I recently became enchanted with the idea of the mash-up, since Triple J started playing tracks from Illegal Art’s Girl Talk.

A friend introduced me to DJ Earworm this morning.

What I really like about DJ Earworm is not only does he remix, recycle and rework popular culture, he also feels the need to pontificate about it too. He writes about his ‘No More Gas’ mash-up:

Lately in pop music there’s been this growing undercurrent of dysfunction and desperation.

Leona Lewis talks about love in terms of flesh wounds, Akon sings of girls being dangerous, Danity Kane complains of being damaged, Ne-Yo is unable to control himself, Rihanna is going crazy.

Meanwhile a burning hunger for more cries out: The Pussycat Dolls, Britney, and Lupe Fiasco all desire fame, attention, recognition, and they encourage the listener to feel the same way. All this, mixed in with Madonna’s pre-apocalyptic pop song plus Estelle and Kanye’s transatlantic lovefest, starts to paint a picture of where our culture is today, overwhelmed by our own raging appetites, even as we run out of what we need.

Fame, in and of itself, is the last great hope for many people who feel unloved and insignificant. And even in the sample of artists DJ Earworm lists above, there aren’t many happy-endings-because-of-fame stories to be had. Fame almost killed Britney Spears. She lost her husband, custody of her children, credibility and I daresay her mind. The media’s appetite cannot be appeased. The more you give of yourself, the more they will take. Conversely, there is only so much ‘Britney’ to go round. Quickly you reach a point where there is nothing more to give despite the chants to “Gimme more.”

The Pussycat Dolls is another interesting example. As much a reality television show as a pop group, emphasis is placed more heavily on physical appearance than vocal ability. Potential “Dolls” put themselves through many hoops, hoping they have ‘what it takes’ to make the group and appease the judges. Television has done much to exploit the growing insecurities and desires DJ Earworm speaks of. See also: American Idol; So You Think You Can Dance; Britain’s Got Talent.

It seems unlikely these stories will have much impact on the thinking of today’s Top 40 listeners. If this is all too philosophical for your liking, you might find comfort in DJ Earworm’s closing thought on his mix: ‘And you can dance to it!’