Air Guitar--Dave Hickey

What better way to begin a cultural commentary blog than with a book about cultural commentary? Dave Hickey's Air Guitar is a collection of essays about art and music, although the tagline emphasizes the connection between American Art and American Democracy. Hickey is a fantastic writer who can drag along a disagreeable prick like me for a considerable amount of space.

I first encountered this book in the reader Mass Communication and American Social Thought. There, part of his introduction serves as an epigraph: "I knew there was no chance of talking with my professor about what a cool book Tristam Shandy is." I have to admit, most of the time in academia makes me feel exactly the same way. Hardly any of my fellow students seem excited about whatever they're learning, because that fascination and professionalism appear to be mutually exclusive. It's beginning to wear on me, and made me a worse student, less interested in digging for the right reasons, and afraid to learn because it means being wrong a lot of the time. So Hickey definitely captures my sympathy when he rails against academic structures.

Throughout the essays Hickey puts forth the strong argument for agency, and it has two parts. 1) The institutions and devices that we sometimes claim control the earth are nowhere near that successful.
2) People can see the difference between appearance and reality; they understand the rules of the game.
This is why Hickey begins with Vegas, claiming that despite appearances it is one of the most honest and democratic places around.

Naturally, I have problems with his argument and ultimately his book. First I feel that most people are pretty powerless, and duped. For some, this kind of admission is academic elitism, but I see no reason why we should suppose that academics have somehow been let off the hook. The realization of one's chains does not equal transcendence of them. I also object to the contrarian attitude towards academia that Hickey displays. Academics may not do a lot of good, but that doesn't mean they don't live in the real world.

I wonder what Hickey thinks of the internet, given his paeans to participatory democracy. My bet is that he was initially enamoured but has probably soured on it somewhat since it largely repeats the same old media consolidation we've seen elsewhere.

I enjoyed this book, especially the writing. It's nice to find a sparring partner you don't hate.