Blog #10: Lessig & DJ Earworm

This is a mashup of the top songs of 2009. It's called "United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop)" by DJ Earworm.


In chapter 4, Lessig discusses his friend Ben from college. He talked about how Ben used quotes to make his argument - he says "his selection demonstrated knowledge beyond the message of the text" (51). So, he's saying that through using quotes by the author, he is able to show that he understands what the author is trying to say. The connection I made to this remix by DJ Earworm is that Earworm understands the similarities in beats and how certain parts of a song can work with another. He is essentially taking direct "quotes" from musical artists and demonstrating his knowledge in the area of rhythm and melody. Further in the chapter, Lessig asks why, if we have to ask permission to use a clip from a song , is it so absurd that we must ask permission to use a quote? I thought this point was interesting because who is to say there is a difference? When we quote an author or book, we cite it at the end of our papers, so why is a song any different?


On page 69, Lessig says "They remix, or quote, a wide range of 'texts' to produce something new... remixed media may quote sounds over images, or video over text, or text over sounds. The quotes thus get mixed together. The mix produces the new creative work - the 'remix.'" This quote exemplifies all that DJ Earworm has done here. He's taken all these different pieces of other people's worked, 'quoted' them and mashed them up to create a whole new piece of music. His mashup is unique in that it not only mixes the songs, but also the music videos. I like the metaphor he used on page 70 for multimedia remixes. He says "Sounds are being used like paint on a palette. But all the paint has been scratched off of other paintings." I don't even really know how to reiterate that, because it is so straightforward. So basically, DJ Earworm has taken all these sounds, and unlike Girl Talk, he's created a new song. It has its own unique beat, it mashes up the lyrics to send a whole new message. If you look at the rest of his work, that's an underlying theme throughout his music. He doesn't just mash up music because it 'sounds good' but he actually takes the time to construct a whole new message. In this case, he's created a song called "Blame It on the Pop."


To conclude the chapter, Lessig discusses the old in the new. Like Professor Arola said in class, when she was growing up she might have created a Scooby-Doo collage. Who is to say that if she had access to the technology we have today she might not have created a Scooby-Doo soundbite montage. So, is there a difference? Lessig doesn't think so. He says "What blocked you was that the production costs alone would have been in the tens of thousands of dollars" (83). So, what is the difference between DJ Earworm's remix and Professor Arola's Scooby-Doo collage? According to Lessig, the only difference is the time period. Further down the page Lessig says "The ways and reach of speech are now greater. More people can use a wider set of tools to express ideas and emotions differently." Once again, the only real difference is that now we use computers to mix our media, rather than scissors and glue.