LUCIDMEDIA

What 10 Years Have Wr-Aught: The Lucid Decade

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Monday, 14 December 2009 06:28

2001: The Year that Changed Everything

Written By Catherine Kustanczy

The year 2001 is one that cleaves everyone’s lives into two categories: Before 9/11, and after 9/11. The 2000s began earnestly enough, as January saw George W. Bush took formal power in the White House. The influence of the Bush legacy was both seen and felt in all manner of Western popular culture, whether it be films, music, or television. American award ceremonies which traditionally recognized outstanding achievements in entertainment, such as the Oscars and the Grammys, were not only heavily laden with politics, but were noticeable in their recognition of a national tragedy. Popular programming and filmmaking, which had recently enjoyed a celebratory or even escapist tone, veered into a sudden shift towards a distinctly darker tone. Stories of paranoia, terrorism, and the brutal meting of justice became plus ca normale on television screens, as the network hit 24 and Law and Order: Criminal Intent made their premieres at the end of the year. Other dramas, like Scrubs and Smallville, had their premieres in October, as did the sitcom The Bernie Mac Show. Several television season premieres were delayed in response to the 9/11 tragedy. Shows like The West Wing, substituted special episode related to the event, while other, more military-themed programs like JAG and Third Watch were retooled in order to integrate the new reality of American life and diplomacy in the aftermath of the New York terror attacks.

Rock Rocked…

In music, Irish band U2, who spent the 1990s experimenting with different genres and styles, returned to a straight-ahead rock roots. with 2001’s All That You Can’t Leave Behind. Produced by long-time collaborators Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, the album All That You Can’t Leave Behind showed the band re-embracing their traditional “U2 sound”. Despite the fact that the album was written before the 9/11 attacks, the new climate of heightened political awareness coincided with Bono’s return to politically conscious lyrics. It was for this combination of song and content that U2 were awarded with a Grammy for “Walk On”. Supposedly inspired by imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Su Kyi, Bono’s message resonated with the heroes, victims, and bystanders of the 9/11 attacks. Adding to their tally, the band won another Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group for “Stuck In a Moment (You Can’t Get Out Of)”, a lament for the deceased INXS singer Michael Hutchence, but equally appropriate as a plea for endurance, survival, and hope.

Other Grammy winners that year included Alicia Keys for Best New Artist, as well as for Song of The Year for “Fallin’”, beating out both U2 and newcomer Canadian Nelly Furtado for “Like a Bird.” “Fallin’” is interesting because of its fluid mix of Keys’ classical piano training, her rich soulful vocals, and appeal to popular R&B audiences. As of late, Keys seems to have abandoned her pseudo-classical leanings in favour of a rawer R&B sound.

The lady who would one day become Jay-Z’s other half, Beyonce Knowles, enjoyed a successful 2001 as lead singer of the Texas pop sensation, Destiny’s Child. In retrospect, although the all-girl trio were dominating the world pop charts, we may now look back on Destiny’s Child as perhaps the most lucrative a warm-up act to ever launch a solo career since the legendary Michael Jackson evolved out of Motown’s The Jackson 5. In 2001, Destiny’s Child won Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Survivor", though they did lose out to Alicia Keys for Best R&B album. The trio also had two #1 singles on Billboard: “Independent Women Part I” (which was also used in the 2000 Charlie’s Angels film, an adaptation of the 70s television series) and the funky, fast-paced “Bootylicious.” The latter song sampled guitar sounds from 70s rock giants Fleetwood Mac’s “Edge of Seventeen”, and even featured Stevie Nicks in its accompanying video.

…But So Did R&B

It was an interesting hand-off of influence, as rock and roll ceded its place atop the pop charts to the indomitable power of rhythm and blues. This shift was also reflected in the Grammy awards as “Lady Marmalade”, a retooling of the 70s offering by dance group Labelle, won Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. Recorded for the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, a powerhouse combination of vocals by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink went on to dominate the Billboard charts for five consecutive weeks.

The Grammy Awards, handed out in early 2002, continued to reflect mainstream music sales of the previous year as R&B and hip-hop hits dominated the charts. Even before the events of September 11^th, the general public was eager to dance. For months on end, they were embracing more urban sounds than ever before. Janet Jackson’s “All For You,” OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson,” Usher’s “U Got It Bad” and “Lady Marmalade” were some of the year’s most popular singles. Destiny’s Child confirmed their divalicious dominance with two solid #1 hits, and Jennifer Lopez paired with Jah Rule to proclaim “I’m Real”, as Shaggy continued to insist “It Wasn’t Me.”

