What is an "Old Roads Artist"?

December 29, 2006

Tonight I have been putting together the new PopLife page.. which will pull together the blogs on popular music and movies. In one column I organize the blogs under the heading "Old Roads artists." I would like to think that the phrase means more than simply recognition of the fact that an artist has gotten significant attention in this blog. So what is the principle behind the designation?

Let me start to answer that question by pointing out some figures who do not count as Old Roads artists. Britney Spears is not one.. monster publicity does not impress us, quite the opposite in fact. Bono is not an Old Roads artist.. no matter if we have some respect for the music of U2. There is just nothing of the odd and eccentric in his work for us to grab hold of. Mel Gibson is not an Old Roads artist.. despite his interest in re-creating distant times, he shows no real feeling for the deeper differences between people.. and has the instincts of a literalist. Andy Warhol is not an Old Roads artist.. gazing raptly on the packaged modern world and mimicking it, ironically or not.

Here are some of the positive qualities that define the Old Roads artist:

• antiquarian interests. A deep feeling for the world of the past.. This is interest in the past not as a simple prop for conservative values.. the way the world never was.. but with a sense of the strangenesss of the past. Artists with an antiquarian interest use their knowledge to challenge the homogenizing contemporary world.
  
• eccentric projects. The artists we enjoy are apt to forget about popular applause.. seeking fulfillment instead through immersion in a personal vision. They also exhibit a spirit of combinatoriness when it comes to generic expectations.
  
• passionate expression. Passion covers a multiplicity of artistic sins. I mean by that a focused striving for an artistic goal. This may involve constructing an arabesque of colorful towers in your backyard.. but it is obvious to everyone that this is something he or she must do.. is driven to do.
  
• ethical challenge. These artists are not characterized by irony. Underneath their projects one can glimpse not just a creative spark, but a desire to understand something about how best to live. There is a seeking for a higher life.

So far the list of Old Roads artists is limited.. but the number will expand as time passes and blogs accumulate. Right now we have concentrations of blogs centering on Bob Dylan, Orson Welles, and Nirvana. One can add Neil Young, the Kinks, and Saul Bellow. More will be added.. but our principles will stay the same.