Disclaimer: I do not consider John Cena to be the wrestling equivalent of The Beatles but I will use them both only as an examples. I figure the comparison might upset quite a few people though.I love The Beatles. I listen to them on a daily basis. I have no idea why, all I know is that I enjoy the music. I am, by no means a musician. My ability to keep a beat left me around the age of thirteen. I am a "karaoke mastermind" as my friend TJ Harley likes to put it, but I am by no definition a great singer. Musical theory makes about as much sense to me as Latin. Nevertheless, The Beatles can hold my interest for hours at a time.
I have several friends who I imagine are great musicians, but they don't seem to have the same appreciation for The Beatles that I do. They tell me that while the music is fun to listen to on occasion, they prefer other "styles" of music that are more complicated and find them to be far too simplistic to hold their attention for long periods of time.I will often disagree and fall into an argument that I know I can't win, as I really have no idea what I'm talking about. They contend that there is far better music out there. I contend that their music is simply noise to me. Both of us are, of course, wrong, as ranking music, or art itself, is about as useful as ranking the attractiveness of gnats. By which, I mean it is very subjective.
My step brother loves John Cena. He would watch him on a daily basis if he could. Given the opportunity, he will argue that John Cena is the greatest wrestler who ever lived. He can't explain why. He just knows that he loves watching him wrestle on TV. He is only ten years old, and by no means a pro wrestler, so what right does he have to rank wrestlers?
People on the inside know that John Cena is vanilla and boring. A simple wrestler who has never done anything really spectacular to stand out, at least that's what I'm told by people who are obviously better informed than some ten year old kid.
What could posses this child to be so misinformed about the skill of this entertainer? The answer, is simple. Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to the business of art. The more simplistic it is, the more people will be inclined to follow and pay good money for it. Music and wrestling are no different from any other forms of art used to make a profit.The people who garner the most fame are never the most skilled in their field. They are the ones who can make the most money with broad appeal. The people most skilled in their field only stand out to those already involved in said field, a statistically small figure compared to the general populous.
Luckily, true artists never care about money anyway. They do what they do for the love of it. I only wish this was true for my fellow professional wrestlers. Often times I will hear of, or witness my friends growing despondent over their lack of income from wrestling, or their yearning for fame and fortune. It is an unfortunate mindset that is engraved into any new trainee's head that the only goal of a wrestler is to make money. I disagree with this sentiment.
I am confident that I will never get rich from the wrestling business. At best, I will earn a small income for a period of time and hopefully invest it wisely. Nevertheless, I will probably continue until my body finally stops running properly.
My plea to my fellow wrestlers is as follows: Please come to enjoy wrestling for the artistic beauty that is possesses. Relish in your opportunity to perform in front of a small crowd and provide them with lasting memories. Look deep inside yourself and ask why you are a wrestler. Is it for fame and glory? Or do you continue because of that high that you cannot explain from performing in front of an audience?
If it was the former, then I bid you good luck, you have a long road ahead. If it is the latter, than you are a true artist. That high you get is feeling the emotion from the crowd and knowing you played a part in it. Continue to love what you are doing and work on your craft. After all, you may very well be the next John Cena.
6 comments: on "Why Great Art Cannot Have Mass Appeal"
Great article man. You really hit home on several points, and it makes total sense. My 10 year old sister and your step-brother are on the same page with Cena. We however are on the same page about the Beatles. As far as the true artists go, and not making much money, it's a good thing that you can't buy me love. That was just bad, I know, so you don't have to tell me.
Nice. I’m an AC/DC man myself. I like The Beatles when its combined with Jay-Z. I have to sometimes look at Cena the way I look at The Ultimate Warrior matches as an adult. When I was little I didn’t know anything about work rate (and as a non-wrestler I still don’t). I didn’t know that he had only a few moves. I just knew that he was awesome and I liked seeing him wrestle. I think that things like backstage knowledge or watching it too critically can ruin a lot of the fun involved in being a fan. I lost my internet for a couple weeks last year and wrestling became brand new.
I can still enjoy wrestling as long as I don’t watch too much WWE. I can sprinkle in some Lucha Libre and old Japanese shit mixed with some indie stuff and I no longer feel old and jaded as a fan.
Very well written Mr. Davis, you are very eloquent representative of your community.
This theory is one I agree with and extends to all facets of art, especially music.
Is Britney Spears music art? By no means, but it is hard to create music for the masses and not for 8 people in a small coffee shop who think all things counter-culture is cool.
WWE is largely what you would expect from a large, mainstream entertianment company attempting to have mass appeal.
Some find it bland, but in the end, it is financially successful.
And for all the ROH geeks who complain about Cena and sing the praises of every indy creation with a Japanese finisher, remember this;
It is easy to put on a niche wrestling product for a niche audience that is willing to watch a bunch of 5'8" guys with short hair do spots for 40 minutes a match.
However to have mass appeal you will always need to make crative and artistic concessions, as does Hollywood.
To break it down even more, John Cena is to Bryan Danielson what Batman is to Slumdog Millionaire.
FF
Good shout about The Beatles mate, they are one of the best bands that has ever graced this planet, they had talent, style and oozed cool, unlike Cena who's just a complete talentless turd!
Is the FF that commented that ungrateful turncoat shitstain of a fat bastard, Frank Fuckte?
"It is easy to put on a niche wrestling product for a niche audience that is willing to watch a bunch of 5'8" guys with short hair do spots for 40 minutes a match."
Really? Is that what anything not WWE is to you? As for people copying Japanese moves check out most moves done in America the past decade that made us "O!" This little backhanded insult shall not stand, man.
What was considered the best matches at Wrestlemania 25? The ones with the most high spots. The coolest one being with two guys over 40. The whole high spot arguement is old and the weakest defense when bitching about smaller companies. I'll go out on a limb and say that the moves considered the best finishers in wrestling were stolen from Japan.
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