Birth of a Subculture; Death of the Music Festival
Michael Benson
Final Draft
11/28/11
Birth of a Subculture; Death of the Music Festival
In Birth of Tragedy, Friedriche Nietzsche characterizes ancient Greek Dionysian festivals to be “centered in extravagant licentiousness…[where] the most savage natural instincts were unleashed” (Nietzsche 39). Music, orgies, excess drinking, and indulgences thrived during these fests. Ancient Greek sects craved these festivals and counted down the days until they could partake in the debauchery (Nietzsche 39). We would like to believe that appalling acts such as those prevalent at Dionysian festivals are a thing of the past – that human kind has evolved beyond creating events to encourage submission to immoral desires. In reality these festivals not only still exist, but have been commercialized and accepted by society in the form of music festivals. Today’s music festival subculture share the Ancient Greek’s licentiousness, birthing a counterculture with a false sense of ideological solution forged by the zeal of big business. These modern festivals subsequently destroy the values in the music festival.
In a society dominated by commercialism and Social Darwinism, the desire by many to escape these ideologies is achieved through many different routes. However, the rise in music festival attendance suggests that music festivals are the most effective withdrawal. With the creation of Lollapalooza, Coachella, Sasquatch, Pitchfork, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, South by Southwest, and thousands of local festivals, yearly music festivals are becoming bigger and more popular. These festivals promote a collective subculture that encourages free expression in art, music, drugs, clothing, dance, and in every daily activity; an almost dream-like environment is created where anything seems possible. People dress up as anything from mushrooms to gypsies, paint themselves with random lines and colors, or wear as little or as much clothes as possible. This random “uniform” adorned by music
Final Draft
11/28/11
Birth of a Subculture; Death of the Music Festival
In Birth of Tragedy, Friedriche Nietzsche characterizes ancient Greek Dionysian festivals to be “centered in extravagant licentiousness…[where] the most savage natural instincts were unleashed” (Nietzsche 39). Music, orgies, excess drinking, and indulgences thrived during these fests. Ancient Greek sects craved these festivals and counted down the days until they could partake in the debauchery (Nietzsche 39). We would like to believe that appalling acts such as those prevalent at Dionysian festivals are a thing of the past – that human kind has evolved beyond creating events to encourage submission to immoral desires. In reality these festivals not only still exist, but have been commercialized and accepted by society in the form of music festivals. Today’s music festival subculture share the Ancient Greek’s licentiousness, birthing a counterculture with a false sense of ideological solution forged by the zeal of big business. These modern festivals subsequently destroy the values in the music festival.
In a society dominated by commercialism and Social Darwinism, the desire by many to escape these ideologies is achieved through many different routes. However, the rise in music festival attendance suggests that music festivals are the most effective withdrawal. With the creation of Lollapalooza, Coachella, Sasquatch, Pitchfork, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, South by Southwest, and thousands of local festivals, yearly music festivals are becoming bigger and more popular. These festivals promote a collective subculture that encourages free expression in art, music, drugs, clothing, dance, and in every daily activity; an almost dream-like environment is created where anything seems possible. People dress up as anything from mushrooms to gypsies, paint themselves with random lines and colors, or wear as little or as much clothes as possible. This random “uniform” adorned by music
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