Gregory/Send in the Clones, 4. Establishing a Typology

This chapter explores the multifariousness of the scene, showing how by constantly rehashing the work of existing artists, it might appear to uphold the rather limited conservative ideologies and ambitions of the music industry. I will reveal how imitative entertainment is also capable of much more than this in that rather than affirming corporate ideologies, it is sometimes used to resist and subvert industry stereotypes, ideologies and norms. In this sense, the subversive potential of live tributes illustrates Middleton’s (2001: 11) point that, “the best commentary on music comes in the form of the music itself.” With this in mind, I will be looking at examples of individual musicians and artists to allow them to speak for themselves before looking finally, at what might be referred to as “extreme tributes.” These are the esoteric acts which inhabit a musical “third space” where hegemonic practices are not only challenged but abandoned altogether, in favour of a form of entertainment which hovers in a no-man’s land, somewhere between the tasteless and the bizarre.