LEARNING AND FORGETTING POPULAR CULTURE

In an unashamed admission that institutes of higher learning have to do something to keep kids happy rather than prepare them for the real world, Vermont State University is offering a course on the "quirky and satirical music of 'Weird' Al Yankovic." Rather than taking the Weird Al route of making fun of the syllabus, here's a portion of the real thing:

Weird Al hypnotizes the weird teachers to turn his
music into a weird college course.

Students explore the cultural impact of Yankovic’s work, analyzing his clever
songwriting and comedic approach to popular music. Through lectures, discussions, and assignments, participants gain insight into Yankovic’s creative process, his influences, and the broader context of humor in contemporary music.

And just to let you know they're serious, VSU uses promises to explore "the intersection of music, comedy, and social commentary" of Al's music, even as the parents ask, "Where the hell is the intersection between the annual $10,000 tuition and my kid getting a job with a 401(k)?" 

I have no problem with "Weird" Al. He's a hero to every guy my age who read Mad magazine and wondered, How can I make a living writing those "Sung to the tune of..." parodies? But how is this anything other than excuse to bring your overall grade average to B-? And while we're on the intersection, is the teacher going to explain that the parodies are funny only if you know the originals? That Al's non-parodies aren't what he's known for? And -- this is important -- how will VSU react when "Weird" Al writes a song about what a waste of time and money this thing is?

More like The Memory
Errors Tour.

From "Weird" Al, we move onto Taylor Swift, who herself is the subject of a dozen or so college courses. (Oddly, none of them are called "Hanging Your Ex-Boyfriends Out to Dry for Profit".) The Goddess of Perpetual Adolescents is now the topic of a 42-page medical paper titled, Here And Then Swiftly Gone: Taylor Swift-Induced Amnesia - A Literature Review and Exploratory Hypothesis For a Rare Phenomenon in Youth.

Seven people -- medical students and professionals alike -- contributed to this landmark work, examining the dramatic medical condition raging across America: people having no memory of the Taylor Swift concert they saw two weeks earlier. No wonder why these same people helped to make The Eras Tour the highest-grossing concert movie of all time -- they needed to rewatch what they already saw in person.

Why the sudden uptick in Swifties' tabula rasa? Let's consult the professionals: "During highly emotional or strenuous events [...] the body begins to release the stress hormone cortisol, a natural chemical that alters heart rate and blood pressure." This, they explain, can lead to Transient Global Amnesia, a temporary condition that prevents the creation of new memories. 

That seems to be an awfully high price to pay for a Taylor Swift concert, although not as high as what ticket brokers are charging for her shows.  I remember attending concerts over 40 years ago that didn't run me more than 25 bucks.

Yet despite often having the memory of a goldfish, I recall all those concerts from two generations ago. I bet the girls who attended Beatles concerts 60 years ago didn't scream their memories away, either. So neurological explanations aside, what does it mean that Taylor Swift concerts are so... forgettable? 

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Don't forget to read about my wife's bout of Transient Global Amnesia here: What a Sudden Memory Loss Can Really Mean | Next Avenue