Saturday 11 July 2015

My Name is... Phat Gareth

The presence of an artist on the Vile Blog does not necessarily signify Vile Approval. Just wait until you see some of the people I have lined up for the dramaturgy database.

That said, I like anyone who is willing to bother their ass to reply to my emails. And I really love reading them. And Matt Abbott is officially Alright by Me.



However, Matt admits that he is a fan of hip-hop bad boy, who used to be good, Eminem, before qualifying his love by calling My Name Is 'silly'.

There are some... ahem.. obnoxious bits to the song, but I also regard My Name Is as a Great Moment in Dramaturgy. It is the only pop song (and, yes, Eminem is pop hip hop) that explains Goffman's theory of performance in everyday life.

Well since age twelve, I've felt like I'm someone else
Cause I hung my original self from the top bunk with a belt

Hip hop is obsessed with authenticity, and here's a rapper rejecting the idea of an original self. The song attacks the idea that he is a role model (while Kanye is bigging himself up as the man to copy, there's a slyness here than undermines rap's sense of social purpose and egotism).

The violence is a bit much, though. I guess he's using hip hop tropes in a comedic manner. But The Vile Arts does not approve violence, or self-harm, obvs.






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