culture & society

i think something does in fact happen when something becomes more popular.  there's a shift in how that thing, that band, the actress, that movie, is thought of.  something that comes to mind is, when you discover a band, and no one else knows who they are.  it's like your little secret.  you know that this band is great, but at the same time, you kind of don't want other people to know.  however, once everyone knows about this band and they become popular, and everyone loves them, it seems as though they aren't as cool anymore.  you're left looking for the next big secret.  the question is, why isn't that band as cool anymore?  i think it's because before everyone knew about them, it was your little secret.  it was special to you, and you almost even feel a little bit devious keeping this secret from everyone else.      

on the other hand, if there's a business out there that has become really popular and many people are endorsing it, you may want to be a part of that business.  take for example, a cell phone company.  if the mainstream market is gravitating towards happy cell phone company, you might sign a contract with happy cell phone company, too.  

so what makes the cell phone company different from the band.  well, because as a consumer, i'd like to know that my cell phone provider is a good company so that i can rely on and trust in good service.  with the band, i already know they're good no matter what popular culture implies.  so i think it depends on what type of culture you are talking about.  

the artist can try to be in control of how their art is perceived.  for example.  a musical artist can try to write their songs so they have "mainstream appeal."  this however, does not nessessarily mean that their work will in fact be received well by a mainstream audience.  so an artist can try  to control how their art is received, but there is no guarentee it will be received the way the artist intended.  

in the case of kurt cobain, i do not believe it was his (or the band's) intent to become one of the most popular bands in america.  i think cobain wanted to just be an unknown.  i think he was more comfortable that way.  it seemed as though cobain was miserable being famous, but it's hard to say whether or not he would be "better off" if he had remained an unknown.  i think it is entirely possible.   

the best way in which to tell if something is authentic or not, is to educate yourself.  research the piece, information, etc.  sometimes you can disipher very easily if something is an inauthentic copy.  other times, the copy may come so close that it may be very difficult to say if it is authentic or inauthentic.  for example, most people now know that american idol is another version of the original show that first aired in england, "pop idol."  does that make "american idol" less valid than it's predessesor "american idol?"  no.  it just means that the now popular television show "american idol" is an inauthentic copy of the original.