Scene Not Heard

by Brian on 05-08-2009

in london,media

Dan Brown asks the question I left open in a previous post:

Does London have a blogging scene? Are all the local bloggers, as different as they are from one another, part of a scene? 

Is it a scene like Athens, Ga. was a music scene back in the 1980s? Or Paris was a writing scene in the 1920s? Or Mos Eisley was a scene for star pilots back in Episode IV?

I’m hoping lots of people will take up the affirmative and argue “yes,” but for now I’m going to say no – No, there is no “scene” here and I’m more than a little skeptical of there being one any time soon. 

A group, yes, but a scene, no… a community, maybe…

There are certain features that every scene has:

  • promiscuous creative and conceptual cross-breeding, bandmate-swapping, co-editing, influence-sharing, idea stealing, etc 
  • or, maybe “in-breeding” is more apt: scenes tend to be socially exclusive
  • and come to think of it, the most creatively fertile scenes don’t lack for the physical kind of cross-breeding either
  • a style, an identifiable look, or at least some distinguishing aesthetic feature, logo, typeface, palette, vernacular, idiosyncra…
  • a place where it all happens, where everyone automatically gravitates to (think CBGB’s)
  • a representative publication that everyone assumes everyone else reads every word of, and where anyone goes when they want to make sure their work gets noticed and talked about too
  • a shared set of principles and values, that at least some people are able to speak somewhat articulately on
  • rebellion, something to react against, a villain; or more broadly, belligerence (this relates to social exclusivity)
  • exuberance, passion, zest, initiative — disciplined drive combined with and unadulterated joy
  • something innovative, something unexpected that hasn’t happened anywhere else yet — at least not in quite the same way
  • the source of that unexpected characteristic is often, itself, coming from an unexpected direction
  • and it all has to be 99% unintentional; you can’t design a scene: they emerge kind of naturally and accidentally as people simply explore the boundaries of what they’re good at and what they love; if a community combines the proper amounts of diversity and uniformity, gets cooked at the right temperature for the right amount of time, you’ve got yourself a scene…

Now turning back to London specifically: scene or no scene, who wouldn’t want to be part of one? Nobody I’d want to associate with. ;)

Related Posts:

Tagged as: collectives, community, creative scenes, creativity, scenes, social media, social scenes

  • http://deys.ca Bill Deys

    Wait until Dan gets in and approves his comments but I’m thinking of launching a podcast/roundtable thing to feature blogs, podcasts, vlogs etc.

    Looking for “cohosts” or show regulars.

  • http://deys.ca Bill Deys

    Wait until Dan gets in and approves his comments but I’m thinking of launching a podcast/roundtable thing to feature blogs, podcasts, vlogs etc.

    Looking for “cohosts” or show regulars.

  • http://lfpress.com Dan Brown

    Brian: So in order for London to be a scene we need to start sleeping with one another?

  • http://lfpress.com Dan Brown

    Brian: So in order for London to be a scene we need to start sleeping with one another?

  • http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

    Bill: I’d be up for doing something like that — probably help me get into podcasting.

    Dan: Yes.

  • http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

    Bill: I’d be up for doing something like that — probably help me get into podcasting.

    Dan: Yes.

  • http://www.phronk.com Phronk

    Maybe one problem with calling the social media community a “scene” is that scenes have to be about something. A certain style of music, or art, or whatever. But social media isn’t about anything; it’s a way of expressing things, not something that is expressed.

    You wouldn’t see a “drums scene” or a “paper and pencil scene” in the same way we’re talking about here. So a “blogging scene” makes about as much sense.

    However, the growing London group/community does mean that more people proficient in these new media (in the sense of the tools used to create art, not the news media) are meeting up with each other, and this can foster all the points you mention. We may come up with something to actually be about. So who knows, maybe it’ll happen someday, unintentionally of course.

  • http://www.phronk.com Phronk

    Maybe one problem with calling the social media community a “scene” is that scenes have to be about something. A certain style of music, or art, or whatever. But social media isn’t about anything; it’s a way of expressing things, not something that is expressed.

    You wouldn’t see a “drums scene” or a “paper and pencil scene” in the same way we’re talking about here. So a “blogging scene” makes about as much sense.

    However, the growing London group/community does mean that more people proficient in these new media (in the sense of the tools used to create art, not the news media) are meeting up with each other, and this can foster all the points you mention. We may come up with something to actually be about. So who knows, maybe it’ll happen someday, unintentionally of course.

  • http://titusferguson.com titusferguson

    Great post Brian

    A London “scene” is something that I have been working towards for quite some time. You and I have had conversations about that before.

    My intent has always been to just let it happen, just facilitate things.

    I like what you’ve said Mike, the group is definitely a collection of aficionados. I don’t think we are exclusively that though. Which is why it is difficult to put a finger on it.

    Or is that a ring on it?

  • http://titusferguson.com titusferguson

    Great post Brian

    A London “scene” is something that I have been working towards for quite some time. You and I have had conversations about that before.

    My intent has always been to just let it happen, just facilitate things.

    I like what you’ve said Mike, the group is definitely a collection of aficionados. I don’t think we are exclusively that though. Which is why it is difficult to put a finger on it.

    Or is that a ring on it?

  • http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

    Phronk: That’s a great insight: we need to be about something… I vote for drums.

    Titus: We should keep those conversations going. Someone will put a finger on it eventually.

    I just looked back and counted, like, 8 of my last 11 posts are like this, about social media in London and just that. This is a transitional phase (speaking for myself, at least). We’ll see a lot more “about” by the end of the summer.

    An autumn wedding?

  • http://brianfrank.ca Brian Frank

    Phronk: That’s a great insight: we need to be about something… I vote for drums.

    Titus: We should keep those conversations going. Someone will put a finger on it eventually.

    I just looked back and counted, like, 8 of my last 11 posts are like this, about social media in London and just that. This is a transitional phase (speaking for myself, at least). We’ll see a lot more “about” by the end of the summer.

    An autumn wedding?

  • Pingback: Best Of: Social Media in London | brianfrank.ca