zizek zizek 12.pdf

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ISSN 1751-8229Volume Six, Number Three

Recombinant Thought:Slavoj iek and the Art and Science of the

a!hu"

David J. Gunkel, Northern Illinois Universit

!I a" a DJ, I a" #hat I $la!%David &o#ie, 1979

'none #ho has sear(h the ter" !)i*ek! #ill have dis(overed a (urious +ut intriuin result.

!)i*ek! is not onl the surna"e o that Slovenian $hiloso$her #ho The Chronicle of Higher

Educationon(e (alled !the lvis o (ultural theor,! it is also the "oniker o one o South

'"eri(a/s "ost $o$ular venues or ra$, hi$-ho$, and "ashu$ dan(e "usi(%0iek Ur+an &eats

lu+ lo(ated in &uenos 'ires, 'rentina 34iure 1. 6his no"inal (oin(iden(e is (urious "ainl

+e(ause Slavo )i*ek, des$ite his undis$uted street (red #ith "an a(ets o $o$ular (ulture,

has had little, i nothin, to sa or do #ith this $arti(ular t$e o $o$ular "usi(. e is involved

#ith "usi( no dou+t, +ut "ore oten than not it is the "usi( o aner and other or"s o #hat

one "iht +e te"$ted to (all 'dorno-(ertiied uro$ean art "usi(. :r i he does take an interest

these !vular! or"s, it is in res$onse to the 6eutoni( soundin ;ai+a(h and Neue Slowenische

Kunst3)i*ek 2


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its o#n "ashu$ o )i*ek, and everthin that the na"e entails and en(o"$asses, #ith the

sounds, $ra(ti(es, and (ulture o (onte"$orar dan(e "usi( 3ernande 2


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a!h#ing$u" Theor%

!Aashu$! reers to a #ide-s$read diital "edia $ra(ti(e that takes eistin #orks%$o$ular

sons, il"s, television $rora"s, tets, #e+ data, et(.%and re(o"+ines #hat oten a$$ears to

+e in(o"$ati+le sour(e "aterial in dierent 3re(oniurations to a+ri(ate ne# $rodu(ts that are

arua+l reater than the su" o their $arts. 6ake, or ea"$le, one o the "ost (ele+rated +ut

also reviled audio "ashu$s, DJ Daner Aouse/s The Grey Album. 6his 12 son re(ordin,

#hi(h de+uted on the Internet in 4e+ruar 2


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"edia or $o$ular "usi(. 'nalo $re(ursors (an +e ound in the turnta+le $ra(ti(es o Ja"ai(an

du+ and earl hi$ ho$, John :s#ald/s &lunder"honics, and the audio (ollae o Neativeland

and the volution ontrol o""ittee 3see Gunkel 2


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4iure 2F She$herd 4aire/s !o$e! $oster

'lthouh a+ri(atin a "ashu$ sounds relativel eas, ettin it riht is "ore dii(ult

than it initiall a$$ears. !' lot o $eo$le,! &urton e$lains, !ust assu"e I took so"e &eatles and,

ou kno#, thre# so"e Ja-0 on to$ o it or "ied it u$ or loo$ed it around, +ut it/s reall a

de(onstru(tion. It/s not an eas thin to do! 3Hi""er 2


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"ashu$ is all a+out. 4irst, "ashu$s $rodu(e or de$lo short circuitsin the net#orks o $o$ular

(ulture + deli+eratel (rossin t#o or "ore see"inl in(o"$ati+le "edia sour(es. In

(o"+inin &ride and &re(udice, one o the "aor #orks in the estern literar (anon, #ith $ul$-

i(tion horror "ovies, a !"inor tet! not ne(essaril in ter"s o Eualit 3althouh there is that

as$e(t o it +ut in the "arinalied $osition this "aterial and its su+e(t "atter o((u$ies #ithreard to #hat is (alled !literature,! Graha"e-S"ith/s "ashu$ does not ust (ross literar

enres. It also a(ilitates an en(ounter that intentionall violates dieren(es in "edia or"ats,

ontoloi(al levels, aestheti( (ateories, and histori( $eriods, $rodu(in #hat )i*ek 32


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4iure >F Aark Bidler/s "ashu$ ra$hi(

Se(ond, in a+ri(atin these une$e(ted and i"$ro+a+le en(ounters%these short (ir(uits%the

