Advancement Theory

Advancement Theory

Advancement Theory or The Theory of Advancement centres around the idea that artists or “genius” individuals create pieces of art which audiences are not ready for. The Theory of Advancement analyses and explains the Individuals who create pieces of work or art that the vast majority of the population perceives as “bad” and are referred to in Advancement Theory as Advanced. However, their work as such is not flawed but their consumers are not Advanced. To be considered an Advanced individual, Advancement Theory requires a range of criteria to be met, including factors such as the individual’s work, their relation to their audience or fans as well as the credibility and predictability of the individual and their work. Critics such as Rob Sheffield debate the inflexible, contradictory and subjective nature of Advancement Theory. Advancement Theory was founded by American Journalist Jason Hartley who subsequently wrote a non-fiction book published in 2010 called The Advanced Genius Theory: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Times? which analyses and describes the theory in great detail.

Advancement Criteria

The Theory of Advancement is defined by a strict set of criteria an individual must meet before they are considered Advanced. These criteria explain and clarify the characteristics needed for an individual or artist to be considered Advanced. Jason Hartley makes clear that the assumption, “everything terrible is actually brilliant and vice versa”, has, “no place in advancement theory”. A crucial section of Advancement Theory is that Advanced artists are unpredictable, as they do not do what is expected of them. However, Advanced individuals must also not do the exact opposite of what is expected of them. An individual who does the opposite of what is anticipated is classified in Advancement Theory as “overt”. The criteria and prerequisites an individual must obtain to be defined as Advanced is outlined below:

1. The individual must have produced work of note for more than 15 years.

Advancement Theory rests on the principle that the Advanced individual has produced work of a high quality for a prolonged period of time, therefore proving that their judgments are consistently superior to others. Individuals who have produced work of a high quality for a short period of time such as a few years cannot be deemed as Advanced. Hartley uses John Lennon as an example, asserting that Lennon would not have qualified as Advanced has he stopped making music after the separation of The Beatles and the band was only together for eight years (1962-1970). However, Lennon’s solo work cements his status as Advanced.

Overt vs. Advanced

Before reaching Advancement an individual undergoes the “Overt” stage, in which the individual attempts to reach Advancement through producing innovative ideas and work in an obvious way, however this contradicts the definition of Advancement.The “Overt” stage is essential to the overall theory as Overt individuals appear to be Advanced however they are the antithesis of Advanced as “their seemingly inexplicable decisions are not being driven by inner genius.” Jason Hartley highlights the difference between an Overt and Advanced individuals stating that, “an overt artist puts out material that is ambiguous and can therefore be interpreted by the listener any way they want. The Advanced artist never does that”. Nirvana’s The Man Who Sold the World, originally sung by David Bowie, from MTV Unplugged in New York can be considered Overt, rather than Advanced, as after completing the performance of the song, lead singer, Kurt Cobain insinuates that he is too cool to rehearse, when he tells the crowd he is surprised he completed the song without mistakes. Cobain then acts hesitant when asking his audience whether he should sing their next song by himself despite their song list being arranged prior to the performance, which is a “model of Overtness”.

2. The individual must alienate their original audience

To be considered Advanced an individual must create work and gain success, which alienates their original audience and supporters, as to be deemed Advanced the individual must actively seek the disapproval of their supporters, especially the ones who loved them first. This is an important aspect of Advancement Theory as disapproval from their audience indicates the individual’s Advancement beyond the audience. Hartley argues that an Advanced artist’s original audience experiences the severity of alienation as they have followed the artist for the longest. “Just as those fans were the first to embrace the artist, so they will be the first to proclaim the artist has ‘lost it’.”

3. The individual and their work must be un-ironic

Advancement requires sincere individuals who produce work of the same standard, authenticity and honesty as this is an essential pillar of Advancement Theory. “To Advance an artist must truly embrace something that will be perceived as awful. Often individuals who want to be regarded as Advanced yet cannot commit to the requirements of Advancement use irony to protect themselves from the perception they’ve ‘lost it’.”

4. The individual must be unpredictable

The Advanced are truly unpredictable as rather than producing work that is the opposite of what is expected of them, they produce work that is unforeseen and unexpected. For example, Jason Hartley argues that Bob Dylan’s feature in a 2004 advertisement for the brand Victoria’s Secret was one of the most Advanced actions of all time. Hartley justifies this claim stating that if Bob Dylan featured a David Sanborn, a renowned American Saxophone specialist, saxophone solo in one of his pieces, although far from his usual musical style, it would not be Advanced. This is because Dylan had previously stated he would never feature a saxophone solo in one of his pieces. Thus, this action would be the opposite of what Bob Dylan supporters expected and therefore contradict the Advancement Theory.

