A review by courtney_mcallister
You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's Most Maligned Tribes, by Nathan Rabin
2.0
Finishing this book gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Now that I've read all of it, I can critique it!
First of all, there's a conspicuous lack of structure in You Don't Know Me. There's no framing mechanism to establish WHY Rabin is focusing on these two particular musical groups. Rather, it seems like an arbitrary pairing that reflects the tastes of his sweetheart. Dating someone who loves two different bands is not a solid premise for a pseudo-ethnographic exploration of music sub-cultures.
Speaking of sub-cultures, Rabin makes no attempt to take account of the differences between Phish's fan culture and that of ICP. Both can be analyzed as sub-cultures, but ICP is more staunchly associated with counter-culture. Its oppositional ideology can't be conflated with Phish's groove-centered fandom. Although Rabin seems to position himself as a pop culture critic turned ethnographer, there isn't enough substance, context, or structural integrity to make these rambling observations coherent.
There are some interesting moments, but the author's lack of reflexivity hampers even the best passages. For example, Rabin notes the sense of melancholy that seems to permeate music festivals and their participants. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer any insight into the existential quandary of outsiders/disaffected individuals finding solidarity through an ephemeral concretization of fandom. I was also put off by the flippant manner in which Rabin dismisses troubling aspects of Juggalo behavior, such as the blatant objectification of women. While attending a Gathering, he notes the frequent incidents of men asking/commanding women to bare their flesh, but writes it off as a playful quirk. Unacceptable, Mr. Rabin. You're better than that.
First of all, there's a conspicuous lack of structure in You Don't Know Me. There's no framing mechanism to establish WHY Rabin is focusing on these two particular musical groups. Rather, it seems like an arbitrary pairing that reflects the tastes of his sweetheart. Dating someone who loves two different bands is not a solid premise for a pseudo-ethnographic exploration of music sub-cultures.
Speaking of sub-cultures, Rabin makes no attempt to take account of the differences between Phish's fan culture and that of ICP. Both can be analyzed as sub-cultures, but ICP is more staunchly associated with counter-culture. Its oppositional ideology can't be conflated with Phish's groove-centered fandom. Although Rabin seems to position himself as a pop culture critic turned ethnographer, there isn't enough substance, context, or structural integrity to make these rambling observations coherent.
There are some interesting moments, but the author's lack of reflexivity hampers even the best passages. For example, Rabin notes the sense of melancholy that seems to permeate music festivals and their participants. Unfortunately, he doesn't offer any insight into the existential quandary of outsiders/disaffected individuals finding solidarity through an ephemeral concretization of fandom. I was also put off by the flippant manner in which Rabin dismisses troubling aspects of Juggalo behavior, such as the blatant objectification of women. While attending a Gathering, he notes the frequent incidents of men asking/commanding women to bare their flesh, but writes it off as a playful quirk. Unacceptable, Mr. Rabin. You're better than that.