we are the goon squad

...and I'm back!  It's been a long time, I know.  With any luck, I'll be back now for a while.

A couple of years ago, I went to Wales for a conference.  I stayed with my friend N., who was the consummate hostess.  We took a bus ride through the sheep-dotted countryside and a hike along the gorgeous coastal cliffs.  We went to dinner at a local pub, and we had a classic English breakfast the next day.  Oh - and the conference was great, too. 

But one night while I was there, we went out to the movies and saw The Devil Wears Prada.  I wasn't expecting it to be all that great, and I recall reading reviews beforehand about how Meryl Streep's performance is pretty much the only thing that redeemed the movie.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I enjoyed the movie.  I am deeply troubled by its message (but that will have to wait for another episode of the blog).  Nonetheless, there is a part of me that can identify with the main character - the "fat, smart girl" - who despite her sense that beauty is superficial, can herself get caught up in the world of fashion.

Which brings us to today's song - a song all about the power of fashion - and the fashionable - to capture the imagination of those of us who are not so fashionable.

Fashion, David Bowie reminds us, often starts with trends that you see on the street.  (In the video for this song, the trendsetters who turn to the left, then turn to the right are all queued up in a soupline.)

There's a brand new dance
But I don't know its name
That people from bad homes
Do again and again
It's big and it's bland
Full of tension and fear
They do it over there
But we don't do it here

This is how fashion starts:  the "people from bad homes" start doing something that the rest of us look down on - "we don't do it here!"  But it gets repeated over and over and over, and eventually even high society takes notice:

There's a brand new talk
But it's not very clear
Ooh bop
That people from good homes
Are talking this year
Ooh bop - fashion!

Fashion reproduces itself through imitation, then imitation of imitations.  The trendsetters tell you what to do, and you try to keep up as the fashions change.  The central refrain of the song is made up of a weird echo, as the singer tries to keep up with every change:

Listen to me (don't listen to me)
Talk to me (don't talk to me)
Dance with me (don't dance with me)
No - beep! beep!

How do we know what we have to do to be fashionable, if the rules keep changing as quickly as they are made?  Fashion, rather than being a medium for creative expression by the underclass, is transformed into a simple and robotic following of orders:

Fashion:  Turn to the left!
Fashion:  Turn to the right!
Ooh...fashion!

This is, of course, one of the classic critiques of fashion:  that it is a vehicle for the forces of conformity.  We are fashionable because that's what we are told to be.  Ultimately, our imitation of the trendsetters, rather than being a creative form of self-imagination, is reduced to a mindless repetition.  By the end of the song, the "new talk" means that we can't even sing in complete words; it degenerates into nonsense, sung in an emotionless monotone:

Oop bop! doh doh doh doh doh doh doh doh
Fa- fa- fa- fa- fashion
Oop bop! doh doh doh doh doh doh doh doh
Fa- fa- fa- fa- fashion
la la la la la la la la

We are transformed by fashion into the "goon squad," come to town to make everyone else do exactly what we do, with the same lack of passion and creativity.  And all this from a man who married a supermodel!

Comments

[Cheryl S.]

Wales! Sheep! Pubs! Coastlines! And you didn't even give us any photos. Bitch.

[Chris]

Welcome back!!!

[Patchen]

Oh thank GOD you're back. Now I can stop hitting "reload." I thought my thumb was going to fall off, and I REALLY need to pee. ;-)

[Jill]

By all means, Patchen--take the time to pee! It's a simple luxury.

And on the note of fashion and luxuries, I've found myself watching a little more of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style than I might like to admit. I'm thinking of my body in thirds, I'm applying foundation to the center of the face, I'm perusing my closet with an eye to its problems. (Lots of pilly sweaters that could use some refreshing!)

Your friend in goondom,
J

[JayJay]

Welcome back! Cool song analysis. What's also cool is that David Bowie is still with the supermodel after all this time. I've give up on following fashion too closely. It's too much work. ;)

[Cathi]

I'm so happy to see your post! I hope that you are feeling a bit better. xo

[jordan retro]

Hey, it's nice to see you blogging again.