Icon Analysis

This week one of my missions is to identify 3 pop icons and state why they are.  I am sticking to the realm of music this week, so without further ado I submit for you......  Toto, Van Halen, and...Stryper? I know what your thinking.

1.  This guy must be really old (I am REALLY old)!
2.  Van Halen, I get, but who are the other two?

So I will start with

Van Halen exploded on to the music scene with their first album in 1978. They had a sound unlike anything else out at the time, and developed an enormous following.  Eddie Van Halen had (and still does) a unique style and distinctive sound that had people wanting to emulate his playing style even if they had never picked up a guitar.  They had great success with subsequent albums, but when they released their sixth album in 1984 titled "1984" they were propelled to super stardom with songs like "Jump", "Panama", "Hot for Teacher" etc. There is really not a bad song on the album.
They continued writing and touring throughout the years with different lineups, but Eddie and Alex Van Halen always remained in the group. They have released 12 albums of original music with the most recent released in 2012 and a Live album in 2015.  They have remained relevant enough throughout the years to be the opening act at the 2015 Billboard Music awards.  Oh yeah! I'm sure you heard of the running gag of people saying "remove the brown m&ms"?   These are the guys that originally put that on their concert rider to make sure the venue was being attentive to their instructions.

My second icon is

The members of Toto all started as session players for other bands. Most of them played and wrote for Boz Skaggs during the "Silk Degrees" era, and eventually decided they could surely do this on their own.  They came up with their band name not because of the little dog in "The Wizard of Oz", but because they thought it would be an easy name to remember, easily pronounceable, and sound the same in nearly any language.  Their  eponymously titled first album was a rousing success with songs like "Hold the Line" and "I'll supply the love". The next two albums didn't see as much success but still sold decently. Their fourth album, "Toto IV" catapulted them to the top of the charts with"Rosanna" and "I won't hold you back".  This band has weathered many storms to include firing and rehiring lead singers, deaths of their drummer and bass player, and various people quitting to pursue other interests.  They have come full circle with five of the actual members coming together for their 35th anniversary tour in 2013. This new old lineup released what some are calling their best album ever in  2015 and are currently on tour.  Okay, so your "alright, they have a long and mixed history, but how does this make the iconic?"  The answer to this is one word "Africa".  How many of you read that word and didn't immediately hear that tribal drum beat and the keyboard's "dodo do do dodo do do"?  Though you may have not known the group that did it, it is a song that most people recognize and immediately start bouncing to.  You ought to hear it live though, it's fantastic.
Toto's Africa- 35th Anniversary Tour

And the 3rd Icon is

Anyone remember the "Yellow and Black Attack"? These guys were part of the 80s Glam Metal era. Only difference is they sang openly about their faith in Jesus Christ.  Big deal? They successfully crossed over on the mainstream charts.  They broke into the top 40 by charting at #23 with the song "Honestly" and several others in the top 100. These guys were the first Christian act of the genre to gain mainstream acceptance and never waiver form their beliefs.  They even tossed Bibles in to the audience during their concerts.  They are still making music. The latest album released in 2013 called "No More Hell to Pay", was ranked as the number one heavy metal release of the year by Heavy Metal magazine and is considered the best album they've put out thus far.

So with my icons out there, let the trolling begin!

Pop Culture Blog - The Beginning

What is pop culture and what does it mean to you?

The definition of Pop Culture is 

1. modern popular culture transmitted via mass media and aimed particularly at younger people.

To me, Pop Culture is the manipulation by various media sources to convince People (typically younger people) of how they should act, what they should like/dislike, what they should listen/not listen to, wear, spend money on etc. 

Why is understanding of popular culture relevant to you in a business environment and in your present and future career?

It's important to understand pop culture because you have to know what your customers and clients are spending their time and money on.  As an employer you need to know what is motivating the people entering the workforce at any particular point in time. I need to be aware of pop culture in my current and future career so i can understand and communicate with the people I work with and for.

What would you consider to be a popular culture artifact?  And why would you choose it?

Need I really say more? Okay I will just in case.  

Taylor Swift is THE pop culture artifact. Starting as a young girl breaking into the country music scene, she has created the most recognizable brand in the world, crossed genres into pop and has blown up the pop charts.  You can't go anywhere without seeing her on a magazine cover, awards show, radio, or her videos.  She has grown her brand without sacrificing her values or artistic vision and has managed to remain somewhat accessible to her legions of fans.