Judas!
Daniel Miller, writing for The Nation, has recently published a “scathing critique” of Slavoj Žižek in general and his latest book, In Defense of Lost Causes, in particular, pointing to his pyrrhic descent into madness as indicated by the undoubtedly Hegelian trifecta of Hitchens-esque contrarianism, left-wing militarism and, of course, the culminating integration with hyper-reflexive late-capitalist consumerism. Miller concludes his review with this bit of speculative reason:
Throughout In Defense of Lost Causes, Žižek speaks recurrently, and in a sometimes disturbingly extravagant tone, of the “messianic” imperative of performing “a Leap of Faith” over the ravine of common sense in pursuit of “lost Causes, Causes that, from the space of sceptical wisdom, cannot but appear as crazy.” During such moments, it’s hard not to suspect that Žižek has finally gone mad.
As a student of advanced theory, I don’t find any of this problematic. On the contrary, Miller’s reaction to Žižek’s “Kehre” typifies the kind of idolatry that surrounds innumerable public figures when the ego catches a glimpse of its own auratic reflection only to find itself spurned and alienated in the solipsistic idiocy of its own narcissistic jouissance.
Perhaps this gives some credibility to Rex Butler’s otherwise annoyingly stupid and culturally inept comparison of Žižek to Bob Dylan, only insofar as both succeeded in alienating large portions of their audience at a certain world-historical juncture. If this is the case, then I fully welcome Žižek’s theological turn and his advertisements for the BBC and Abercrombie & Fitch. If Miller represents the kind of audience Žižek had formerly captivated, then I eagerly await the sleeveless leather shirts and aviators to come.
Dearest readers, apologies for the lack of in-depth articles that make the Howler such a remarkable contribution to the blogosphere as of late. I’ve been sidetracked by some fascinating reading material that should hopefully manifest itself in the form of several “serious” blog posts over the next several weeks, although it might simply be the case that opting to read is simply a defense against writing anything.
So as to reward you for your patience, check out this astonishing music video that my friend Charlene sent me (visit her website, it has lots of good music). I don’t think there is anyway that this cannot be called “advanced.”
Oh yeah, 366 Songs is now half way done. Which half remains a mystery.
Lou Reed Interview in The Australian
Filled with amazingly advanced non sequiturs. (Via Advanced Theory Blog.)
Lou Reed Does Not Care About Dow Jones
Andrew M. Goldstein obviously doesn’t know anything about Lou Reed and also asks stupid questions. Here’s his interview with Lou in New York Magazine:
Sirius’s impending merger with XM is anticipated to boost earnings. Do you own any stock in the company?
What are you, a fucking asshole? I’m here telling you the truth about music and you want to know if I have stock in the fucking radio? You fucking piece of shit. What did I do to deserve that?Moving on. You’ve got a film out, you’ve got your radio show, you’ve got a new book of photography coming up — is there a new album in the works?
No. Nothing I feel like talking about. Good-bye.
(Via Rock & Roll Daily.)
Mozart: Advanced?
After reading this, the answer seems obvious.
What is Advancement?
Great post over at the Advanced Theory blog.