DIY spirit ingrained in US
culture
Makagon
believes that DIY is worth studying because of how deeply ingrained in our
society it is. “This is a country founded by folks who felt like they were
ostracized, and they came here to live a different life. Historically, there’s
this sense that we can do these things ourselves,” he said. He compared the
sentiment surrounding DIY to those of alternative narratives like Jack
Kerouac’s “On the Road,” which have been almost mythologized in American
culture for their inspiring stories of individualism exploration.
“We can
look throughout history at various forms of alternative or underground cultural
movements, and there’s an attraction to people who want to live outside the
mainstream normal bubble,” said Makagon. “We’re attracted to these people, the
rebels with or without causes, and we can either live vicariously through them,
or we can try to incorporate some of these models shown to us into our own
lives. The idea that you can be free in a way, that becomes a very enticing
narrative.”
However,
you don’t need to be Sal Paradise to benefit from doing things yourself.
According to Makagon, DIY is not about any one particular scene or movement. At
its core, DIY is about not just living in, but communicating with the culture
of one’s society. Makagon hopes that his classes can teach DePaul students
about how they can make that kind of self-started exchange.
“I
teach a class about underground music, and at the end of it, I’m not
necessarily interested in my students being converted to big fans of DIY
music,” he said. “I’m interested in them understanding how independent
production and consumption of something happens, and what that means for us as
consumers and as citizens and as people who can make culture versus strictly
consuming culture. It’s about how to take initiative, and why that initiative
matters.”
The life of a DIY punk professor
Although
exposed to punk music since childhood, it was during high school that Makagon
took his first real steps into the scene, managing his friends’ alternative
bands and getting them shows in Los Angeles punk venues. Then, at Loyola
Marymount University as music director for the campus station, KXLU, he had his
famous interview with Nirvana. After graduation, he worked for Thirsty Ear, an
independent promotion company and record label in New York City, and later
moved back to Los Angeles to work as a talent scout for another label’s artists
and repertoire division.
After a
year and a half back in Los Angeles, Makagon decided to return to school. He
earned a Master of Arts from California State University, Northridge, and then
a doctorate in Tampa at the University of South Florida, all while catching as
many DIY shows as he could.
Now
teaching at DePaul, Makagon is thankful for his prior experience in the
industry. The time he spent in those jobs, he said, is invaluable as a teacher,
especially one with such a focus on DIY culture. “I have this sense of, through
my whole life, what alternative music is and what it means, but I also have a
deep understanding of how mainstream music practices work, and how these two
different kinds of approaches and partnerships can be good and bad for bands,”
said Makagon.
DIY book writing
Makagon’s
third book, “Underground: The Subterranean Culture of Punk House Shows,” draws
upon ethnography, extensive interviews and first-hand knowledge of how DIY and
punk have evolved to create a veritable compendium of the DIY touring network
presented with unparalleled journalistic depth.
“There’s
a range of academics writing about punk,” says Makagon, “but other folks
haven’t written about DIY spaces. I have written about a national touring
network that exclusively happens in DIY spaces, so it’s the first book to do
that.”
Most
people are familiar with how mainstream music works, but Makagon hopes that his
book can expand people's conceptions about the alternative scene. And though it
provides readers with an in-depth account of DIY punk culture and history, Makagon
believes that there is still more to write on DIY music in general. His plans
for the future include researching independent record stores as well as music
photography.
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Source:
Daniel Makagon
dmakagon@depaul.edu
312-362-7979
Media Contact:
Jon Cecero
jcecero@depaul.edu
312-362-7640