"ashu$ does not ai" to "ediate the (onli(t it releases and "o+ilies +ut de$los the" in order

to o$en u$ #hat )i*ek 32


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o eelian diale(ti(, "ediate the +inar o$$osition o thesis and antithesis throuh a

(ul"inatin snthesis. Instead, and this is )i*ek/s $oint, the truth o the "atter onl e"eres in

the shit o $ers$e(tive ro" the one to the other. !6his "eans,! )i*ek 32

o$$ositions is not to (o"$rehend one sour(e in ter"s o the other, that is, or ea"$le, to

understand the $roto-$unk, alternative sounds o the Belvet Underround in ter"s o the hihl

(o""er(ialied $o$ o hristina 'uilera or vi(e versa. Nor is it to neotiate so"e shared

understandin or neutral aree"ent +et#een the t#o sides that #ould ulti"atel "ediate their

a$$arent dieren(es andKor resolve #hatever (on(e$tual or aestheti( (onli(t their uta$osition

"a have initiall enerated. Instead #hat !vs.! "arks is the (onrontation o these t#o

irre(on(ila+le ele"ents !+et#een #hi(h no snthesis or "ediation is $ossi+le! 3)i*ek 2


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32


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'lthouh this authoried (on(atenation o Ja-0 and ;inkin ark, #hi(h had the +lessin o the

re(ord (o"$anies and the li(ensin aree"ents to $rove it, did not eno the sa"e (riti(al

su((ess as The Grey Album, it did Euite #ell as a (o""er(ial $rodu(t #ith the Collision Course

D to$$in the &ill+oard 2


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#hether the ter" is a(tuall utilied or not. 's aul 6alor 32


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$rodu(e a ne# !version,! #hi(h #as the ter" initiall utilied in du+ to identi these re#orkins

o $o$ular reae tunes. 's Deleue a((uratel des(ri+es the $ro(ess, the re"i "ust +e the

oriinal sour(e "aterial, ust re#orked and re(oniured in order to "ake it sound ne# and

dierent. )i*ek a$$ro$riates this Deleuian $ra(ti(e and re(oniures it. hereas Deleue

re"ies to$-1< $hiloso$hers like Lant, Niets(he, and 4ou(ault, )i*ek oes one ste$ urtherand re(o"+ines t#o or "ore o these sour(es toether. Instead o si"$l a+ri(atin a eelian

re"i, or ea"$le, )i*ek "ashes eel and ;a(an toether, $rodu(in not si"$l a +astard

(hild +ut a trul "onstrous (hi"era. &ut, and here is #here thins et e(eedinl (o"$li(ated

and "ied u$, even this re(oniuration o the Deleuian re"i is not ne(essaril uniEue or

innovative. 's )i*ek $oints out, Ja(Eues ;a(an had alread e$eri"ented #ith this $ro(edure

+ "ashin u$ Lant and Sade, t#o nlihten"ent iures #ho a$$ear to have little or nothin in

(o""on, and Derrida had done so"ethin si"ilar in Glas, "ashin u$ eel #ith Genet.

Se(ond, and +e(ause o this, )i*ek (annot and should not +e situated as a Lantian!enius! #ho $rodu(es +rand ne# ideas that are uniEue and not derived throuh i"itatin or

+orro#in ro" the #ork o others 3Lant 1987. Instead he o((u$ies the $osition o $hiloso$hi(al

DJ, an attentive readerKlistenerKvie#er #ho sa"$les and re#orks the vast li+rar o availa+le

tets to (reate innovative insihts and $ossi+ilities throuh sur$risin uta$ositions and the

une$e(ted short (ir(uitin these unlikel (rossins $rodu(e. In The Sublime ,b(ect of *deology,

32


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o$$osition to this verdi(t, there are #ell-intended and even useul atte"$ts to "ake this "aterial

#ork and to do so"e serious #ork. 6o#ard this end, A(Go#an 32


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$ossi+le to hear in his "ashu$s the noise o a short (ir(uit that $uts all o this in Euestion.

'nother instan(e o $aralla.

4inall and to "ake "atters "ore interestin or (o"$li(ated, )i*ek/s $u+lished tets not

onl a$$ro$riate and re$ur$ose the #ork o others +ut oten reuse and re((le the sa"e

"aterial. ;ike a $hiloso$hi(al DJ, )i*ek a$$ears to "aintain a ile o (areull sele(ted $re-re(orded sa"$les%re(onia+le eelian rhth"s, interestin ;a(anian $hrases and

neolois"s, and (lever $o$ (ulture hooks%that he ((les throuh and reuses over and over

aain. !Aost o )i*ek/s +ooks,! Ni(holas &ro#n 321


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4iure >F !un #ith iek, $art >2! 317 June 2


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des(ri+es it, !"akes "ost o his #ork into a sort o sel-$laiaried avant-arde read-"ade!

