Is "On the Cover" The Death Of Art?

Last updated on: March 10, 2009 at 7:15 am by Dave Dunham

Is "On the Cover" The Death Of Art? 2009-03-10T07:15:51-06:00 Dave Dunham

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Marcel Duchamp. Now there’s a name you probably never thought you’d read in relation to the Christian pop/punk band MxPx. Allow me to explain the connection.

Duchamp was a French artist most known for his subversive art that was highly influential in changing the perceptions of “Art” in the early 20th century. He created very few pieces, but each was aimed at challenging the conventional standards of the artistic world. Some of his most noted works include The Fountain, which is nothing more than a urinal, and his 1919 parody of the Mona Lisa (complete with mustache and goatee, and lewd tag line reading “she has a hot butt”). This represents well Duchamp’s artistic philosophy which involved taking the works of others and reappropriating them as your own. Now let’s jump ahead to see the connection between Duchamp and MxPx.

MxPx is releasing a new album on March 24th, On the Cover II. As the title indicates it is a collection of covers from other bands performed by MxPx. One might begin by asking why on earth someone would buy a cd of one band literally copying the songs of another, but that is another subject. The connection between Duchamp and MxPx becomes, in this case, clearer as we see the band taking the work of another and making it their own. Now, while hundreds of professional bands do this regularly (not to mention every high school band playing graduation parties), I can’t help but wonder about the artistic value of this approach?

Does Duchamp’s philosophy seem appropriate? Is there any real value in altering, recreating, and perhaps defacing (if you see it that way) another person’s artwork and then calling it your own? I doubt that MxPx has put such thought into their artistic philosophy (of course I could be wrong), but we should pause and contemplate whether or not such an approach is fitting to the artistic capacities God has given us, if it actually contributes something worthwhile to the world, or if it is simply evidence of the “Death of Art” (as H.R. Rookmaaker put it). Who knew MxPx would require so much thought!

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