Comment What makes culture popular? (Score 1) 450
When did they not? In the 1950's there was a famous vocal group called the Drifters ("Under the Boardwalk", etc.). They had many hits, first on the R&B charts, later crossing over into the pop charts. The Drifters embodied the spirit of Doo-Wop -- a spontaneous expression of street-corner culture.
One day in the late 50's, the Drifters' producers FIRED THE ENTIRE GROUP. They had the right to do this because they owned the name -- the members were just employees. A new group of singers was brought in and, still known as the Drifters, they had some more hit records. The public didn't know or didn't care.
Corporate/Popular culture is voracious. William Gibson pointed out somewhere that the lead time is shortening -- that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a spontaneous phenomenon for about 2 weeks before being captured, before it was being played on the runway at Paris fashion shows.
