26 Şubat 2008 Salı
RIP Larry Norman
Most of the writers on this blog grew up around the glow of the Christian music industry. Whether it was Petra, Steve Taylor or Geoff Moore and the Distance we were all fans of some Christian singer or group. On Sunday Larry Norman, the man most responsible for the development of what we now know of as the Christian music industry, died. While I never listened to a Larry Norman album and only heard him sing on a couple of occasions, I know of his impact because of the way those who grew up in his era remember him. Larry was a culturally relevant singer that had no qualms in singing or talking about Jesus to anyone or singing about the torture of seduction and yet his music was as good or even better than a lot of what was coming out in the 1970s. It's too bad his legacy, the Christian music industry, has become so culturally irrelevant and generally not as good as their mainstream counterparts.
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Thanks for posting this Sean. I had not seen it. Larry Norman was not someone I followed much, but I have some friends for whom his music was formative.
YanıtlaSilI think your last sentence might be a bit misinformed. How do you measure the relevance of the Christian music industry compared to mainstream music? A majority of my favorite Christian artists are, in fact, in (or have been) in the mainstream.
YanıtlaSilthe last sentence is more of a generalization than anything. while there have been and are many artists in ccm that have been culturally relevant, the majority are simply "preaching to the choir".
YanıtlaSilby culturally relevant i mean that they speak to larger issues in the culture that are faced by more than simply christians. if all an artist puts out is 'god is so good to me' christian pop-candy, then they have become culturally irrelevant.
I have to agree with Sean, the majority of the "Christian" music scene is entirely irrelevant. It is a ghetto that mostly never makes an impact on the world at large.
YanıtlaSilThe artists who have stayed on a Christian label and have been able to reach beyond a very, very small group can probably be counted on your fingers. At least, the ones who have made any kind of POSITIVE reach. Add to that the fact that more Christian artists are coming forward with stories about how secular the "Christian" music industry really is in their drive for the dollar above all else, and I wouldn't be heart broken at all to see the whole thing fall apart.
I couldn't disagree more. You have to understand that CCM isn't geared for the "world at large." It's by Christians and predominantly geared for Christians. I believe it has been wonderfully successful.
YanıtlaSilI don't think you can assume that CCM is supposed to be missions-oriented by breaking in to mainstream music. The musicians that want to be in the mainstream do have a harder job, I'll grant you that. But it often means that they have to tone down their message in order to be popular.
The bands I enjoy the most are the Christian ones that soften their lyrics to reach a mainstream audience. To see the impact, check out this YouTube video interpretation of Lifehouse's 'Everything': http://youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA
Lifehouse is a perfect example to me of why the Christian music industry is not only unnecessary but needs to die. A great example of a band of committed Christians who made music that was good enough to be marketed to the masses.
YanıtlaSilThe Christian music industry mostly puts out stuff that is so mediocre that it couldn't possibly compete. Now, if someone wants to listen to that, that is their choice. I can't abide it though. We are told that everything we do, we should do it excellently, giving our best for the Lord. The CCM is increasingly an excuse for sub-par music. And about the witness...My belief is that everything we do is to be a good witness. If the world hears cheesy, poorly done music and associates that with Christianity, that is a witness, just not the right kind.