Simon Reynolds, British music critic and author of books such as Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984 and Bring The Noise: 20 Years of writing about Hip Rock and Hip-Hop (and the coiner of the word post-rock!) gave a lecture tonight at the Seventeen Seventeen restaurant at the Dallas Museum of Art on the influence of Art School on Rock and Roll and vice versa.

It was overall an interesting look at the avant-garde and painterly approach to rock, speaking more of the bands that comprised the ”arty” side of what we consider groundbreaking. Interesting bits about No Wave and a funny discussion on the effect, or lack of, of Brian Eno and David Bowie on Devo. Insightful comments about the music movements that center themselves around plastic arts institutions. It’s something you should really think about. I know that’s what I’ll probably doze off thinking of. But not in a bad way. It’s just that I’m really tired. The dozing will be good, thoughtful dozing. Not bored dozing.

But, yes! The point of this entry is not to rub it in your nose that you missed this. It’s to tell you that the point of this lecture is that there is a new exhibit at the DMA that is very exciting!

The exhibit features great video art by young Turner Prize finalist Phil Collins. And no, not THAT Phil Collins. It features three large screens with people singing karaoke to The Smiths songs. It’s very entertaining and strangely disconcerting. The exhibit around this space features works by artists such as Richter and Elizabeth Peyton. I think they tried to make it as music-y as possible, though I remember last year when Richter’s candle paintings were up and I asked one of the people responsible for the exhibit if they knew which one in the series served as the cover for Daydream Nation, nobody knew who Sonic Youth was. I think now they made it their business to know! How exciting. (As an aside, that Richter cover in particular was owned by the museum at some point but traded for another painting. But other candle paintings are still beautifully amazing…and right here in the old DFW!)

So what what, DMA? Are you going to start collecting esoteric vinyl and join us in the endless road that is music snobbery? I love you.

So yes. Exhibit: highly recommended. Simon Reynolds: largely badass.