Betwixt & between, cont.
It probably doesn’t do much good to apply pseudo-Freudian parent-child psychology on a generation. It’s not like psychological determinism for one person in one situation can rub off on another person in another situation.
But could there be a relation between the immasculation (that is, lack of traditional masculinity) in indie music and the fact that indie-twixters are the first generation to experience widespread mother-only childhoods combined yet with stable finances? If Dad is gone and yet Mom manages fine financially alone, wouldn’t that produce sons who:
a) are skeptical of the point of Dad/men?
b) love and depend upon Mom/women a little extra?
c1) are the offspring of the first successful feminist/p.c. generation?
c2) are therefore craving to prove that they’re smart and well-educated and sensitive and harmless to all women, especially to Mom, especially to potential girlfriends?
c3) are therefore attracted to women who are smart and well-educated and sensitive but above all somehow superior, elevated—who are fine with infantalizing men?
d) that is, are men who are fine with being infantalized?
e) have no idea how a male/female courtship could possibly work, other than by accident, luck, and awkward silences?
His girlfriend keeps him living in
A world where fear will always win
And if you see him out tonight
Well, you’d better get out of his wayYou gotta give it up for the new modern man
He’s gonna have a ball
Give it all that he can(Eels “Wrong About Bobby”)
Some Boys of Contempory Indie-Pop.
Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips
Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev
The Arcade Fire
Jon Por Birgisson of Sigur Ros
A Different (Not to Say Preferred) Era
The Boss
Lou Reed
Angus
