Before You Was Famous

Marj Kibby, in her as-yet-unpublished article ‘The practice of music fandom on the internet’ (2006), reasserts the long-held notion that cultural capital is central to music fandom, and examines the ways in which intimacy and authenticity can heighten musical experiences.

She goes on to talk about how new technologies of communication, such as the Internet, have led to disintermediation in that they enable a connection between producer and consumer, musician and fan, without the need for an intermediary. And it’s true. Nowadays many ‘stars’ have blogs or treat their official web site in a less than official manner (check out The Whitlams’ Tim Freedman and his attempt to get back at the Chaser boys). As Art Brut say in 'Formed a Band': ‘It's not irony / And it's not rock and roll / I'm just talking / To the kids’.

It may be stating the obvious but is there any better way to feel a connection to music than to be somehow in direct contact with it? Like talking to your favourite artists or having semi-famous people reply to your blog. I don’t think there is, although sometimes, such as when it comes to friends’ band, it helps to have a little distance.

Funny I should write all this. Yesterday my sister pointed me to the MySpace front page, where it appears my girlfriend has become the face of the Laneway Festival. Now, there’s no way we’re going to miss that!