Neon Cathedral

'The liquor store is open later than the church is...' [Macklemore, 2012, Verse 2]

The 'Neon Cathedral',  from Macklemore's most recent album, "The Heist", discusses the concept of alcohol addiction and how drinking at a bar became his daily ritual. Using religious iconography Macklemore discusses how the neon lights of consumerism and addiction removed  any possibility for a true relationship with God. For example, within the bridge of the song, the lyrics state,

'Wouldn't miss it for the world

Baptized my vices and the bar is my church

Traded my artist and I pawned off the easel

Spend it all searching for God, Neon Cathedral

Neon Cathedral.'

In "What We Make of the World" Graham states that  '…people turn to the sources and resources of popular culture as a means of rehearsing and examining questions of belief, meaning and spirituality,' [Graham, 2007, Pp.68]. If in this ever increasing secular society, the individual draws their images of the divine from popular culture, such as pop artists, what then becomes of traditional religious images? Graham also states that once there was a predominant Christian world view, where there would have been a 'consensus between church and creative and performing arts' [Graham, 2007, Pp.65]. Yet now in today's society with a plethora of mediums for the individual to reinterpret their idea of religion, the church has little control or say how religion is portrayed by the masses.

'The Neon Cathedral' then is a juxtaposition of the traditional religious image verses the profane and symbolic image of consumerism- with its bright neon lights. The question that Graham asks is what more can the church do for those 18-24 year olds [Graham, 2007, Pp.66], who are so swayed by those neon lights and find traditional services non- engaging and old fashioned. What more can the church do to move into the twenty first century? Macklemore relates his search for freedom from addiction to the church yet fails to find a bridge that connects the two together. We are then left to ponder whether  the church has become too rigid in its traditions and traditional iconography and has it therefore failed to realize the need for further compassion and acceptance of the twenty first century Christian? Whether they are poor, addicted, rich, straight, gay, female, male or black or white. Where does humanity fit into the traditional interpretation of the religious canon? Is it not then fitting that the individual now interprets through different mediums their own idea of visual culture and what religion has inspired within them?

References:

Graham E. 2007. “What We Make of the World”: The Turn to Culture in Theology and the Study of Religion. In G. Lynch, Ed., Between Sacred and Profane: Researching Religion and Popular Culture. London & New York: I.B. Taurus & Co. Ebook.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. 2012. Neon Cathedral Feat.Allen Stone. Accessed: Australia: YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxwXSbb-XQ

Video source: Neon Cathedral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfxwXSbb-XQ)