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All words and music by Michael W. Dean
LYRICS:
SO… “The Death of the Author” is this interesting concept from some dead French guy.
(with) the author of any creative endeavor that a human mind can make…the author is dead as soon as they publish it. As soon as the public has it, the author is dead.
The author can still be walkin’ around and writing more stuff. But as soon as he throws that message in a bottle out into the world he no longer has control over it.
In the sense that he doesn’t really have influence on how it’s perceived.
“The Death of the Author” is the idea that the interpenetration is done by the listener, by the reader, by the viewer.
Not by the person making the art.
And going back to the 80s I’ve always supplied a typed-out lyric sheet for all the music I’ve done. Because I want people to understand what I’m saying.
But it’s not that important to me that they have the same reaction that I was going for when I made the art.
Like a really good example is I wrote this song called “Electric Cat Disco.” And somebody asked me the other day “What is this? Is this a joke? I can tell you worked very hard on this, but…..are you serious?”
And I kinda felt like “Does it matter? Why do you need to know that?”
And I finally told him, “Yea. It’s a serious song about an absurd topic. It’s like a Saturday morning cartoon theme song from the 90s, for kids.”
I kinda wonder if I even should of done that, if I even shoulda explained it.
But I’ve never been one of these standoffish artists that you can’t approach and ask some question.
Conversely; I also don’t want to let people believe they’re owed an explanation.
“The Death of the Author” is more than dead French guy, deconstructionist moving into structuralist thought.
But more like, almost a law of physics…that justifies sampling.
Sampling is critiquing the art by making something new with it.
It’s basically saying “I like the art, but I can improve it.”
And that is a valid literary critique.
Lyrics sampled from this episode of my Freedom Feens radio show.
NOTES:
Michael W. Dean wrote: It’s the new “Schoolhouse Rock!”
Phil Wormuth wrote: I would like to know more about the dead French guy.
Michael W. Dean wrote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Barthes
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_the_Author
Thanks for this piece.
Not only did it give a nice succinct explanation of “death of the author”, a concept I previously held animosity towards, but this convinced me of its truth and merit. I’d say the cultural paradigm in most media today is “word of god” which essentially is the polar opposite of this. “Death of the Author” provides an interesting counterpoint to this and a different way of looking at works of art.
Glad to help. It’s a wonderful concept.
I can send you some BipTunia stickers, just send me an address.
MWD