You may remember, a while back, me mentioning a conversation and a posting photograph dealing with the term Brettism, a kind of unwritten philosophy based on the beliefs and ideals of Brett. Brettist Manifesto, and all that. It occured to me that this idea is not as ludicrous (or perhaps even more so) as we first imagined; when I thought about it, I do have a kind of personal philosophy and aesthetic system. And while I may never actually write a manifesto or start a revolution, I would like to dedicate this day to touching on various Brettist things, ideas and people, like Takashi Murakami did in his book about Superflat; in other words, doing what I normally do on this blog.
Murakami himself - Duh. I figured I can't mention him in the intro and leave him off the list. I've said enough about this artist on my blog already, but let be quote myself just to remind you why he is Brettist:
"While the otaku's world of anime and manga exists as an extension of popular culture in Japan, Murakami recognizes that it is one artistic style that is distinctly Japanese. Relating the formal elements to the art of the Edo period, which is universally recognized as a product of Japan, he is placing anime art on a pedestal as the country's new avant-garde, to be respected for its roots in modern culture as well as traditional art. Murakami is bringing popular entertainment and cult phenomena into the context of high art, and in true super flat fashion, there is perfect harmony."
Momus, 97-98 - The first Momus songs I ever heard were MC Escher and What Are You Wearing?, both from his 1998 album The Little Red Songbook. I was immediately hooked. These songs were tres Brett - conceptual, strange, catchy, and fun. His album prior to that, Ping Pong, provides more of the same and is probably one of the best pop albums of the 90s. Momus is still quite Brett these days, but it was during the late 90s that he reached his peak in cult artistry and sense of humor.
Ren & Stimpy - Perhaps the greatest TV show I've
ever seen, but I don't expect everybody to appreciate it; only the Brettists can truly see the fuckin genius of this cartoon. This show didn't even try to set up a basic story or setting, becase absurdity takes priority over narrative. Ren and Stimpy seem to live in a different setting from one episode to the next, such as inside a dead cow or beneath a tree stump in Hollywood, Yugoslavia. I remember a camping episode where the funniest joke is when Ren says "twigs? ...What are twigs?" Now that's genius.
Casetteplaya - I just recently came across this fashion designer, but I like her stuff. I like it enough to call it Brettist. In a press release, she describes her new line as "cartoon couture and subverted sportswear for club kids, dandies, rappers, kappa slappers, emcees, playas, outsiders, sluts and geeks." I don' t know if I am any of those, but I think her neon-trash-psychedeliglam outfits are pretty boss. If I ruled the world, people would dress like this. Scary, I know.The Monkey Hour - My homeboys Andy and Tristan used to make their own TV show, which didn't involve any monkeys an never had an episode reaching an hour. But these two boys were tapping into a new kind of humor that mankind wasn't ready for (this is apparent simply by the fact that 1 out of every 8 people who saw the show thought it was funny). There were no jokes to speak of, just bizarre phrases and situations, such as "give me motion" and the reading of a cookie. This show examplifies the Brettist ideal of the humorously confusing.
Sam - Sam is smart, multi-racial, attractive, witty, from Hawaii, and a psychology major. Girls like that have a special place in Brettism.
Yellow Submarine - It's a movie with a bunch of awesome, colorful, mind-bending imagery, and some great Beatles tunes. It doesn't have to make much sense or preach a deep message; just watching this movie is an experience. A good experience. A Brett experience.
Shena Ringo - Never mind that she's a genre-sampling, postmodern prog-popstar. Never mind that she's stylish and pretty. She's an automatic Brettist because of her electric mole, baby..
No comments:
Post a Comment