FACEBOOK CAN KISS MY ASS

Both cheeks.  

  

Can you imagine walking into the offices of Facebook, Inc, pulling down your pants, and telling Mark Zukerberg himself to kiss your ass?  How much fun would that be?  I'll give twenty bucks to the first person that does it and sends me a picture to prove it.  BUT, you have to upload the picture to Facebook and you MUST get at least twenty likes, or THE DEAL IS OFF!

LOLz JK.

I just have to preface this blog post by saying that I am speaking in regards to my personal Facebook profile and not our KICH fan page. 

Most of you probably already know this I'm sure, but I deleted my personal Facebook profile about a month or so ago.  Not deactivated, not taking a break, or putting it on pause.  DELETED.  Yes, the profile that was previously Andy Crosten and then Skye Kich no longer exists.  I spent hours and hours saving thousands of photos that only existed on my profile, downloading videos and notes I had written, and messaging all of my friends individually to let them know I was deleting my profile and give them my contact information of how to stay in touch with me.  There were a few moments when I thought to myself, "Ugh, is all this work really worth it?"  Not to mention, I had to actually go to Google to find out how to permanently delete my profile because it's so incredibly difficult to figure out how to do just from Facebook alone.  They make it that way, I'm sure.  It gets even better.  Once you have filled out the "delete my profile request form", they give you two weeks to contemplate this life-changing decision.  During that time, if you change your mind and realize that you just cannot live without it, you can simply log back into your account and, boom!  Just like that, your profile is up and running again and you are back to the world of social media addiction.

During conversations with some friends of mine recently, the topic has come up on numerous occasions.  People ask me why I deleted it, how I'm living without it, and what life is like on “the other side”.  Some people have even expressed certain amounts of anger towards me- saying that it was a terrible career move, especially for what I’m working towards with my band and nightlife, etc.  How will I be able to promote and connect with people?! With that being said, ironically enough, the majority of responses have actually been in the form of flattery, with other friends of mine commenting on how they have often thought of doing the same thing, but just don’t have the guts!

I have to be completely honest, I find most of these conversations to be HILARIOUS!  People, seriously.  We’re talking about a website here.  We have to wake up and realize we have become a society that defines itself on numbers.  Numbers that don’t mean a damn thing.  How many “friends” we have, how many “likes” we can get, how many photos we have on our profile, how often we update our status.  Who can be the most popular!!  It’s all become a narcissistic game of cat and mouse.  Facebook is turning us into opportunists that have difficulty interacting in our daily lives because we’re so concerned with superficial ideas and concepts that don’t mean anything when it comes to actual life.

I can’t tell you how many times pointless “drama” has been created online that has caused troublesome reaction and at times led to serious consequences in relationships, jobs, etc.  It’s happened to me personally, as I’m sure it has with a lot of you guys.  We all have that one (or in some cases several) person or people we’re connected with online that just LOVE to make their opinions heard all over everybody’s pages, even when it’s not always welcome.  This obviously leads to intense debate over issues that truthfully should be handled through real life conversation…if it’s even a relevant issue at all!  We ALL know just how annoying Facebook gets during election season!  This is just one example.

I could rant for days about issues concerning Facebook and my opinions on them including their refusal to honor, and the fact that they are constantly changing, their privacy settings, how they store tons of information and data about their over one BILLION users (that’s approximately one in seven of the total number of people on Earth), the fact that they use selective and personal advertising to target consumers into buying things specifically catered to your personal interests…the list could go on and on.  But, I don’t want to waste your time by focusing on the negative.  Instead, I want to focus on how much better and positive my life is now that I took the plunge into the world of non-Facebook users.

