Emo, Punk (v2).

Whilst I hate to admit it emo is linked in someway to the original punk rock. Being a fan of punk music myself I get a little nervous when people link the two, but I thought I'd tackle representations of emo, and emo representations of film as a small challenge. This is partly because I thought that 'emo' music, and its representations needed some more discussion, even though 'emo' culture hasn’t been covered too much on film since this manifestation of punk rock has been fairly recent. I thought I'd take another look at it from the perspective of 'emo' representations of films rather than films which interpret emo culture or emo music since (with the exceptions of Spiderman 3) these are probably few and far between.

The representations I can come up with are mainly inter-textual, Blink 182 (OK, maybe not emo? I beg to differ) refer to "live like jack and sally" in their song "I Miss You", and that they could "have Halloween on Christmas", referring to the Tim Burton film The Nightmare before Christmas. Many emo kids (*chuckle*) cite this and The Crow as being their favorite movies, and numerous song reference both films. This is mainly due the shared mood of both films and the mood of emo (and goth music), but I also think it is explained as a recent musical culture trying to find a historical reference point, or way to be more than just a fad in a changing media culture.

On the other hand though, the media is more and more beginning to depict emo in film and television content. The latest Spiderman is rumored to feature an emo Peter Parker, complete with eyeliner and the fringe. Awesome.

Subbbaculture! We salute you Ian MacKaye

Subcultures are often defined through the ways in which they oppose the values of the dominant culture. A subculture can be modelled around the fashion, gender, ethnicity, and musical tastes of its participants. But what happens when a subculture is adopted by the larger culture it exists in, does it still retain its subversive appeal?

I think the most relevant example would be the subculture of ‘emo’ and the way in which it is being marketed towards today’s youth. The way in which this subculture has been so readily adopted by the media is paradoxical being that the general idea of subculture is to be subversive to mass ideas of identity. I think that the subculture of ‘emo’ has swung like a pendulum through a series of phases, characteristic of most subcultures in general: an initially ‘underground’ and discreet position in regards to mainstream culture, an increase in popularity due to a surge in members and affiliates which draws the attention of the media, and finally a rejection by people in general to what is now deemed mass culture.

In a Machiavellian kind of way I think that culture moves in cycles of decline and regeneration, which work in response to how bland a subculture becomes over time due to its popularity. Essentially people want to be different, individual, pronounced, memorable, and I think that the adoption of subcultures by mass media undermines that sensibility, and in response we as consumers abandon our individual bastions of identity in search of something unspoilt by popular appeal.

It seems amazing to me how large a factor music can play in the formation of a subculture. But, due to the ubiquitous nature of the Internet and the flexibility of the medium in which music is stored, it can be seen that even the rarest and previously unpopular music now has an audience and is open to public scrutiny. We exist within a system of continual opposition, with individuals striving to create something new and unique for themselves and mass media exploiting popularity through efforts like digital rights management and song placement in films. Meanwhile subcultures like ‘emo’ are consigned to our generation like the ‘goths’ and ‘punks’ of yesteryear and we move forwards, some of us searching the others of us waiting for the next big fringe.

‘I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth’

Fall Out Boy… love’em or hate’em you can’t help but notice’em. Crowding (see: polluting) the airwaves with their catchy singles on repeat, MTV and popular local radio stations seem hell bent on flogging this black fringed horse to death.

Songs by Fall Out Boy are easily picked out on the Top 40 Charts by their characteristically long names that read like the warning labels on household detergents (warning if swallowed to not induce vomiting and the like) and their acrobatic playing style dubbed “Trohmania” by fans to describe the spinning top moves of lead guitarist Joe Trohman.

Already a mob gathers, torches lit and pitchforks sharpened ready for another round of ‘emo-bashing’. But…I should warn you, I’m actually rather fond of this band.

Catchy, upbeat, and intertexual to the point of absurdity, their music videos (at least their recent ones) read like arcane texts constantly self-referencing moments in the bands brief but eventful history. The video for the first single from Fall Out Boy’s recent album Infinity On High ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s A Goddamn Arms Race’ brims with a variety of ‘Easter egg’ content ready to reward viewers willing to look past the bands ascribed ‘emo’ style.

Directed by Alan Ferguson, the video begins oddly enough during the final sequence of the song ‘Dance, Dance’ which helps orient viewers in the Fall Out Boy universe. The ‘scene’, so to speak, then changes to an underground hip-hop recording studio, which is a reference to the bands collaboration with producers Babyface and Jay-Z. The opening lines of the song are noticeably R&B in tone and are delivered to an audience of typical rap-star stereotypes (see: 50 Cent). The genius of this send-up is the way in which the band use ‘urban’ codes for sound and setting as an intro and build up to for their brand of pop punk or ‘emo’ style of music. From a marketing point of view this method is ingenious in that listeners who would traditionally shy away from Fall Out Boy due to perceptions about ‘rock music’ are nonetheless drawn in by the familiarity of the initial sound and before they know it are tapping their foot along to the incredibly catchy melody and guitar riffs. However, from a critical perspective it becomes clear that the aim of Fall Out Boy’s video is to adopt various genre aesthetics with the intention to deconstruct the codes and conventions of popular music culture.

In order to avoid alienating their old fans outright, Fall Out Boy make sure to include a surplus of in-jokes and allusions to past incidents involving the band. Most notable is a scene in which three girls look on in shock horror/excitement at a nude photo of the bands bassist Pete Wentz that parodies a scandal of the same nature in which nude photos of the musician were leaked over the Internet.

The funeral scene that takes place later in the video contains the most substantial portion of intertexual parody as well as self-reference recognisable to both fans and savvy viewers alike. Characters from the bands earlier music videos appear and reprise their roles as they gather to mourn the passing of Wentz who died in an earlier scene. Patrick Stump, the Fall Out Boy frontman, leads a church chorus while Travis McCoy, recognisable from the band Cobra Starship as well as Gym Class Heroes, stands over Wentz’ grave and pours from a bottle in a brown paper bag, a parody of the Boyz II Men music video ‘On Bended Knee’. Also, Michelle Trachtenberg and Seth Green, recognisable as veterans of the television show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, are among the funeral procession in reference to Internet rumours that Wentz and Trachtenberg were dating at the time. Fall Out Boy’s acerbic parody of the music industry is taken one step further in a scene where the Moon Man, MTV’s customary award trophy, is dancing on the spot amid the numerous tombstones scattered throughout the cemetery to cries of “this scene this scene!” by Stump. The entire sequence culminates with lead guitarist Trohman rising atop Wentz’ casket performing a solo in obvious parody of Synystar Gates and his similar role in the ‘Seize The Day’ music video by Avenged Sevenfold.

Ultimately I think that Fall Out Boy’s music video for ‘This Ain’t A Scene, It’s A Goddamn Arms Race’ serves to illuminate the dark (see: ‘emo’) corners of the pop punk genre in an attempt to criticise the culture, through parodying it’s champions and genre aesthetics, which ascribed the band it’s genre labels. The result of this is a remixing of genre traditions in order to obtain a kind of ‘personal voice’ discernible through the noise of popular music that will appeal to old fans as well as attract new listeners to this melodic sound.