I find rebellion packaged by a major corporation a little hard to take seriously.
Interpretation
Rebellion loses its authenticity when commodified by corporations.
David Byrne's quote critiques the commercialization of rebellion, suggesting that when countercultural movements are packaged and sold by major corporations, their authenticity and significance can diminish. He implies that true rebellion stems from genuine discontent and should not be co-opted for profit.
In practice
Using this quote in a discussion about consumer culture and authenticity at a public speaking event.
Forces that you might think are utterly unrelated to creativity can have a big impact. Technology, obviously, but environment, too. Even financial structures can affect the actual content of a song. The making of music is profoundly affected by the market.
When things get so absurd and so stupid and so ridiculous that you just can't bear it, you cannot help but turn everything into a joke.
I certainly agree that putting everything into little genres is counterproductive. You're not going to get too many surprises if you only focus on the stuff that fits inside the box that you know.
You create a community with music, not just at concerts but by talking about it with your friends.
Real sadness is such an all-encompassing intense thing that it takes you out of your humdrum existence. If you can still function, you want to show it while it's peaking. So when people tell you to cheer up, it's not always the best thing.
We don't make music, it makes us
We are aware that globalization doesn't mean global friendship but global competition and, therefore, conflict. That doesn't mean we will all destroy each other, but it is no happy global village, either.
Death is not a foe, but an inevitable adventure.
It is not possible either to trick or escape the mind of Zeus.
What kind of times are they, when A talk about trees is almost a crime Because it implies silence about so many horrors?
Be very careful. Giving because we think we will get something back will not work. You must be 100 percent willing to give and never experience any return, or it will not work.
The shock of photographed atrocities wears off with repeated viewings, just as the surprise and bemusement felt the first time one sees a pornographic movie wear off after one sees a few more.
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