1. Consider the importance of MTV in the careers of so many musicians who rose to fame in the 1980s. For this discussion, choose either Michael Jackson or Madonna, both of whom were considered multifaceted performers who rise to stardom was the direct result of MTV. Use the mashup tool to post one of their videos and respond to the following:
Do you think that the importance of the visual medium, in this case, MTV, was a positive or negative development in the music industry?
Were there any controversies associated with the video you chose? If so, what were they?
Do you think that music videos help encourage performing artists to be more multifaceted? Or do you think that it detracts from the quality of the music by placing so much emphasis on non-musical elements?
2. Using the internet or your phone, listen to the following songs:
“One” by Metallica
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead
After listening to the above songs, answer the following questions in your discussion post:
What musical influences do you hear in each of these songs and how would you categorize each of them in a genre? (grunge, heavy metal, rock?)
Listen carefully to the lyrics and share a few sentences as to what each of these songs is about. Thematically they are similar and project a sense of aloneness and cynicism, but what topics do they address? What was happening in American culture during this time that might have contributed to these feelings as expressed in these songs? Could it be a generational (Baby Boomers v. Generation X) reaction? Or do you think this is something else entirely?
