DIY Culture book launch: "Rubbish"

I will read the book and give it a chance to prove me wrong, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t really like the term DIY Culture to begin with. It sounds like one of those paper thin terms that predominate in cultural studies camps, like Visual Culture and Virtuality, that try to draw together so many heterogeneous ideas and activities that placed under any scrutiny they crumble into meaninglessness . Plus ‘lo-fi’ culture sounded rather invalid, especially now that the technology available for DIY culture manipulation is pretty hi-tech, at least to my eyes . But my main issue was; when does DIY culture cease to be DIY culture? Can a magazine like Plan B be strictly considered DIY seeing as it has an organisational structure and a brand identity. It may be that I’ve got DIY culture wrong and that entrepreneurship could sit just as comfortably under that definition, but, at least from the publisher’s blurb, the contents of the book seems to focus solely on reactions against the mainstream. Obviously I do need to read the book.

So, the launch party: given that the book itself seems to be a celebration of alternative movements that could at least be considered radical in theory if not in action, I expected something that might try to mirror these perspectives. But just to prove all my expectations right, the atmosphere was subdued, the speakers slightly apologetic, repeatedly self-deprecating, almost embarrassed. The film that was being projected when we first got there actually looked interesting, I recognised GWAR, who I always thought were funny, and Lydia Lunch but there was no sound because the dj was playing some whingey, miserable emo type stuff, followed by some twee, cutesy, folkways style roots music, probably because the emo was too loud and aggressive for some of the frail, malnourished souls in there. The cookies were quite nice though.

This kind of alternative is just kind’ve content ‘to be’, although content is probably to strong a word for it. It ‘knows its place’ in the hierarchy and as such is left to its own rather predictable devices, so long as it can do its thing its happy, although probably not ecstatic. As the blurb proclaims ‘if you can’t find the cultural experience you’re looking for simply create your own’ – I read ‘opt out’, basically a call to apathy. Don’t challenge anything just get on with your own little thing - quietly - so nobody notices you.

I’m reading a book called ‘The World Turned Upside Down’ at the moment, it’s a study of radical ideas in the 17th century, particularly those that took place during the Civil War and I suppose it’s quite inspiring to see how advanced some of the (more reasonable) ideas actually were. But I’ve written way too much, so I’ll write more about this one on next time. It’s relevant, honest.

http://www.marionboyars.co.uk/Amy%20individual%20book%20info/DIY.html

I just read a review of the book here http://www.marionboyars.co.uk/Amy%20Pages/AC%20Press%20&%20Reviews.html and apparently most lo-fi stuff is "rubbish". I'll read the extract too.