Soul singer Mary J. Blige’s shuddering R&B dance hit "Family Affair" also enjoyed six solid weeks of chart dominance, thanks in part to rap mogul Dr. Dre’s soulful, groove-oriented production. The single was taken from Blige’s emotional 2001 release No More Drama which saw the soul diva overcome personal tragedy and substance addiction. In the video for the title song, images of the 9/11 attacks were tastefully integrated with shots of the singer, tearful and confused, before a bank of televisions replaying the tragedy. Thus, a personal statement of empowerment suddenly became a larger plea for peace and understanding. The year ended with Canadian rockers Nickelback scoring a #1 with “You Remind Me,” a hard-edged hit that was perhaps indicative of the harder, edgier nature of a post-9/11 world.

The Oscar Vote

The Oscars on the other hand, was decidedly void of such hardness. The 74^th annual Academy Awards was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, and took place on March 24, 2002, a full six months after the attacks. With Goldberg providing light-hearted comic relief, she performed for a country that needed a healthy dose of Hollywood glamour. Best Picture Honours for 2001 went to Ron Howard’s A Beautiful Mind, a somewhat interesting choice, given the film’s intellectual subject matter. Some might argue that this decision was a pointed one by The Academy, as if they were consciously drawing attention away from the often violent tone of American consciousness. A Beautiful Mind film is the story of Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr., a schizophrenic professor who taught at Princeton. As well as Best Picture, the film was also awarded with Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Connelly), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Akiva Goldsman).

2001 also saw the Canadian movie industry rewarded one of its own supernatural tales, as Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) won the Genie for Best Canadian feature. Native director Zacharias Kunuk was also awarded Best Director, which is all the more impressive considering Atanarjuat was his first feature film. The movie is a simple, if unsettling story based around Inuit legend. It tells the tale of an evil spirit making havoc in a secluded native village. Despite minimal box office sales, Atanarjuat was full of stark poetic images, and generated wide-spread critical acclaim as not only a powerful statement of specific cultural heritage, but also a deeply moving piece of universal cinema. The film launched Kunuk’s international career, and the Inuit director helmed several more features with a native flavour, including 2006’s The Journals of Knud Rasmussen.

One Boy Wizard to Rule the Box Office

Despite the real-life basis for A Beautiful Mind, it was topped at the box office by a tale of pure fantasy and imagination. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, based on the hugely popular novel series by J.K. Rowling. Casting a spell over its audience, Harry Potter took in over $90 million in its opening weekend, and went on to make over $900 million worldwide. It confirmed the franchise’s overarching appeal among young and old alike. In the same way that Star Wars helped to distract a generation from protracted war and political unrest, this adventure of young wizards helped to provide a weary nation some much needed fantastical escape. It was because Harry’s world so clearly entrenched in the universal struggle between good and evil, that audiences were so eager to transcend their day-to-day anxieties surrounding terrorists, soldiers, and politicians. There was something about the egalitarian nature of the franchise’s family-friendly appeal that will help it endure beyond 2001, and allow it to remain a heartening symbol of courage and hope.

Speaking of The Rock…

In the Canadian music scene, St. John’s hosted the annual Juno Awards. Traditionally aired on CBC, the ceremony not only experienced a new broadcast home on CTV, but also went on to draw a record number of viewers. It was from this one broadcast that some anticipated the gradual dominance of CTV, and the connected decline in CBC’s sphere of media influence. On that note, CTV went on to acquire such Canadian television staples as MuchMusic, MuchMoreMusic, and Bravo! Television, among other cultural networks.

CTV is now broadcasting the hugely successful music/chat series Spectacle With Elvis Costello, in which the Irish musician interviews an assortment of music-making guests and discusses the creative process before a live studio audience. One of the program’s first guests was Diana Krall, who, in 2002, won three Junos for her album The Look of Love. Krall’s success in reaching mainstream listeners with her mix of easy listening and jazzy standards paved the way for contemporary crooners like Sophie Millman, Michael Buble, and Matt Dusk. Up until Krall, jazz hadn’t (with the exception of Tony Bennett) enjoyed mainstream success for decades. Perhaps part of her –and the genre’s – surge of popularity came about as a result of the general public seeking to return to a safer, more friendly time. As with film, there’s a distinct whiff of escapism and perhaps even nostalgia in this trend.

These would be far from the decade’s only examples of so-called culture comfort food. As the calendar year changed to 2002, that desire seemed to become even more pronounced as the people embraced tales of larger-than-life heroes and regular people making their dreams become reality. In the shadow of 9/11and the various wars, crises and dilemmas to come, a return to what was known and familiar was as unsurprising as it was understandable. It would take a couple of years for the arts and artists to begin testing the limits once again.