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Before the Internet, There was Pump Up The Volume
By swenson | January 3, 2009
I’ve watched Pump Up the Volume several times after it was released to home video. It obviously affected me more as a young person than it does now because I see through a lot of the teenage angst bullshit that it depicts.
However, as a film about a kid who runs a pirate radio station it predates the internet and the wave of sites and blogs that have been rebelling against those same authorities depicted in the film. Except now we have so much complaining online that alot of the “angst” sounds like repetitive noise. With Pump Up the Volume we can still watch an individual with a unique voice where there was a real danger of being censored by the evil FCC.
“Hard Harry” like every introverted teenager hates his parents, hates his school and hates where he lives (Are the Arizona suburbs that bad?). He has trouble communicating with others including girls so he goes on the air to do his talking, which of course results in attracting a girl because we know how much naughty teenage girls like shock jocks.
The thrill of the movie, though, is what I believe to be a teen fantasy as well as maybe an adult fantasy (though not as much). It is having fame and celebrity while being able to walk around anonymously and hear others talk about the infamy of your alter ego.
That is similar to many bloggers and website owners who have their work seen by millions online and yet they may sit in a theater booth selling you tickets or be the guy/gal on the other line taking your customer service call. Online fame is odd because it doesn’t always result in public awareness of your private life. Your co-workers, your friends and even your family may not realize what you’ve been up to in the wee hours of the night or that you work under a subversive alias.
I believe I know that feeling. I’ve never been famous with my cartooning work as far as public recognition but online my work has been seen by millions of surfers. Therefore when I have taken dayjobs and people have accidently come across my work online they’re pretty surprised and sometimes shocked.
The other teen fantasy, or rather male teen fantasy, of Pump Up the Volume is being found out by a cute girl. This is exactly what happens to “Hard Harry” or rather Mark Hunter (his real name in the story). And wouldn’t you know it, she takes her top off so easily.
It’s a great little early nineties film that reminds you what teen subversion was like before everybody started blogging or bitching on MySpace and Facebook. Christian Slater was in his cool days before his career went downhill and he started doing voiceovers for commercials and awful movies with Tara Reid. I’m sure the FCC will still shut down pirate radio stations but why bother when you can podcast. Sigh, maybe someone should start a pirate radio station for laughs. I can’t stand the FCC.
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