Believe it or not, Garth Brooks is HUGE up here. Last night I was walking back towards the boat on the waterfront and a band of drunken Norweigan kids were swaying arm-in-arm singing,
"She had a need to feel the thunder To chase the lightning from the sky, To watch a storm with all its wonder, ragin' in her lover's eyes.."
...all of this with Norweigan accents adding another layer of humor to the situation. This song is called "That Summer" and it is off GB's 1992 album "The Chase" which produced 3 top ten hits including this one. I remember Garth's heyday in the states was at least ten years ago so it was a surprising blast from the past to hear this song again in Bodo, Norway of all places. Garth can be heard in pubs throughout Bodo on a nightly basis. ".....Ain't goin' down 'till the sun comes up...!"
Turns out that Norweigans not only pay attention to American pop culture but they are also very interested in American politics as well--for the exact same reasons. I overhear conversations about the Democratic primary fight that sometimes get heated, although I don't understand what people are saying except for the occasional "Obama" or "Clinton." The tabloid newspapers that are placed in the most prominent positions in the newstands are the ones with pictures of the two American candidates with animated and often furious looks on their faces. They pay as much attention to who's up and who's down as we do and as much press coverage is dedicated to candidates' affiliations with controversial religious figures and unfatithful spouses, and so on.
It's interesting to be able to watch America from an outsider's perspective. When you're an American at home in the States your perception of reality is clouded by corporately owned media networks with their own agendas and fluff (but enjoyable I might add) tv shows like "American Idol" and "Who Wants to Marry a Dysfunctional Alcoholic Chef? (I made that one up)" and so on to the point where it's nearly impossible (or desireable) to try and make sense out of the disorder and overstimulation. The problem is that we get our entertainment and our news through the same channels and media and subscribe to whichever sources reinforce our own personal biases. We then fall into a sort of lull, where we either become impervious or indifferent to what is really going on and to what the real consequences and implications of America for the rest of the world are. We fail to see how other people see us.
But it's interesting when you discover that people in other countries have the same problem sorting out America. It's as if America is for Norweigans (and for the rest of the world including Americans themselves?) the greatest soap opera where politicians and pop stars are of equal interest and newsworthiness, where American Sensation, Sex, and Scandal is packaged and repeatedly sold to us (U.S.) driving us further and further into financial and moral bankruptcy. They can't wait to find out what entertainment and information we're going to subscribe to and they can't wait to see exactly how we're going to package, spin, and buy into it. They get a real kick out of watching us buy, mix, and drink our own kool-aid. This self-destructive process is the real entertainment for the Norweigans and other Europeans that I've encountered up here. I then see them celebrating images--like Ol' Garth--that perpetuate the stereotypes that we spoon feed to them--images of cowboy entertainers and cowboy politicans.
But really, I do love and believe deeply in America. And I also happen to really like Garth Brooks--especially when I'm with drinking beer with a large group of friends in the summertime. But as I sail throughout Europe this summer and as I study in Florence this fall and into next spring, I hope to encounter people celebrating images of America that do us justice. I'd like to see images that truly represent American virtue and uniqueness, images that celebrate American equality and opportunity, hope and possibilty.
Dr. Phil--yet another American Cowboy--always says that "you treat people how to treat you," and I think that occasionally he makes a good point. That being said, I think that it's time for America to rethink how we are portraying and presenting ourselves to the rest of the world. As a de facto American Ambassador, I intend to represent an America that is willing and prepared to renegotiate its place in world politics and world culture--one that believes in its capacity and obligation to make the world a better place for all.
“Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of ''the rat race'' is not yet final.”
Hunter Stockton Thompson, 1937-2005
5 comments:
Regarding my travels around this firmament, I have experienced the undeniable power of the performed word; whether it be in narration, oral tradition, poem, or song. There are so many meaningful albums that artists have taken the courage to offer we timid souls, who may not have the stones to express our own thoughts. Having said that, it's hard to choose a favorite among so many great tracks, but Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All" is one of the best, most powerful songs ever written about self-preservation, dignity. Its universal message crosses all boundaries and instills one with the hope that it's not too late to better ourselves. Since, Paul, it's impossible in this world we live in to empathize with others, we can always empathize with ourselves. It's an important message, crucial really. And it's beautifully stated on the album.
At the risk of being presumptuous, your Norwegian GB fans support my relatively long-winded argument. If Ms. Houston speaks to me, she and many others entertain the thoughts and feelings of many others, whether they are foreign or not. That is the brilliant beauty of America; our captivating ability to manhandle the attention of the rest of the world.
Hug many and smile often,
Tito
Hey, who elected you de facto American Ambassador? That's a joke. Paul, the only image that "truly represent[s] American virtue and uniqueness" is Rush Limbaugh wearing an American flag tube top driving a Harley while shooting a pistol and swigging a mixture of moonshine and virgin blood with Madonna in the sidecar next to him in a torn pink dress throwing beef jerky and Twinkies to the people in the crowd, some of which are being shot and run over by Rush Limbaugh.
Garth Brooks is America, and his "heyday" as you put it is a little thing called eternity. So call Baton Rouge and let the thunder roll, cause I got some friends in low places who are much to young to feel this damn old. Yeeeha! (I'm in my underwear and a cowboy hat screaming curse words and spiting tobacco on my computer screen while writing this)
First, I am in awe of your courage! It takes some serious balls to do what you are doing!
Second, I knew you were incredibly bright, but, Paul, your writing is sublime. I really enjoyed reading through your blog and can't wait to read more.
Third, it must be extremely interesting to view America as an outsider. My ethics class had a discussion on this very topic a couple weeks ago. Americans don't often pause to think about how their actions have an effect on the rest of the world; in this respect, we are largely a self-serving society.
Fourth, I hope you can do some damage control while you are abroad. It is sometimes difficult to see past the rampant consumerism that characterizes contemporary American society. I fully believe that you will represent an America that isn't self-serving, but "one that believes in its capacity and obligation to make the world a better place for all."
"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." --Alan Cohen
Post a Comment