July 2019 Static Live Magazine

January of 1971, Phil Collins released “In the Air Tonight” and it took on a life of its own. In addition to generating buzz about
at is probably the most iconic drum break of all time, the song spawned a variety of urban legends with the common themes of
owning, revenge and loss. Nobody knew for sure whether the meaning was literal and people discussed it and theorized and lisned
and wondered. Today, we can Google “In the Air Tonight meaning” and learn in less time than it takes to listen to the iconic
um break itself – even Phil Collins doesn’t know what it means. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 2016, Collins said,
wrote the lyrics spontaneously. I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of
stration.” He had written the song in the wake of divorcing his first wife. Phil Collins didn’t have to watch somebody drown to
ite “In the Air Tonight” but it made people take notice and wonder and experience the process of not knowing.
ere is a comedian named Pete Holmes who does a bit about how, in the past, if you didn’t know something, you just didn’t know.
d there was a certain feeling of longing to know and then a certain feeling of accomplishment once you did know. But now,
owing feels exactly the same as not knowing because the information is available almost instantly, so you don’t feel what it’s like
t to know something for any significant amount of time. The example he uses is that in the past if you wondered where Tom Petwas
from, you would ask actual people, who also didn’t know (and then they would be curious). Then, one fateful day, you would
me across a girl wearing a Heartbreakers t-shirt and ask her - and she would tell you that Tom Petty is from Florida. And you
uld feel a wash of endorphins and meaning and pleasure. The joke is even funnier with the ending, “...and that’s how you met
ur wife ...and your wedding song was Refugee”.
In January of 1971, Phil Collins released “In the Air
Tonight” and it took on a life of its own. In addition to
generating buzz about what is probably the most iconic
drum break of all time, the song spawned a variety of urban
legends with the common themes of drowning, revenge
and loss. Nobody knew for sure whether the meaning was
literal and people discussed it and theorized and listened
and wondered. Today, we can Google “In the Air Tonight
meaning” and learn in less time than it takes to listen to the
iconic drum break itself – even Phil Collins doesn’t know
what it means. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine
in 2016, Collins said, “I wrote the lyrics spontaneously.
I’m not quite sure what the song is about, but there’s a lot
of anger, a lot of despair and a lot of frustration.” He had
written the song in the wake of divorcing his first wife. Phil
Collins didn’t have to watch somebody drown to write “In
the Air Tonight” but it made people take notice and wonder
and experience the process of not knowing.
There is a comedian named Pete Holmes who does a bit
about how, in the past, if you didn’t know something, you
just didn’t know. And there was a certain feeling of longing
to know and then a certain feeling of accomplishment
once you did know. But now, knowing feels exactly the
same as not knowing because the information is available
almost instantly, so you don’t feel what it’s like not to
know something for any significant amount of time. The
example he uses is that in the past if you wondered where
Tom Petty was from, you would ask actual people, who
also didn’t know (and then they would be curious). Then,
one fateful day, you would come across a girl wearing a
Heartbreakers t-shirt and ask her - and she would tell you
that Tom Petty is from Florida. And you would feel a wash
of endorphins and meaning and pleasure. The
joke is even funnier with the ending, “...and that’s
how you met your wife ...and your wedding song
was Refugee”.
12
Think about it; instant gratification isn’t really gratifying
because there is no time to feel any void. There is an
attitude of entitlement to know everything in a matter of
seconds. This has created a generation of impatience
because they will never know that wash of endorphins and
meaning and pleasure in Pete Holmes’ story so they don’t
understand that the frustration of not knowing something
is worth that feeling you get once you have the answer.
There is no anticipation of or satisfaction in knowing. The
argument can be made that this instant access to all the
answers has affected today’s music. Give them a beat
and some catchy phrases repeated over and over; they
don’t have to wonder whether there is a message because,
literally, it is what it is. The analytics are the focus. It has
become more about instant fame, going viral and being
popular and less about expressing yourself through your
music. This has created some wildly popular karaoke
singers and YouTube stars - not artists or musicians.
Who can remember sitting in their poster-plastered
bedroom with headphones that weren’t wireless, tethered
to a record player and listening to an album while devouring
every bit of information printed on the cover, without
interruption or distraction? Would most millennials actually
sit and listen to an entire Pink Floyd album? It would take
more patience than they have managed to develop. Would
they even appreciate the experience if they could? Can
you imagine how your life would be different if you didn’t
have that experience somewhere in your soul?
As comedian Pete Holmes says in his story, “We didn’t
learn anything; we just know everything. And it’s ruining
our lives.”
Dining. Drinks. Music.
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