LOL that last part sounds like I’ve begun the process of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

The bottom line is, I deleted my profile because I wanted to spend more time thinking about and involving myself in things that really matter in life- relationships with my friends and family, my job, writing music and pursuing my career, to name a few.  I didn’t do it as an attempt to become less connected with what’s going on in the world.  In fact, it was quite the opposite.  I wanted to actually talk to my friends more and have meaningful conversations, rather than just check my newsfeed to see what they’ve been up to.  I like to read the newspaper, or magazines to find out what’s going on in the world as opposed to finding out because someone posts about it.  I have found that I feel much freer because I’m not constantly thinking about checking my notifications to see how many “likes” I have on a picture or what event I’m invited to.  I’m living more in the moment and focusing on human interaction as opposed to what someone says on his or her status.  I like to talk about important issues with people face to face, which, yes, can sometimes lead to intense debate.  But, there’s no room for misunderstanding and the opportunity exists for problem solving in a practical manner- and most of the time, you don’t lose a friend over the matter!  People CAN agree to disagree!  You wouldn’t believe how rewarding it is to get a text or call from a friend just to say hello and catch up, and not once hear, “Oh, I saw on Facebook that you’re doing _____!  How’s that going?”  Instead, we can actually hear about these exciting moments and events in person, which is so much more fun and genuine! 

The purpose of this blog isn’t really an effort to start an anti-Facebook revolution or to get you all to delete your accounts right at this moment.  Although, that would be really freaking cool if that happened!  I’d be very naïve if I weren’t aware of the positive aspects of Facebook, as well.  It obviously is an easy means to connect with people who you may not have the opportunity to see very often and to talk about things you’re doing, etc.  Can people still live a happy and healthy life while being active Facebook users?  Of course. People do it every day.  I just think it’s extremely important for us as a society to be aware of the negative impact that it can have on our lives and relationships and to try to rise above it.  For me, I think the time is coming where more and more people are going to be coming to this realization and choosing to live their lives without it as well. I constantly meet people that don’t have a Facebook, and choose to just connect through other social networking sites like Twitter and Instagram, if they choose to at all.  Social networking can be a valuable tool to some, and others, not so much.  What matters is that you are aware of the implications of living in a world where social media connects us all, for better or for worse, and you make a CHOICE.  We have to choose to be more than what our Twitter or Facebook or Myspace profile defines us as, and remember back to the time before the internet- when all that defined us was the human being.

I still use Twitter, Instagram, and operate the Facebook fan page for our band, KICH.  So yes, I am still very much a part of the social media world.  But, what I like about all of these systems is their simplicity.  You can simply post an idea or a photo and then be done with it, while still having the opportunity to connect with fellow users if you choose. 

My opinion is that Facebook, with all of it’s systems and tools, just got too big for it’s britches and is attempting to use it’s power to control the population is ways it has no business in doing.  Will Facebook become the “new” Myspace?  When will people get sick of its’ manipulating ways and decide to say goodbye for good?  Only time will tell.

So, yes.  I am still alive and doing quite well without my Facebook profile.  Life in NYC is great and I’m looking forward to the Holidays.  My Mom and stepdad Steve are coming up to visit me next weekend, which I’m very much looking forward to!  I’m loving my job at Patricia Field where I’m meeting tons of great people.  It’s a chilly, but nice day outside, so I think I’ll go on a walk through Riverside Park. 

Thanks for reading, and if you got here through our KICH Facebook page, don’t forget to “like” the post! 

……..Just kidding.  ;-P       

XO, Skye   

   

"KICH...so...how do you pronounce it?"

"Is it like 'keech', or like 'kish'?"

"Nope, just exactly how it looks, 'kich'."

"Ohhh yeah!  Like 'kitsch'!"

"Mmmhm!"


This conversation happens quite often when talking about our music duo.  And I think it's a fitting topic for our first blog post.  By the way if you're reading this, thanks for stopping by!  At the end, I discuss  a little about our purpose for creating the blog.  But first, let's talk KICH! (Or....kitsch.)


Our band name was inspired by another word: kitsch.  We were on a road trip across America earlier this year and driving along Route 66.  We had seen a garden full of tutem poles (in the backyard of some old couple's home), a giant fake blue whale on the side of a pond, old cadillac cars sticking out of the ground, and so many other fascinating sites; things that can only be described as kitsch.  We were at a Native American gift shop in Oklahoma and outside there were statues of buffalo covered in graffiti artwork that we decided to pose on for some pictures.  It was at that moment that it hit us...So freakin KICH!  It just felt right.

