We Invented the Remix
“How much time, and how much space, is required to separate an object from its reiteration; an echo from the source of the sound?”–David Novak, “Cosmopolitanism, Remediation, and the Ghost World of Bollywood” (2010)
In a fascinating sequence in the 2008 documentary RiP!: A Remix Manifesto, director Brett Gaylor traces the evolution of a work song from the cotton fields to Muddy Waters (“You Need Love”) to the Rolling Stones (“The Last Time”) to The Verve (“Bittersweet Symphony”), and finally to mashup artist GirlTalk. With a credo of “Culture always builds on the past,” Gaylor presents a compelling argument that the creative act of media reuse is undermined by attempts to regulate its dissemination.
(I wanted to use this as a lead in to my discussion for my Blog #5 assignment, but it exceeded the two-page limit–so the bonus material appears on the blog!)