Some years ago, a friend of mine became President of a small theater company. At his first meeting with the group, the treasurer disclosed that they had massive debt, were operating courtesy of credit card float extended by the organization’s directors, and were probably going out of business soon. Analysis showed that, in spite of producing beautiful professional shows, the shows themselves had limited appeal outside the artistic community. The new President, who brought a business background to the position but had limited theatrical experience, decreed that henceforth if he hadn’t heard of a show it wouldn’t be staged, assuming that the wider theater audience felt the same way. Niche shows appeal to a niche audience and if you don’t put butts in the seats, you can’t pay the bills. Today that theater company is thriving, celebrating over 40 years in business, and it retains the customer centric approach to the entertainment they provide. Give the customers what they want.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal was entitled ‘Art Has the Power to Fix What Politics Has Broken.’ It begins by referencing what’s happening at the Kennedy Center in Washington in the wake of President Trump’s takeover, which has resulted in some artist cancellations. It goes on to state that ‘this reaction isn’t surprising given the political climate and the artists strong convictions – predominantly left-leaning.’ Given that the Kennedy Center currently operates at a $100 million+ annual loss, putting more butts in the seats is definitely in order. Whatever they were doing wasn’t doing that.
But why must art be left-leaning, or right-leaning? Isn’t the goal of art to bring enjoyment to the broadest possible audience–the audience that just wants to be entertained? This overtly political approach doesn’t serve the artistic community, whether it’s the Kennedy Center or Disney’s current Snow White debacle (anticipated loss: $250 million+). We’ve seen artists loudly proclaiming their departure from on-line music streaming platforms for political reasons, only to return quietly when they find nobody missed them. Comedians and actors have had promising careers derailed for insulting, rather than entertaining, their audiences. Many don’t seem to understand that, while you are free to proclaim your ideology to the masses, you are also free to suffer the consequences. Cancel culture cuts both ways.
And it’s a cryin’ shame. Because the ‘arts,’ including music, theater, movies, art, and other forms of expression, have been, could be, SHOULD BE, a medium that draws us together, not divides us. In days gone by I had no idea the political persuasion of any musician I listened to, TV/movie actor I watched, or artist I enjoyed, nor was I privy to their sexual orientation. If I liked their music, their movies, their TV show, that was enough. I was paying to be entertained, not lectured, harangued, and insulted.
Comedians are funny because they call out the absurdities of everyday life. Of course, that assumes we actually have a sense of humor, including the ability to laugh at ourselves. Some were bi-partisan tormentors of the rich and powerful—think Rickles and Carlin. You stayed up late to laugh with Carson; Saturday Night Live was actually an edgy comedy show. Today’s crop are frequently consumed by some derangement syndrome or political bent focused on a niche audience, driving division, not community. While some movie and TV stars were known for their libidinous and licentious behavior, they didn’t lecture me on how I should live, or with whom. When did this crap start? And why?
As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could regain some of that sense of community? Instead of constantly making political statements, what if we departed the current programming-as-platform to celebrate what we have in common? After all, our music and art as a nation has benefitted from the diversity of our culture. The Great American Songbook is replete with contributions and influences from the martial airs of Sousa to the ragtime of Joplin, the jazz of Gillespie and Goodman to the blues improv of Armstrong and King, the rock and roll of Berry and Elvis, to the rap and hip-hop stylings of Eminem and Tupac, the San Francisco and Laurel Canyon sounds of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, the Eagles and the Byrds, slave music and music of freedom. This is the music that forged us as a nation.
Similarly our movies, from the earliest ‘talkie’ days to our current immersive Imax and Sphere shows, have chronicled our development. Comedies were not ‘mean’, they illustrated the lighter side of life. Adventure, science fiction, dramas, westerns, and other genre almost always featured a reliably recognizable ‘bad guy’ and a ‘good guy’ who almost always won and ended up with the girl. Of course, it was easier when we had a real villain half a world away instead of the panoply of villainous characters that inhabit our world today. But still, does every movie have to lecture us about our politics or religion or sexuality? And is it any mystery that the ones that don’t seem to be the most consistently successful and profitable?
But instead of appealing to that broader audience, our better selves, the arts today have become an agglomeration of exclusive, homogenous silo audiences existing to exacerbate our differences rather than draw us together. Art as a form of protest has always existed, but it hasn’t driven the narrative as it does today. That’s too bad. Because art should draw in large, diverse groups of people who may not agree on much except that they just saw a great show or listened to a great concert. They should leave with a feeling of camaraderie with a smile on their face, rather than feeling angry with a grimace on their face. Absent from much of today’s landscape is art that heals and unites. And it doesn’t put butts in seats.
So much of our lives include a soundtrack that is uniquely American. The same goes for memories of great plays, movies, and TV shows. Those have been among our happiest times—times when we bore no ill will toward others. Maybe it’s just the old hippie in me, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to get some measure of that back? To remember what we have accomplished TOGETHER, and what we can still accomplish TOGETHER.
To quote Mr. Natural, “Twas ever thus.”