Music has deep roots in how we entertain, relax, and even
communicate with others. It is
how people have learned to express their beliefs and feelings. Even Nietzsche said in Twilight of the Idols, "Without music, life would be a mistake." Every culture
has had some influence on how music has changed, whether it is the simple
beating of a drum to a grand arrangement of an orchestra. As technology has changed so too has
music. With new technologies and
possibilities came new instruments and ways of playing the old ones. Amplification has allowed for single
players to entertain entire audiences and be heard by everyone. With the invention of television and
broadcasting capabilities, music was no longer just available to a crowd in a
venue, but an entire nation; even the entire world.
This unique delivery method allowed a new spin on the
creative ability of the music artists.
Before, they could write their music and have their own interpretation
be lost to the imagination of each person listening. With a video accompanying their music they could show the real
interpretation that they had for the song, or at lease one of their
interpretations. Bands would use
this to spread more than just their musical talent and passion around the
world, they would spread their beliefs and convictions. They could begin a movement, or make a stand and give it a
more visual connection then ever before.
With the founding of MTV, the most popular and upcoming
bands could promote their new albums or one hit wonders. One such band was
named Nirvana. Featuring Kurt
Cobain as lead vocals and lead guitar and Dave Grohl on drums the band quickly
rose to fame with their punk attitudes and catchy tunes. With hit songs like “Smells like teen
spirit” the band needed music videos to follow. They released very serious themed videos to match the
founding member’s somber and serious demeanor. With his death at the peak of the band's fame and success, the
remaining members were left in shock as to what they should do.
Dave, having been in several bands before, wanted to get things
going with ideas for a new band.
That band was named Foo Fighters and was a surprisingly light-hearted
change from Nirvana. This is
obviously reflected in the music videos that were first produced by the
band. They continued to grow in
popularity and widen the fan base, all the while releasing new songs and new
videos.
The many years of the band being together brought a new
maturity with it. They obviously
had been through quite a lot together and were now more able to express
that. The videos show a new
maturity yearning for expressing the things that they were feeling and
thinking. Now rather than just
funny or cool looking videos they had more of a point or purpose to them. That is however not to say that they
lost all of their sense of humor as can be seen in several of their later
videos. This exhibit aims to show
the progression made by Dave Grohl and his bands music videos to express their beliefs and feelings at different points of their career. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent" Victor Hugo.
