Techtite.com Editorial : My Two Bits, V2

What is "true" art? I guess it's the same as the one "true" political opinion. Or the one "true" race. Which is to say it's bunk, balderdash, poppycock, baloney, hooey, bull, piffle, tomfoolery, gibberish, hogwash, tripe, fiddle-faddle, and as dirty as I've always felt the word sounds: twaddle.

Example?: there's this DVD set I've been waiting ages for, finally on DVD. That would be the WKRP in Cincinnati, Complete First Season set. Me? I'm overjoyed. Others? Not so much. Seems that someone could not get the rights to all the songs so they had to edit these songs out. To some people this is tantamount to criminal intent. To me: oh, come on, kids! If you want the music more than you want the sitcom, buy an iPod. Problem: solved.

What do I remember of WKRP after over 25 years? Not the songs, that's for sure. I remember from season one alone the classic Thanksgiving episode "Turkey's Away," which to this couch potato, to this very date, is still the best TV sitcom Thanksgiving episode of all time (no joke). I remember that episode when Johnny broadcasts live from a record store, just when it’s about to be held up. In another episode, Bailey produces her own radio program, where she plans to have Johnny interview “real people” on the air, and he winds up interviewing the biggest *lunatic* on the air. All of the above was at risk of never seeing the light of DVD, because of potential copyright infringements with the background music. The easiest solution: remove the background music. That makes sense to me.

It's not like more pertinent music cues aren't still there. Jovial fake commercials for funeral homes and "Red Wigglers: the Cadillac of Worms!" are still there. The classic theme song ---"Baby, if you ever wondered"...!--- is still there (which is more than I can say for the Bosom Buddies DVD). The hilarious rock song parody by Jim Ellis still plays during the closing credits (which all but "officially" has lyrics that are total gibberish). If a scene here or there no longer has a background song you could barely hear anyway, well...

Now, if you disagree, fine. I won't hold it against you. Just don't use a word which is the new "f" word to cafe philosophers: "ART." Even worse; they often refer to "their" concept of art, as "true" art. Look; if you like Michelangelo more than Vincent Van Gogh, fine. If you wish to defend your opinion by saying that your choice is the one "true art," hey, you may be acting like a cocky little bastard, but at least, either way, you have good taste in art. Yet insisting that editing a sitcom is to tarnish "art"...? There's no nice way to say this. That's just silly. Sorry.

It's not like this DVD's distributors had a choice. The original sitcom had to pay big bucks to put actual songs in the background. They found two big loopholes to solve the problem. One: the show was taped in a less professional analog format, so as to not offend the musicians with a crystal clear recording (like, say, the one you can get digitally these days). Two: they only bought rights to the songs for ten years, thinking that sitcoms rarely last that long. Who would've expected that WKRP would become this cult hit, which has been loved by fans for over a quarter century later? Then again: who would've expected that so many of these fans would be more interested in the background music than they are of the actual sitcom?

The usual response? "You'd feel differently, IF..." Well, I wouldn't feel differently if I were the musician, that's for sure. It's reeeeeeal easy to sit in your parent's basement, all expenses paid, undies neatly folded and washed by mom, and wonder why the bad, mean musician didn't give his music away for free. You'd feel differently, if you were the musician. As for "you'd feel differently if you were an avid fan": well, from my vantage point, an avid fan would be willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary, to get classic sitcom episodes like "Turkey's Away" on DVD. I have no gripes against the makers of this DVD set, who felt the same way. They felt that an edited sitcom episode that didn't land them in copyright jail was better than no DVD set at all. There's no "right" or "wrong" opinion here. You can see both sides.

Others disagree. Again; that is fine. Just don't be a jackass, and say that yours is the true opinion, because ---get ready for it--- people who disagree with you "just don't know what true art is." I'm reminded of Grindhouse. The MPAA wanted it edited before it got an "R" Rating. Why? Because 2 plus two is four, two times two is still four, and no, the original cut was not R Rated. Yet people wanted it uncut, so they were livid at the MPAA for threatening to edit an ---oh, brother!--- "art film." Never mind the whole controversy was a publicity stunt for the inevitable "Unrated DVD." Come on; two seasoned film directors didn't know what the MPAA would allow or not? Of course they did. Yet even those directors could not imagine the cafe philosophical drivel that would result from such a ratings ploy. Nor could they probably imagine the number of people who'd defend their nifty little film, as an "art film." Don't believe me? Google "Grindhouse" and "art film." I got 18,900 hits. Seriosuly.

But, I digress. The fact is that art is transitory. It not only is dependant on the individual, though the era they live in, as well. What was controversial a hundred years ago is hardly a big deal now. Conversely: some films that are considered "artistic" these days were in fact box office bombs. Disney's Fantasia comes to mind, based on estimates of its original theatrical release. It cost an estimated 2.2 million back in 1940, and made a little over 361 thousand, when released in theaters in 1941. When re-released in 1990, it made over 25 million, with an additional 41 million in video rentals. I guess the latter era would call the film an "art film." Similarly: there are some who apparently insist that WKRP is an "art" sitcom. All I can say is: WKRP is finally on DVD, and that makes me happy. It's all a matter of taste.

Agree? Disagree?

...or perhaps just agree to disagree? Feel free to give your own "two bits," via Techtite's Letters page. Editorial Submissions are also allowed. Editorials do not have to agree with the views of other editorials at Techtite.com, though they must be relevant to entertainment topics of this web site (movies, TV, games).

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My Two Bits
(The Editorial with one-quarter byte!)

"Baby, If You Ever Wondered What 'ART' Is..."

My Two Bits (The Editorial with one-quarter byte!)

"Baby, If You Ever Wondered What 'ART' Is..."

My Two Bits
(The Editorial with one-quarter byte!)