The PBS Idea Channel is at it again, chatting up videogame related discussion that may seem ingenious to the “mainstream” world, but is way below the standards of super cool nerds like us. That’s why I pay such close attention to this show. I pay a lot of attention to things that don’t deserve my attention, so I can talk about how little attention they deserve. It makes me feel strong.
In this week’s episode, the mysterious, handsome host discusses the rabid popularity of Hatsune Miku (star of videogames, performs via hologram, virtual pop star of the people) and how it compares to the backlash against Lana Del Rey (performs songs about videogames, performs live, real name Elizabeth Woodridge Grant). It seems that people don’t mind that Miku isn’t “real”, while they are quite annoyed that Del Rey is “fake”. Maybe it’s because with Miku, there was never a pretense for reality. She’s a visual metaphor, a unifying banner for all vocaloid artists to stand behind. There’s nothing dishonest about that. On the other hand, it seems that Del Rey stands for the pre-packaged lies and audience manipulation that are so commonplace in the world of maintream music publishing.
It’s Sharon Apple Vs. Milli Vanilli all over again. So 1990’s. What’s next, PBS Idea Channel? A discussion of how BurgerTime is a metaphor for man’s endless hunger for super-sized portions of emotional sustenance Vs. his suppressed self-condemnation for his gluttonous ways? How droll! I eagerly await the opportunity to watch said video, be fascinated by it, then pretend that it’s not that good so that I don’t feel as badly about myself because my similarly themed show wasn’t that popular.