The term "kitsch" seems to have carried different meanings over the years.  According to dictionary.com, the word is currently defined as:

"Something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste."


The word has also been described as: 

"A tawdry, vulgarized, or pretentious art, literature, etc, usually with popular or sentimental appeal." Or, even better:

"An inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or
a worthless imitation of art of recognized value."


An art theorist in the 1930s, Theodor Adorno, even back then, stated that the immense popularity of kitsch is a threat to culture.  Adorno termed the phrase "culture industry", which is "where art is controlled and formulated by the needs of the market and given to a passive population which accepts it." 

Other words which might be listed in a thesaurus next to kitsch could be:

- Camp
- Cliche
- Schlock 
- Snark
- Hipster 

It can even be used in a fashion setting to describe something that is tacky, ugly, unsettling, vulgar, etc.  


At the end of the day, what I've realized is that even though the definition of the word itself may be constantly changing and evolving, two things seem to always remain true: 1) It always carries a negative connotation and 2) It is usually in reference to art (of any form- music, literature, fashion, paintings, etc).  

So at this point, you're probably asking yourself, "Well, why the hell did you guys choose that name in the first place?  Isn't that then, as an artist, almost like shooting yourselves in the foot?"  Well, that's a very good question, young man.  Do allow me to take a few moments to try and explain to you our thought process.  You may want to grab a cup of coffee. 

In short, to answer this question that I know you most certainly have been asking yourself, we chose this name because...it's HILARIOUS!  Why the hell not take a word with such an huge artistic impact, change up the spelling, make it ours, and OWN it?  It's like a huge slap in the face.  In a way, we're poking fun at the term.  Saying that yes, we know what it means, and we're going to rise above it.  But at the same time, we don't take ourselves too seriously (as people, not artists).

In terms of poker, by doing this we're "up'ing the ante."  Yes, some people would call it a risk.  But, what is art if you're not taking a risk?  If you're not stepping out beyond your comfort zone, are you really making a statement?

Now in terms of our style, we love to wear puffy fur vests, high heels, and glitter on our faces for christ's sake.  If that's not kitsch, I don't know what is!  We love to have fun, enjoy life, be rambunctious, poke fun at ourselves and culture, laugh a lot, eat good food, make amazing friends, and enjoy every moment life has to offer.  At the end of the day, that's what's most important.  You could say that on the outside, what we're doing may sometimes appear to be "kitsch", but in fact, we want our message and our work to be anything but. 

I feel that the problem with a lot of current artists and musicians is that they seem to take themselves so damn seriously.  There also seems to be a lack of depth and meaning in popular music.  That's exactly what we don't want to do, as KICH.  We want to use our voice as artists to convey a positive message of truth, freedom, confidence, love, and non-conformity to the world, but do it in a way that can make people laugh, have fun, and enjoy LIFE.  Our goal is to inspire people through popular music that by being true to yourself and following what makes you happy, you can find your purpose and start a revolution! 

So, is our goal to redefine the meaning of "kitsch"?  Hmm..not necessarily.  If that happens, it will be a nice offspring of our main goals.  Is our goal to develop KICH on our own terms and make it our own?  Absolutely.    


- Skye

The spot where we came up with the name KICH

How can you get any kitschier than that?!

Thank you for checking out our first blog!  By creating this site, we wanted to form a space for us to freely discuss our opinions and views.  This is one medium for us to create the world of KICH and The Jungle Tribe and to share it with you.  This is an open forum and we certainly welcome comments and discussion on any blog topic.  There's no posting schedule, we'll just write when we feel inspired to.  Expect to hear opinions on any or all of our interests including music, fashion, theatre, television, books, movies, pop culture, etc.


The blog is run by Killian and Skye, who are both the front men of KICH and live in Hamilton Heights, New York City.