Intellectual Freedoms

I hereby declare that my course topic for AMST 325 is Negativland.
They're a late '70s experimental music group who still exist in their same copyright fighting fashion. They're the granddaddies of mash-up, mixing, and sound manipulation; while not all their tracks are the most lyrical or melodic pieces in the annals of music history they're still pretty important. They're important for music and beyond, as their works pertain to popular media and the industry of it. They've reached out and touched the big guys (in a less than pleasurable way): Pepsi, Disney, U2 & Island Records, the general news media, and the gub'ment. I'm a big fan of a group related to them, a later '80s mash-up group more interesting in the way that their material is catchy and musical: Evolution Control Committee. In spite of this importance, however, I have been unable to get "into" the sound of Negativland. I have a hard time sharing it with others and generally liking it too. I certainly respect what I know about the group. I appreciate the wonderful tricks they've played, what they stand for, and the fun that they poke at big media. I chose Negativland because I like them and I don't. It's occurred to me recently that I might even have a shot at getting a few words from them as I move on through the course; they're the type of people that enjoy spreading information from what I can tell. Either way, I feel this group will prove to be excellent material pertaining to their importance to and within the context of Popular Culture™.