I recently found out that Steven Wilson, the creative force behind Porcupine Tree, one of my favorite bands, filmed a documentary for his solo album. I haven’t seen the whole thing, but I caught a few clips on YouTube. Apparently one of the recurring themes of the documentary is short vignettes of him destroying iPods, as shown below:
Naturally, I think it’s interesting, even incongruous, that someone who earns a living producing and selling music would make such an effort to destroy an item that is so central to our current concept of music. This isn’t the first time Mr. Wilson has gone after the music industry, either – two of Porcupine Tree’s earlier songs (“Piano Lessons” and “The Sound of Muzak”) attack today’s music as being entirely about packaging and corporate-created experiences, with the actual music as little more than an afterthought. As much as I appreciate what he’s trying to say, he’s in an awkward position to say it from - I acknowledge that everything he’s made has been something he wanted to do and something he loves, but at the same time it’s not like he’s done badly by the music industry either.
On the other hand, he’s targetting iPods as a symbol of our culture in general, not specifically related to music. We have so much information around us and so many things are provided for us that it’s easy to take it all for granted and forget that there’s a world around us to explore. This is why I used the word “iconoclast”, which literally means someone who destroys religious icons or idols – and what is more iconic or revered than the iPod?
Thoughts? Is he a true artist ashamed at the death of culture, or is he a recalcitrant music snob who can’t get with the times? My personal thought is that it comes off as an emo-hipstery version of Will it Blend?, without the sense of humor.
UPDATE: Some quick browsing around the album’s site (linked above) tells you that the site offers free web banners for your site, free desktop wallpapers, and even free mobile phone wallpapers (including one for the iPhone / iPod Touch), and that the music is available for sale on iTunes. Now I’m really starting to think that his iPod destruction is just an act.