There is a knee jerk reaction in “the media”, entertainment
and, news alike to fall back, start and or, spring off of pretty laced up
packages or false dichotomies out of indolence and for effect that is part of
the reason why the United States has been hijacked by special interests.
Perhaps the greatest dramedy ever on TV, the marvelous Mozart in the Jungle (recently
canceled by Amazon after 4 seasons), is a great place to start as an
example because of its superb style and themes. Pointing out the erroneous
parsing of overall substance morality and justice into a simplistic structure
of right and wrong; black or white is the most weighted detriment, besides
greed, to every issue. The value and artistic worth of Mozart in the Jungle
taps into high art, culture and social responsibilities as well as creative
sensibilities perhaps more than any other series has ever done. Jungle dives
head first into the value of being human and how each individual struggles to
define themselves; spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. The
series pounded the idea of how we view ourselves in applying the strengths of
character regardless of talent or results based ultimately on our own divinity
and humanity. Whether it is your compassion, your efforts, your wisdom, your charm,
your kindness or what have you; however you fit into the grand scheme of life
your value is measured by as the main character Composer Rodrigo De Souza,
played genuinely by Gael Garcia Bernal says, “the blood”. This main running
theme equating all in life essentially to its divinity or divine natural
earthly value is what makes Mozart In the Jungle such an important series. This
type of sincere open heart practical compassionate dreamlike orgasmic lust for
life exposing many of its purist desires and serene indulgences is extremely
rare in entertainment but Mozart in the Jungle is just cake baby. Like a much
needed “in and out” or “shake shack” burger at the end of a long week of
managerial repression or corporate exploitation but, like Ice Cube said at the
beginning of “Body Count”, “in some place like You know, The Cosby Show, Ozzie
and Harriet You know, where Cops come and get your cat outta a tree and all
your friends died at old age. But you see.. I live in South Central, Los Angeles
And unfortunately... S**T AIN'T LIKE THAT!! It's real f**ked up!”.
Here come the puppy dog, hippie dippy voices saying, ‘well
that’s not what Mozart in the Jungle is about, it’s just an escape from reality
and a look at how great musicians live and experience life’ but no; when you’re
talking about the essential worth of all life and the value of its applications
you have a responsibility to iron out consequential realities or the weight
doesn’t hold as long and the kids don’t vote because they’re too happy holding
an all access source of entertainment in their hands. As the bohemian argued
about Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man in the Sea in that silly comedy “Peggy Sue Got
Married” there is no meat on the fish when the old man returns. While his
courage and struggle may very well define him he comes home without the fish or
the help he needs. The questions and problems he faced are left unanswered. Hemingway,
much like De Souza is having too much fun snapping his magical fingers to do the
work. The worth of substance is in the reality of its application; its cause
and effect. Like Edgar Allen Poe’s “Single Effect Theory” on writing, Mozart in
the Jungle masterfully holds on to its theme of divinity in all things for almost
every line and scene but it’s all fake and contrived without the conditional
triggers, gray areas and painstaking guides we all need to get there ourselves.
Society of course like Mozart in the Jungle is missing the institutionalized
instant triggers which react to our immediate needs. One example as written in
my last ignored neglected post, even the majestically beautiful March 24th
2018 March for Our Lives marches on gun control failed to address the need to
take out mentally disturbed individuals for isolated treatment. There was no
trigger during this campaign to send sociopaths like Nicolas Cruz to a camp
somewhere in the jungle, because like the equally beautiful and marvelous dramedy
series Mozart in the Jungle; we’re still in a quicksand of dichotomies. It
costs too much money to provide proper mental care for students with violent
tendencies says the right, while the so called moderates are too afraid to
mention it do to poll numbers.
In sadly the last season of Mozart in the Jungle, unless it’s
picked up by another network, an aspiring young drummer can’t afford
professional lessons, so our hero the great De Souza takes his shift waiting
tables so he can get said free instructions from a pro; the only time
surprisingly and immediately discovered available. The young teen drummer is
later confronted about his own rebellious draw backs with some welcome tough
love by an injured cellist who steps in one day covering for De Souza. She
wouldn’t do his shift that day because of his attitude, and that display of
angst snapped the kid out of his woe is me doldrums to turn him into a new hero
for us. That’s all well and good, the scene brought tears to my eyes but it’s
all delivered in a bright red bow marked, fantasy. The scene got real in the dramatic sense but
failed to outline the important social issue of poverty and lack of
opportunity.
