Music, Style & Culture
| Print : Web : Radio : Mobile

SXSW 2010: Panel: Music, Culture & Policy Under Obama

The whole thing stank to high heaven.

Posted 20th March 2010, 2:00pm in Features, by Tristan Bennett
SXSW 2010: Panel: Music, Culture & Policy Under Obama Ever wonder what it’s like to be high up in government? I couldn’t tell you, but if I had to guess I’d say it’s probably like being the popular girl whom, it turns out, the entire class hated the whole time.

Taking a break from thrash punk screamo on Red River Road, I made my way to the convention center to hear what our chic Commander in Chief had to say to SXSW.

Well they opened with jokes about former President George W. Bush. Ok sure; this is a music festival and yes, granted, most of the people here probably voted for Obama. But it’s still Texas, and the lame jab was met with a remonstrative silence.

Jokes aside, the thing was a placebo exercise in propaganda rather than a real discussion. Money is the name of the game here at South By Southwest, and the policy wonks from Washington were happy to shower promise bucks on a cash poor audience. While the Power Point presentation was reassuringly clunky in its delivery, and the whole thing seemed to hum with friendliness, in the end it was a meaningless pastiche of politicos trained in the fine art of speaking at length, saying nothing.

As the press filed out, grinning and well fed in their dressed down festival threads, happy to have rubbed shoulders with some true blue D.C. decision makers, the whole thing stank to high heaven, and I headed to the next smoky show for a breath of fresh air.
Click like to get the latest music news, hottest tracks and more via Facebook.

Comments