Heroes and the Cult of Celebrity

Theories of heroes and the cult of the celebrity are very prominent in my pop culture subject, 80’ hair and metal bands. Bands of this genre often would make music that was heroic in nature. Many people then associated the words of the music with being heroic. The bands themselves wore heroic costumes. The 80’s hair band “Kiss” wore heroic style costumes and makeup. Some people would consider it heroic as the costumes were most likely meant to portray themselves as iconic and mythic. 

As with any other popular culture genre in our history, many of them have come and gone. New things become popular as others dissipate, never to be heard of again. With the 80’s hair band genre, they have been elevated to celebrity status. Many of the popular 80’s hair bands are still popular today. The hair and clothing styles may have become unpopular but the music and the pop culture of these bands are still very popular. Many of the band members are celebrities still today. Bands like Metallica, AC/DC, and Kiss have seen tribute bands attributed to their successes, even if most of the bands are not currently making new music. Some of the popular band members have made reality TV shows as a result of their celebrity. For example, Gene Simmons had a reality show called “Family Jewels”. Ozzie Osbourne and his family partook in a reality TV series called “The Osbournes” which ran from 2002 to 2005. 

Because of their celebrity and popularity as band members, these icons were able to continue their celebrity status far after their music careers had ended. This has a lot to do with the way we celebrate and hold these celebrities close to us. They will always remain popular to those they were popular to - even if it is not in the same context. This is a great example of the cult of celebrity.

Rituals and Stereotypes

Rituals and Stereotypes

 

Common stereotypes of 80’s hair bands were that they were violent, drug addicts, misbehaved, and unkempt. These theories were sometimes true but not always. In many instances, these subjects were good kids, earned good grades in school and never got into any trouble. So why would they want this type of negative attention? The answer may not be so simple. As a society, we tend to see things that are not the “norm” as wrong. Fads will come and go and our society generally does not cope well with these changes. Stereotypes divide us as a society and they do not seem to show any signs of slowing down. 

Sweet Hair do's

Many of these bands had rituals. For example, Ozzie Osborne would perform crazy rituals like throwing things at his crowd before his show. The crowd would often throw things back, including a live bat which he mistook for a fake bat. Ozzie bit the head off the bat. Many of these rituals served to make him more famous, especially early on in his career. The difference with Ozzie Osborne was he had a serious drug and alcohol problem. People stereotyped him then and they still stereotype him now, even in old age. Many of the stereotypes served him well and made him lots of money over the years.

Mesmerized

The insights I gain from rituals and stereotypes on this topic are pretty straight forward. Rituals have built some of the greatest musical artist and stereotypes have perpetuated their aura. Rituals like long hair, face paint, leather clothing and tattoos have long been the defining look of this era of music. Much of the time, these stereotypes and rituals do not define them but make them the artists they want to be. 

Theories and Analysis - 80's Metal/Hair Bands

            Some of the theories that apply to 80’s hair bands are they are wild and out of control. The perception of these bands of this era was they were womanizers, drug addicts, violent, and lacking good judgment. While some of these descriptions may be true, they may not be true of every band or member of a band during this time period.

Sociology - Labeling Theory

            A culture is made up of many differing parts of society. These parts tend to change or be influenced by events, opinions or feelings. Culture can be influenced by politics and the economy. Many of these bands during this time period were influenced by the remnants of the 60’s and 70’s. Heavy drug use, free love, and a recent war in Vietnam turned the opinions and feelings of the young population. This resulted in a product of rebellion in the 80’s. As with any type of subculture, this type of music and the people who followed it were looked upon as deviant.

The insights I gain from this topic can be applied to the present and future. Culture and societies change and differing subcultures present themselves all the time. This leads me to believe that it is cyclic and repeats itself. Subcultures may differ in different generations, or they may resurface from time to time. Another insight I have gained is that not all subcultures are actually deviant. There are many successful people who were a part of this 80’s subculture who have been highly productive members of society. This will most likely be true for any subculture we view in the present as being deviant. We should not pass judgment so quickly and embrace our differences.

Icon Analysis

Contemporary Icons

 

The National Football League

Apple Company Logo

Starbucks Coffee Logo

These three icons, The National Football League, Starbucks Coffee, and Apple Company are household names and American icons in every sense. The National Football League is known throughout our culture as a premier entertainment source. America is and has been, in love with sports for generations. The NFL's logo is known as the "shield", a symbol of strength, righteousness, and power. The logo is drenched in patriotic red, white, and blue - the same colors we associate with being American.

The Apple company logo is timeless. From the start of the company in the late 70's through today, not much has changed. Not much has changed either with the company's vision and ingenuity. From schools, to private residences, the the people walking down the street - phone in hand, the Apple logo is recognized. The Apple logo is as much a part of our culture as anything else and most likely will continue to be for generations to come.

 

 Starbucks coffee is not only delicious, but probably one of the most recognized logos in the food service industry. The Starbucks logo is a symbol of relaxation, satisfaction and - free wifi!

Personally, all three icons mean a great deal to me. I love football, specifically the Cleveland Browns. I tend to become slightly depressed during the off season and always look forward to early fall. It is sort of bitter sweet though. True, it is the start of football season but also the symbolic end of the summer. Football gives me something to look forward to every week and especially motivates me to finish my schoolwork before Sunday. 

I love my phone - an extra BIG iPhone 6 plus. When smartphones first started to become popular I used several models of the android platform. I got my first iPhone a few years ago, an iPhone 4s. Every since I have been a huge fan of apple. The operating system is different in a lot of ways but it is also easier to use. This is one of the many reasons Apple has become so popular among its users.

Starbucks is relatively new to me although they have been around for quite some time. Years ago, you really only heard about Starbucks - in the news or by word of mouth. In the last few years the company has seen significant growth in number of locations. There is almost a Starbucks on every corner. There is a reason. They have high quality, amazing products and their coffee is great! I had my first cup of Starbucks coffee nearly two years ago and I am a huge fan. Their logo is iconic because of its recognition and relationship with their customers.