5. The individual must “lose it” spectacularly

The Advanced individual must continue to make Advanced work that is consistently more ambitious, elaborate, self indulgent and out of touch than their last project. In Advancement Theory, this is the concept that the individual and their work has become so out of touch and inaccessible that their audience can no longer follow or keep up with them. Thus, the Advanced individual is deemed to have “lost it”.

Who is Advanced? – Examples of Advancement

The Theory of Advancement is most often discussed in relation to musicians, however actors, directors, painters, writers, boxers, politicians, businessmen and scientists, as well as individuals in occupations across all fields, can qualify for Advancement. Although Advancement is exhibited differently in converging professions and occupations, the criteria remains essential. Hartley draws attention to patterns Advanced individuals endure and follow, such as the lack of immediate appreciation of the early innovations of Advanced individuals and a prolonged time period in which an individual receives widespread acceptance, followed by a period where their reputation is denigrated, which infuriates their admirers. George Lucas the acclaimed creator and director of Star Wars is used as an example of an Advanced individual by an Advancement Theory expert, Chuck Klosterman.

George Lucas

Klosterman compares George Lucas to the criteria and common patterns witnessed when analysing Advancement Theory and Advanced individuals, drawing clear parallels between the two. Lucas did not receive immediate appreciation for his work as many people in the movie industry did not give Star Wars a chance to succeed and during Lucas’s prolonged time period in which he received widespread acceptance Star Wars, and it’s sequels, became one of the most successful movie franchises of all time with the movies beloved by audiences. However, Lucas also endured a period, which eventually denigrated his reputation and infuriated his admirers as he “updated” and partially remade the original Star Wars films for theatrical rerelease, which caused overwhelming and severe backlash from supporters of the films. Lucas was perceived as having “lost it”. Furthermore, Klosterman asserts that the "most Advanced figure of all time" is the American musician Lou Reed who’s “most Advanced moment” was his release of The Original Wrapper in 1986 as well as his 2004 album Animal Serenade, which is a two record live set of songs inspired by writer, editor and literary critic Edgar Allen Poe. Klosterman also states that the "most Advanced hard rock album ever" made was Music from The Elder, released by the American rock band KISS in 1981, which was a soundtrack for a movie that ceases to exist. Jason Hartley provides examples of individuals who do not meet the Theory’s criteria and therefore are not Advanced. Hartley explains that Neil Young a Canadian-singer songwriter whose career is founded on the premise that he follows no rules is not Advanced as this rejection of authority and rebellious nature restricts his work and he cannot advance beyond his nature. However, this categorisation of individuals who are not Advanced is not fixed as the Advancement Theory criteria does not restrict individuals from Advancing at anytime.

Critics of Advancement Theory

Advancement Theory has been criticised for its inflexible, reductive and at times contradictory nature. Rob Sheffield, a writer for the Rolling Stone Magazine criticises the Theory and it’s purposes stating that the Theory provides, “a way for Advancement theorists to appreciate shitty music by people they consider to be non-shitty.” Further asserting that, “Advancement scholars do not foster a spirit of inquiry”, and that the, “entire theory is shackled by the Heinsberg principle of self-consciousness.”

Chuck Klosterman an Advancement Theory expert in Minneapolis, Minn. on Sept. 20, 2009

Critics of the Theory of Advancement have also discredited the theory, in relation to it’s application to music and musicians, due to “musical revivals”, or social movements which aim to renew or revive musical systems, “that are believed to be disappearing or completely relegated to the past for the benefit of contemporary society.” Academic Tamara Livingston illustrates music and the music industry to be a constant cycle of trends and genres, which hinders a musician’s ability to achieve Advancement, as “Advanced” music is ultimately recycled and in turn “unoriginal”. Mark Athitakis criticizes Chuck Klosterman’s analysis of Advancement Theory, as Klosterman describes Advanced artists as individuals who do not do what is expected of them however they also do not do the opposite of what is expected of them. Athitakis argues that it is unclear what “opposite” means, thus an Advanced artist is impossible to define or recognise. Advancement Theory expert Klosterman acknowledges the Theory’s contradictory nature and also acknowledges that the Theory is ultimately subjective, as different people have different tastes, preferences and viewpoints and that Advancement and Advanced individuals can be determined by anyone. However, Jason Hartley the founder of Advancement Theory has laid down guidelines to narrow the definition of Advancement to, “keep out the reactionary, the conventionally great and the actually awful.” However, Athitakis asserts that Advancement Theory is a “method by which music writers can overthink old artists, expend ridiculous amounts of energy showing off what they think of them, and assign more weight to them then they deserve.”

References

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