2008 Pop Conference Bios/Abstracts

Robert Christgau

Robert Christgau is a senior critic at Blender and a contributing critic at All Things Considered. His long-running Consumer Guide column now appears at MSN Networks. He teaches at NYU''s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music and has published five books based on his journalism. He keynoted the first Pop Conference at EMP and has spoken at every subsequent edition. Panel(s):
Ballads for Americans
Friday, April 11, 2008, 11:00 - 12:45

Moderator:
Critiques of Populism
Saturday, April 12, 2008, 11:00 - 12:45Abstract:

"Waiting on the World to Change"
John Mayer''s "Waiting on the World to Change" isn''t my favorite political song of the neofascist epoch. That would still be James McMurtry''s "We Can''t Make It Here," which predates the last presidential election. Though I like Randy Newman''s "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" and love Rilo Kiley''s "It''s a Hit," that our most eloquent antifascist song is now more than three years old illustrates why "Waiting on the World to Change" still tops them in my book. Neither indictment nor celebration, though closer to the former even if few of its fans or detractors know it, it''s the truth. Although passive non-involvement is no less the rule in indie rock than in any other sector of youth culture, the song isn''t much admired by self-appointed admirers professional or amateur. There are many reasons for this, most of them bad--that it was a hit, that Mayer once sang "Your Body Is a Wonderland" (that one really gets them going), that he dated Jessica Simpson, and so forth. Desultory online research indicates that these feelings are often rationalized in other terms. But common sense, not to mention the absurd arguments actually adduced, tells me I''ve got it right.

So what I propose here is an investigation of rock''s and especially indie-rock''s response to neofascism that respects and centers on this hit song. I have no idea where my research will take me, and I do not rule out the possibility that I will unearth all kinds of rousing protests and practical action campaigns I know nothing about. That would be great, frankly--I want nothing more than for my people to rise up. But should it not transpire, it would be my pleasure to praise John Mayer at EMP. It''s been my instinct to like and respect him since long before I saw him guest at a Buddy Guy concert two years ago (they make fun of that too). I would hope not just to research Mayer but--if possible, which it might be—to interview him, perhaps eliciting political opinions, hedges, stupidities, who knows

I should add that it''s not inconceivable that my investigation will take me in another direction. My initial impulse was to undertake an ideological analysis of online rock criticism, from Pitchfork outwards, and I will certainly be looking into the apparent prejudices of those who have strong opinions about Mayer (who Pitchfork rarely mentions, near as I can tell). Some sort of breakdown involving what I conclude will certainly be a part of what I do even if only an incidental one. But I might get sufficiently fascinated to do more with it than that, so that Mayer turns into more a starting point than a beginning-to-end subject.