I'm not in this for the Lum-Lums and Nougat-Logs

After a mention on my blog of two tasty treats I sometimes enjoy, Lum-Lums and Nougat-Logs, I got a case of each from the folks at the factory. How nice. And when I mentioned the film Wayne's World, I got a copy of the Deluxe Director's Cut DVD of the movie (3 discs, with out-takes, side-splitting bloopers and alternate alternate endings). That was nice too. But, listen, I'm not in this for the goodies. I don't practice product placement just to get items sent to me. I know some of my less ethical colleagues in the "blogosphere" practice this unwholesome pursuit, dropping names of goods with the expectation that someone in a marketing office somewhere will respond by sending the "blogger" unholy amounts of the product. This practice even has a name. Begging. So in the future, when I mention things, like size 9 flip flops from Old Navy, or a Star Trek TNG "Make it so" mouse pad, or the DVD Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull, I do not expect the manufacturer to send them to me at the library where I work (Northeastern Illinois State University, 6565 Loden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60677).

Diegetic and non-diegetic

I reflect while I sit at my desk in the reference section of the library. Today I was thinking about what makes classic rock such a satisfying meal and "indie" rock such a sad, undernourishing snack. The answer, I think, and I'm sure you'll agree, at least partially, if you give it some thought, and possess my command of vocabulary, is that classic rock is, at its best, non-diegetic. The term, stolen from the world of film, refers to music that finds its way into a movie without being part of the main narrative. For example, when music plays over opening or closing credits (which I always stay around to see because, afterall, it's part of the movie), that's non-diegetic music. But, on the other hand, when Wayne and Garth are driving around listening to Bohemian Rhapsody in Wayne's World, that's diegetic music, because it advances the narrative of the movie, in so far as there is one. In any event, I love the fact that classic rock takes us out of the boring, repetitive monotony of our daily lives, away from the house we share with mom, and the sameness of the peanut-butter sandwich lunch we eat every day in the lunchroom and allows us to visit Xanadu or the Misty Mountains. That is an enormous service! Indie rock, though, tends to be all about the mind-numbing, dreary realities of daily life. Here is an actual lyric from a band called Superchunk: I was a graduate student/but I couldn't finish my thesis/now I'm in a band and I run a record label/you'd think this kind of thing might please us/but it doesn't.