luminousdusk wrote:WATER_CAN-_- wrote:As I mentioned on Reddit, I think seeing BoC being encapsulated into a fictional entertainment product, motoring program, or advertisement only serves to attempt to cheapen their incredible artwork.
I think if their music was integrated into some other media that's in line with their philosophies or serves to somehow enhance their art, then I think that's totally cool. For example, coming full circle doing the soundtrack for a NFB documentary or nature documentary would be amazing.
This is really interesting because they have sampled a few tv commercials for Old Tunes vol 2 like the Frosties ad and Dirt Devil and even on SocietasX with Minute Maid and as youve mentioned they have given permission for their music to be used in car commercials and obviously The National Film Board of Canada, Sesame Street etc were huge influences on them so it seems like they are more than happy for their music to be used in all of these commercial ways but they must have a line drawn somewhere because they definitely have a non-selling out philosophy and im sure they have a very specific belief as to what purposes their music should or shouldn't be used for.
There are some references to video games in their work although not many.. I think maybe in Old Tunes vol 2 there *may be* a sample from a video game, We have Hi Scores which can obviously have a few meanings and a possible reference to video games and there's the possible reference to the game "Bad day on Midway" with Oscar see through red eye and ive only just made a connection myself with the track 'Bad day' to that. Also we can't forget the interactive flash media which isnt a game as such but one could argue with that, It is immersive multimedia. So im sure video games may have had a small influence on them, But maybe not enough for them to want to promote or be involved too deeply in.
So yeah i think they are happy for their music to be used for very commercial purposes which fall in line with their philosophy, Which must be an odd one.. Being commercial without selling out, Being popular and widely known without being too mainstream while still having an air of mystery.
It almost seems like theyve came full circle, They were influenced by television and documentaries when they were young and strived to recreate that nostalgic sound and almost by accident they have themselves became a part of what inspired them in the first place. Absolutely fascinating!
I think we have to make some distinction between old media and new media.
The samples from OTv2 and SxT have an old nostalgic feeling to them. This is because they
are old in reality from around the time which BoC drew inspiration, and they happen to be amusing. Sesame Street began in the late 1960s, and so this is part of their childhood experience.
While some may serve to be entertaining, new media relies so heavily on technology that practically all creativity is lost. Rinse and repeat the same formula.
I am about 10 years younger than them, and I remember media from the '70s as well as some of the samples they use because a lot of it was still on TV. There was a warm analog feeling to everything, and the creativity was so much greater because they could not rely so heavily on technology. Media producers had to use a lot more imagination to come up with entertaining things.
These days everything is a mile wide and an inch deep. Even satire of modern culture is no longer amusing, and actually rather sad.
Btw here is an Oscar:
The reason I don't want to see BoC music integrated in superficial modern media is because their art is by far in away the most profound and meaningful I have ever encountered of any medium. I stand by what I said that I think including their music in modern media will only serve to attempt to cheapen it, which it doesn't deserve.
