I am very certain that “Autobio-music-o-graphy” is not an actual word, but one that I made up to introduce the topic of my new blog post to (hopefully) capture you readers.
To start off the semester, my ASTU class (Art Studies) is bringing together the genre of autobiography and archiving. Archiving being the collecting of media to restore and preserve history, and applying this field as a means to develop one’s biography whether it be a testimony of an individual or a collective. We were asked to read Diamond Grill by local poet Fred Wah who explores issues of race, family and his life through a combination of poems and archives. This text is extraordinary in the way it is presented – as Wah labels it – “a bio-text”. “Biotext” crossed with “biofiction” allows for Wah to depict his life story without “being hijacked by ready-made generic expectations such as the novel, autobiography, and life writing” (Diamond Grill, Wah, p.184). This concept of biotext, although it may seem a bit avant-garde, the style may be more noticeable in other areas of the arts. This train of thought is what led me to my crazy word “Autobio-music-o-graphy” by applying the concept of biotext and archiving to the subject of music.
I did not think much of this concept until my partner and I were having a discussion about music over dinner. He was explaining to me how you can see a progression in an artist’s life through their songs, changes in musical styles and the albums they release. This aspect allowed a new perspective of ways music can be seen as blend between archiving and autobiography of a certain time in one’s life.
In our class discussion about archiving, we concluded that archivists play a key role in how both individual and collective history and social memory can be depicted. What gets saved and what is left behind is extremely significant. I am now thinking of how artists in the music industry may play the role of an archivist and an autobiographer when it comes to developing their own music.
Artists generally have an array of written songs and lyrics needed to compose an album with. Many of these albums are a direct representation of one’s life journey during that precarious time in their life. The release of an album marks a point in time while songs within the album may portray a story the artist is trying to tell. This is where the artist plays the role of an archivist, because it is during that specific time period they are selectively choosing which songs gets published and which are abandoned. Meanwhile, each song may depict points of the artist’s life and attribute to their own autobiography. Although lyrically the songs word for word may not stem from actual events, they do represent genuine emotion. In addition, these songs can act as archives themselves, they are presented as a primary source and generally portray a first person perspective as an individual or a group.
I am hoping with this new-found knowledge to delve into music and find the potential parallels between specific artists and albums and how they act as archive and autobiography.
Lynsee,
Such an interesting blog post! I like how you made the connection between songs, archives and autobiography. Reading your post have made me think about songs that I have a connection to and perhaps, had a significant meaning in the artists’ lives, too. In fact, I was just thinking about this today as I was listening to Beyonce’s album, especially about the song Blue 😛
However, I think it’s important to note that this point you bring up may be very genre-specific. I might be wrong, but I think the “Autobio-music-o-graphy” can be seen more in genres like rock, country, and folk – sometimes pop – but I don’t know if we can say the same about the genres that are slowly becoming mainstream such as dubstep, house, trap and electronic – the more ‘electronic-instrumentals’ (for the lack of a better word since I don’t know much about music lingo). However, with that being said, I do hope that the “Autobio-music-o-graphy”-ness of songs don’t die out in the near future; and that the instrumentally focused songs do not take over as much.
Margot,
I also have been pondering which genres of music “autobio-music-o-graphy” (I need a shorter word…) would be applicable to. Initially when writing my blog post, I want to include a case study of a certain band/artist and focus on their discography as tie that into my l that it could be applied to all kinds. Therefore, I am so glad you brought this up in a discussion. At first, I thought too that music with lyrics would best represent one’s biography and archival material. Yet, I could not exclude the history of music in which earlier forms of music such as classical did not have words. It was through certain instruments and symphonies that translated emotion and the symphonies themselves are a form of media to be archived. With that in mind, when you mentioned that instrumental focused songs may not be included with this concept.
However, I feel as though (preference aside) dubstep and electronic dance music (EDM) is just as significant the archiving of our generation as any other genre. We are a technology and information age, the production of music is a pure result of the advancement of the new tools we have. In addition, it is radio stations, MTV, and other such “archivists” that choose which genres to promote and others to set aside. So I think you raise a valid point where although these new instrumental songs may not convey the autobiographical nature I generalised with music, I do however believe that this new age of music plays an important role in dating the social memory of today.
Hey Lynsee! You are absolutely correct about how by inventing a new word, “Autobio-music-o-graphy” can capture the attention of readers. I for one, have been trying to want to attach music (something I need in my life everyday as I bus to UBC) to what we have been learning in class (e.g. ASTU, SOCI, GEO etc.) but never could really come up with anything until I read this post of yours. To add to this conversation that you set-up, of “timing” of either album or song release, it got me thinking about the term, “kairos” as Miller & Shepherd defines it as discourse that “is understood as fitting and timely…it can seize on the unique opportunity”. Relating this definition and your post, I point to the example of the artist, Celine Dion who released a new album (Nov.5th 2013) which is marked as a “comeback” album since 2007. I personally do not know why she choose late last year to release it and the purpose behind it, but it does as you said “archive” the musician’s autobiographical life.
Emily! I’m so glad you got sucked into reading my post because of the “unique” qualities of the title 😛 My plan worked! I think you raise a key element that ties into my post quite well which is the term “Kairos”. I believe that “Kairos” as you mentioned plays an aspect which allows archivists to ponder and “fill in the gaps” as Carter would employ as to why which songs/artists choose when and where to share their artistry. Like your example of Celine Dion, or as Margot mentioned earlier Beyonce who only released her album online. I believe that these dates, artists and genres are significant to how music can be a media to archive and to date our generation. In addition, the “kairos” the significance of the timing and release of certain music also gives us a new area of exploration in regards to music in archiving and autobiography.