In 1994 I was living in a student house with a psychopath. One of the other people resisting this suggested we go and see “The Lion King” at the cinema and I said yes.
My favourite song from a cartoon that John Kricfalusi will never convince me is not excellent was “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”. The core of this song is, y’know, mush, however well Elton and Sir Tim may have constructed it. But oh, the intro and outro. The comic relief, Timon and Pumba, can see precisely what the lead characters falling in love means. And they frame the song with this in a way that…
This is not irony and it does not ironize the song. But, my God (and here I would refer you to Lestat’s apology for using the phrase), it gives the most jaded cynic no excuse. Timon:
“I can see what’s happening, they don’t have a clue, he’ll fall in love and here’s the bottom line: our trio’s down to two.
The sweet caress of twilight, there’s magic everywhere, and with all this romantic atmosphere, disaster’s in the air.”
The problem with ideologies of resistance to “the culture industry” is that sometimes surplus value bites both it and you in the ass.
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