"Every now and again, the alternative culture is cherished by the mainstream for what it is, rather than how it should be, like the mainstream popular music"
About this Quote
Moore is taking a scalpel to the way “the mainstream” usually consumes outsiders: not by listening, but by laundering them. The line hinges on a rare condition he frames as almost accidental - “every now and again” - when alternative culture gets loved without being translated into something safer, shinier, or easier to monetize. That phrasing carries a weary veteran’s perspective: moments of genuine recognition do happen, but they’re exceptions, not progress.
The subtext is a critique of assimilation disguised as appreciation. When the mainstream “cherishes” the alternative “for what it is,” Moore implies it typically cherishes it for what it can be made into: a set of aesthetic cues stripped of threat. Punk’s abrasion becomes “edge.” Noise becomes “texture.” Dissent becomes “attitude.” The kicker is the comparison: “like the mainstream popular music.” He’s not just praising the alternative; he’s pointing out that pop is allowed to be itself. Pop doesn’t have to justify its own grammar. Alternative, by contrast, often gets measured against pop’s standards - melody, polish, relatability - and rewarded only when it mimics them.
Contextually, Moore’s coming from a world (Sonic Youth, post-punk, art-noise scenes) repeatedly mined by major labels, fashion cycles, and prestige media. Think of the 90s “alternative” boom: the underground gets a brief coronation, then a rapid domestication. His sentence is a small defense of integrity, and a reminder that the real compliment isn’t crossover success; it’s being heard without being corrected.
The subtext is a critique of assimilation disguised as appreciation. When the mainstream “cherishes” the alternative “for what it is,” Moore implies it typically cherishes it for what it can be made into: a set of aesthetic cues stripped of threat. Punk’s abrasion becomes “edge.” Noise becomes “texture.” Dissent becomes “attitude.” The kicker is the comparison: “like the mainstream popular music.” He’s not just praising the alternative; he’s pointing out that pop is allowed to be itself. Pop doesn’t have to justify its own grammar. Alternative, by contrast, often gets measured against pop’s standards - melody, polish, relatability - and rewarded only when it mimics them.
Contextually, Moore’s coming from a world (Sonic Youth, post-punk, art-noise scenes) repeatedly mined by major labels, fashion cycles, and prestige media. Think of the 90s “alternative” boom: the underground gets a brief coronation, then a rapid domestication. His sentence is a small defense of integrity, and a reminder that the real compliment isn’t crossover success; it’s being heard without being corrected.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
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