People like to add reason and accountability to futile
methods and tactics in a world wind of structure based on a lot of BS, gloss
and, packaging but practical methods and bullet point steps needed in achieving
desperately needed structural changes go mute or worse yet are hidden in undetailed
nuance. Like in the great
debate between Thomas Paine and Edmund Bruke it’s all left to political or
cultural aristocracies dependent on false illusory dichotomies and obscenely
neglectful traditions. The problem is not just the basic right vs left,
democrats vs republicans, liberals vs conservatives it’s an overall dichotomy
of dichotomies found in sub groups as people feel the need to cling to large
cliques like blue dog corporate democrats vs progressive liberals, hipsters vs plebeians or “alternate facts”
Trumpers vs “moderate” republicans and so on and so forth. The love of easy headlines
and one liners has taken over the debate.
Mozart in the Jungle is understandably made for syndication
in that the episodes are too short and not drawn to any current news but it’s
really a shame we can’t dwell a little more on scenes breathing in the nuances
like aroma therapy. Much of the music in the series are just teasers of
performances that we will never hear and the moments of contemplation lack important
realism or Cinéma Vérité. Perhaps if they ever make a film we’ll get more drawn
out goodies that further indulge us in the hipster lives and intriguing musician
perspectives as well as get more into the crusts of the problems. The beauty
and intensity of the characters are like a drug I need, vicariously living in
the realm of timeless art and the worship of a divine art that lives in our
most comforting chaste desires. Season 4 ended with an existentialist orgasm
realizing the inner workings of identity crisis. Everyone can relate to the
psychological struggles of the artist’s failings and complexity. I’ve never
loved and wanted to watch a dramedy as much as this one but again; its power to
delight and enthrall lacks the consequential reality needed to understand and
deal with current necessities much like our media. When we placate the
struggles of injustice without exposing the culprits and their deeds; they win
and we lose. The power of an immaculate storyline, characters, actors, and
expert observance must not play out in vain.
It’s the reliance on our state of mind as progressives
that’s displacing our preoccupations. Punditry and faux social media is
replacing substance while no one takes issues with immediate concerns. Every
day media filler storms love to chat away about the problems with certain mind
sets or the changing of current sensibilities when the real issues dragging us
down are like massive gashes we are bleeding to death from. One meme recently
quipped “inner peace is the new success”, as if complacency with government and
corporate exploitation of the truth can’t affect us. We are too busy debating
and discussing the nuances of our problems as a society in easily digested
dichotomies in order to fill short broadcast news times or quick social media
news feeds. The practice of making specific legislative demands or directional
and targeting protest pin pointing candidates as laid out in the writing of Saul
Alinsky is lost to propaganda for moderates and right wing extremists alike.
Despite being a womanizer, Rodrigo De Souza is a role model
of hipster actualization, doing his part in the insanity of corporate dominance
with certain bold selfless acts of defiance but the smooth perfect writing of
this series much like the best of our network news shows lack the essential drawn
out redundancy of truth and justice. When our rule of law or our regulations
fail to protect us we must stop what we are doing that entertains and do
whatever we can to stop the injustice. De Souza is a super hero, a magical
being that talks to Mozart, reflecting and pointing out to all of us the
importance of substance in art and life but he like our media fails to describe
what in reality is needed. While we may think it’s not their job to direct
protest to specific change it’s also not their jobs to normalize our
progressive sensibilities. Doing your part on Earth Day or Election Day is
meaningless while 30 to 40 percent of the public believe Trump and his
republican cohorts’ lies while they attack the environment and the rule of law.
As Bono of the great rock band U2 loves to say, “America is an idea”. There is
a great reason we love and look to our founding fathers for truth and
inspiration. They penned a government by the people for the people in order to
allow reason to be the bearer of justice not aristocracy; from the Zen loving
hipster left or the fraudulent oligarchic right.
