IMAGE

image and self presentation are one of the most important things in our lives. what we say, what we do, and how we present ourselves (especially in our private lives) can affect our public lives (see Larry Johnson, however, that's another story). today, i'd like to talk about how celebrities manage their public identites.

anyone remember Christian Rich? the group that made "Famous Girl?" (in case you forgot, click the red hyperlinked phrases to refresh your memory). here's what they had to say about artist managing their public image:

"Fashion is very important in our image, our branding and our whole aesthetic. The name Christian Rich is really Christian Dior with Dior replaced with Rich. We know how much people love trend setting items so we work hard to set our music in that same tone. As we brand ourselves with great clothing brands people instantly understand our image as a brand and how we want to be perceived. I usually associate an artist with fashion. For example you got your Ed Hardy artist, then you got your Louis Vuitton spotting artist, then you got us Bathing Ape/ Levi/ Gstar/ Helmut Lang type. The point is you describe an artist's sound based on what they wear. So we use this knowledge to market the product to our audience."

now you know i couldn't give you all the yin without the yang. familiar with the famous musical masked men of daft punk? (i'm sure you know the drill by now with the hyperlinks) here's what Thomas Bangalter, .5 of the dynamic duo had to say about their image.

"We don't believe in the star system. We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. That combination hides our physicality and also shows our view of the star system. It is not a compromise....Yes. I think people understand what we are doing. I know many people who maybe like the way we are handling things. People understand that you don't need to be on the covers of magazines with your face to make good music. Painters or other artists, you don't know them but you know what they are doing. We are very happy that the concept in itself is becoming famous. In France, you speak of Daft Punk and I'm sure millions of people have heard it, but less than a few thousand people know our face - which is the thing we're into. We control it, but it's not us physically, our persons. We don't want to run into people who are the same age as us, shaking our hand and saying, 'Can I have your autograph?' because we think we're exactly like them. Even girls, they can fall in love with your music, but not with you. You don't always have to compromise yourself to be successful. The playing with masks is just to make it funnier. Pictures can be boring. We don't want all the rock n' roll poses and attitudes - they are completely stupid and ridiculous today."

these ideas can be applied to a regular john doe. personally, i would like to live by my principles and values, but that wish is often threatened by interest in material items and personal style. as much as i would love people to remember me for my public facade when i die, what i would really like is for people to remember my ideas. however i understand that as i develop my public identity, i can bring ideas, drawings, poems and other piece of work much easier as my public identity becomes a brand, in which people can buy into and identify with (very similar to Christian Rich's approach). although i am more ideologically aligned with the chicago-based team, i have a great appreciation for Bangalter's "theory of art and the artist."

but that's my opinion. what do you think?

Tea's Gone.