325-2=. 6he sa"e (riti(is", not sur$risinl, has +een leveled aainst the "ashu$. 's

Le"+re# A(;eod 3285. 4or +oth A(;eod and ;anier, the "ain $ro+le" #ith the "ashu$ in $o$ular "usi( is that

it is and does nothin ne#. !Des$ite " a$$re(iation or the",! A(;eod 32


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lon +een (onsidered an evil in the (ultural #orld. 6$i(all it has +een vie#ed as the thet o

lanuae, ideas, and i"aes + the less than talented, oten or the enhan(e"ent o $ersonal

ortune or $restie. Cet, like "ost "tholoies, the "th o $laiaris" is easil inverted! 38>.

6he (riti(al Euestion asked o and + the "ashu$, thereore, is not !Is it $laiaris"M! +ut #hat

unea"ined assu"$tions, e$e(tations, and values alread underlie, inor", and sha$e thisver EuestionM

(onclu!ion

'lthouh )i*ek has not addressed, #ritten a+out, or investiated the "ashu$ in an dire(t #a,

he is, as eel 31991 #ould des(ri+e it, !a $rodu(t o his ae! 3>1>. 'nd this $arti(ular e$o(h,

as illia" Gi+son 32


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and $u+li(ations. is "ashu$s o eel and ;a(an, or instan(e, $ro(eed and are $ursued

#ithout ne(essaril havin se(ured the a$$roval o or oi(ial li(ensin ro" the one or the other.

In a(t, )i*ek, like Daner Aouse, has taken a (onsidera+le a"ount o la(k or his a$$arent

violations and rather unorthodo uses and reuses o the eelian tets%althouh in )i*ek/s

(ase the +a(klash is "aniest in the relativel +enin or" o neative +ook revie#s and (riti(alessas as o$$osed to (ease and desist letters #ritten + attornes and su$$orted + intelle(tual

$ro$ert la#.

6his unauthoried use and #illul violation o the sour(e "aterial (onstitutes, it is

i"$ortant to note, "ore than a "ere ae(tation. It is a (ru(ial and ne(essar ee(t o the eort.

's )i*ek #rites (on(ernin his o#n series, !/Short ir(uits/ intends to revive a $ra(ti(e o

readin #hi(h (onronts a (lassi( tet, author, or notion #ith it o#n hidden $resu$$ositions, and

reveals its disavo#ed truth! 3i-. 6he e$osure o !hidden $resu$$ositions! and !disavo#ed

truths! t$i(all reEuires that the interit o the oriinal sour(e, #hi(h is, it should +e noted,$re(isel #hat does the hidin and disavo#in in the irst $la(e, +e (onronted, under"ined, or

transressed in so"e #a. Not, it is i"$ortant to $oint out, in so"e a((idental and ha$haard

ashion + si"$l thro#in thins toether to see #hat ha$$ens, +ut throuh (areul attention to

the "aterial and to the "aterialit o the "aterial, as o$$osed to the su$$osed ani"atin

intentions and (ontrol o an al#as alread a+sent authorit iure. 6his involves, at least,

(areul sele(tion o sour(e "aterial, a (lose and attentive readin or listenin that does not "iss

a +eat, and a (al(ulated res$onse that (an and is a+le to take res$onsi+ilit or this $arti(ular

"ode o res$ondin. In other #ords, the sour(e "aterial needs to +e taken u$, inter$reted, andutilied, as Derrida 31978 on(e #rote o Geores &ataille/s enae"ent #ith the tets o eel,

+ ollo#in it (areull and attentivel to the $oint o areein #ith it aainst itsel and o

#restin ro" it insihts that it is itsel una+le to see or a(tualie 32=


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Reference!

'"erika, Aark. 2-1


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eel, G. . 4. 1991. Elements of the &hiloso"hy of 4ight. 6rans. + . &. Nis+et. a"+rideFa"+ride Universit ress.

ernande, De+orah a(ini. 2.

Ailler, aul D. 22.htt$FKK###.loi+neer.(o"K andreaK+loKar(hivesK2


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iki$edia. 2

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