Captain Kirk (I watched the original series in my grandmother's smoke-filled apartment... she had more channels, and I didn't have any choice about being there) go on another swashbuckling adventure. I loved it for the same reasons I loved having Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and Mark Twain's books being read to me. I loved watching the show and NOT knowing if the Gorn would disembowel Captain Kirk. When I was six, I hadn't yet figured out the formula.
I can look at the show now, however, through my eyes as they percieve the world now. I can look at the show with a grain of salt. I can delight in the show's kitch and cheesy acting. I can revel in the minutia that makes up the show's remarkably consistent universe. I do all of those things, and love every minute of it. Picking apart entertainment with Neale is, by far, the most fun I have period.
I simply don't want to not suspend my disbelief. Maybe it's just me 'holding on to being six', but I don't think so. Ken Kesey, during the Acid Tests, spoke of going "Beyond Acid". I think we can go 'beyond irony'.
I'm listening to the soundtrack to Star Trek: The Motion Picture right now. Not because it's Star Trek (well, mostly... I'll get to that in a second), but rather because it is, in it's own right, one of the best film scores I've yet to hear. When one listens to it, one can hear what's going on in the film, one can feel exactly what the charecters are feeling. Perhaps it's simply my own Pavlovian response to hearing that oh-so-famous theme (which I have not included here), but I can't help but envision the Enterprise hanging in space, waiting to go on another grand adventure...
http://www.startreksoundtracks.com/MP3/st-tmp-ce/05-floating-office.mp3
http://www.startreksoundtracks.com/MP3/st-tmp-ce/10-vejur-flyover.mp3
During the past year, some of you have been unwitting victims to my rabid 'anti-irony' tirades. To clarify, these are not intended to stamp out the concept of irony as a whole, but express my dissatisfaction with a generation's apparent addiction to both the word and the concept. Irony's like pizza: The first night you have it, it's delicious. The morning after, when you have it cold from the fridge, it's eminently satisfying, but a small piece of you wishes there was more, so you decide "What the hell?" and order another pizza the next evening. And so the vicious cycle commences... Now please, don't confuse me and my distaste for the abuse of the concept of irony with facist 'Tofu Goebbels'; I likes me my pizza, thank you very much. I likes me my irony too.
I like Star Trek. I like it a lot, to be honest. I've liked it ever since I was a little kid. The thing is, I've grown to like it even more than I did as a kid, because I've come to appreciate it in new ways. When I was six or seven, I couldn't wait to see Captain Kirk (I watched the original series in my grandmother's smoke-filled apartment... she had more channels, and I didn't have any choice about being there) go on another swashbuckling adventure. I loved it for the same reasons I loved having Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and Mark Twain's books being read to me. I loved watching the show and NOT knowing if the Gorn would disembowel Captain Kirk. When I was six, I hadn't yet figured out the formula.
I can look at the show now, however, through my eyes as they percieve the world now. I can look at the show with a grain of salt. I can delight in the show's kitch and cheesy acting. I can revel in the minutia that makes up the show's remarkably consistent universe. I do all of those things, and love every minute of it. Picking apart entertainment with Neale is, by far, the most fun I have period.
I simply don't want to not suspend my disbelief. Maybe it's just me 'holding on to being six', but I don't think so. Ken Kesey, during the Acid Tests, spoke of going "Beyond Acid". I think we can go 'beyond irony'.
posted by Kahloke | 1:58 PM
8 Comments:
Hey, nothing wrong with Star Trek, pal.
I ADORED Treasure Island (the book, of course) and Twain. I went through a Twain Phase when I was seven or eight.
As for Star Trek...I have seen a scant number of episodes, and very few of them complete.
Hm, I never liked Pavolov's dog as much as I did Schrödinger's cat.
i saw the movie heh
and have watched a few episodes
YOU STOLE MY BLOG BACKGROUND!!!
heh heh i know ... its a regular choice you can have... but no one on my link list had it TILL NOW!!
Dammit! Llowyn! I'm thinking to myself, I'll sit down and write a blog entry, why not? Oh, why don't I just check some other blogs to see what's up on them? Oh, here's Llowyn's- oh, and it looks like once again I'm the UN Secretary-General, because I have to accuse you of waging pre-emptive ass-kicking of my blog.
So not only does your blog look really snazzy, but jeebs, your entry's damn good. I mean, who was demanding an explanation of your feelings about Star Trek? Well, apparently we all should have been.
Anyway, on an emotional level, I think you might have figured out irony as a pizza. When it's fresh out of the oven you can't get enough of it, but it's never as good as it was then. I often think to myself, why does it always have to be ironic? I mean, I feel like I do a grave misservice to some things by being ironic about them. I console myself with the thought that irony isn't exactly the opposite of sincerity, and it doesn't preclude sincerity.
A major difference between the two of us, though, is this. I never liked Star Trek in my childhood. I mean, I just didn't watch it, wasn't into it, didn't dig it, period. I got into it as a teenager, and as you may recall I was a flinty sarcasm artist back then, so maybe I never loved Star Trek sincerely. I wish I had, but I'd be lying if I told you I came to it in my unsullied childhood. I have my own things, like I suspect everybody does, and clearly you've touched a nerve here. I happen to think that it doesn't end with irony, any more than it started with guileless innocence and simplicity. But I get bogged down.
Youre alive *raised eyebrow*
Despite my abhorrence of star trek, I agree with you about the soundtrack. As for irony, or rather, your rabid "anti-ironic" tirades, I have an intersting thought. You insist that our generation has a apparent addiction to the concept and word, as well as the abuse of it, but I was unaware of pervasive influence until you mentioned it. Nor did I crave pizza. Alas, now enlightened, I am addicted to the idea. To quote Pirates of the Carribbean "now tha's what you call ironic!" ;)
while I am thirlled you decided to post again, I must say, Star Trek and irnoy pizza was not what I was expecting you to have obsessed over. not that I am knocking your post. aw, shaddup, Alleah.
*waves* hi there, Llowyn!
I'm a big fan of irony. All kinds of irony. It's fun, alot of fun. I don't know about you, but I can eat alot of pizza.
By the way, I have a new blog at hoboglovecore.blogspot.com
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