Fight Fire with Fire: Commercial Media Commentary Through Artistic Versions of That Media

Towards the beginning of the chapter, Rush writes of the beginning of this video art as developing from two branches: "activist-driven documentaries linked with alternative news reports and more properly so-called art videos" (80) What I found interesting was the start of what Rush calls "guerrilla videographers" like the two mentioned, Les Levine and Frank Gillette who were "guerrilla" because they "forced their way into political conventions and other newsworthy events without the proper credentials customary to news media" (81). This kind of independent, "covert" news reportage became attractive because of their raw style - the footage was shot while being sly and subtle, so they couldn't employ lots of tricks and put a lot of care into it. Therefore the images and the effects are low-tech but it became attractive to people because it felt more real, and less produced. Taking a cue from these guys, Top Value Television (TVTV) "produced alternative coverage of the 1972 Democratic and Republican conventions... in what amounted to an entertaining, provocative look at the foibles of American political and news gathering processes" (81).

I liked this idea of using the media you're critiquing as a way to critique it, and a way to get attention for your art. People were probably watching the TVTV footage as sincerely as they would normal broadcast coverage of the conventions (maybe more so because they believed they were less directed and controlled by "The Media"). This reminded me of the effects of the band U2's 1992-93 world tour titled "Zoo Tv." The entire stage show was set up to replicate the total media saturation people encounter in their daily lives. Numerous clips from famous, or not famous, footage was haphazardly edited together and presented on giant screens throughout the stadium during the entire show. Occasionally the lead singer Bono, while in one of his alter ego's "Mr MacPhisto," would call a number - maybe a taxi service, or a maybe a politician - and try and engage them in conversation during the concert. During some concerts the band would check in with a correspondent they had in Sarajevo who would inform the audience of life during wartime in Bosnia. The concerts were total media experiences, almost like living in a television. Through utilizing the medias they were commenting on and criticizing  they made their point - without "fighting fire with fire" the message would not have been as strong.

In this video you see the intro to a concert during the tour (the first four minutes, before the band comes on) and it's already inundating you with various media, recognizable and not. They appropriate seemingly harmless media and turn it into something aggravating and noxious to our senses, how it probably should have been in the first place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMneYa8gJBY