Tilburg University Hidden in music Kommers, H.C.T. Publication date: 2013 Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Kommers, H. C. T. (2013). Hidden in music: An approach to religious experience and pop or rock festivals. [n.n.]. 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Download date: 25. sep. 2021 Hidden in Music An Approach to Religious Experience and Pop or Rock Festivals Copyright © Heleen Kommers, 2013 Photo cover by: Wannes Daemen © Printed by: Gildeprint Drukkerijen - The Netherlands Deze uitgave is gesubsidieerd door Stichting Sormani Fonds te Nijmegen ISBN/EAN 978-94-6108-459-0 NUR 666, 706 Trefwoorden: muziek populair, godsdienstwetenschappen Hidden in Music An Approach to Religious Experience and Pop or Rock Festivals Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan Tilburg University, op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. P. Eijlander in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de aula van de Universiteit op woensdag 26 juni 2013 om 16.15 uur Door Helena Christina Theresia Kommers geboren op 14 maart 1977 te Nijmegen Promotor: Prof. dr. Martin J.M. Hoondert Co-promotor: Dr. Leo van der Tuin Contents Acknowledgements ix Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1. Some introductory remarks 1 1.2. Hidden religiosity 7 1.3. Religiosity as ‘religion transformed’? 8 1.4. Religion in society: an ethnographic approach 10 1.5. Religion in society: observation, perception, and involvement 12 1.6. Religion in society: change and continuity 15 1.7. Some concluding words 17 Chapter 2 – On theory: approaches of ‘religion’ 2.1. Introduction 19 2.2. Introspection: some preliminary reflections 20 2.3. The research problem 22 2.4. Religion and pop or rock music: a survey of literature 26 2.4.1. Robin Sylvan: ‘Traces of the Spirit’ 26 2.4.2. Jan Koenot: ‘Voorbij de woorden’ 28 2.4.3. Johan Ardui: ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ 30 2.5. A view from the music industry 31 2.6. Pop and religion: the studies reconsidered 33 2.7. Secular approaches to religion: general introduction 34 2.8. Secular approaches to religion: various ways of defining religion 36 2.8.1. Steve Bruce: a sociologist’s view 36 2.8.2. M.D. Stringer: the view of an ethnographer 38 2.8.3. Bruce and Stringer reconsidered 42 2.9. Conclusion. Analyzing the literature: ‘labels’ as instrument 43 Chapter 3 – On theory: approaches of popular culture and pop music 3.1. Introduction 47 3.2. Popular music and popular culture: contrasting views 48 3.3. The significance of popular culture: evaluative studies 51 3.3.1. Gordon Lynch: ‘Understanding Theology and Popular Culture’ 52 3.3.2. Mirella Klomp: ‘The Sound of Worship’ 53 3.4. Popular music 57 3.4.1. Music and sound 57 3.4.2. Pop and Rock music: a focus on specific performances 58 3.5. Festivals: a short history 60 3.5.1. Festival tradition from an international perspective 61 v 3.5.2. Festival tradition in the Low Countries 62 3.6. Conclusion 63 Chapter 4 – On method 4.1. Introduction 65 4.2. Changes in ethnography and their relevance to this study 66 4.3. Questioning ethnography as data-collecting strategy 68 4.4. On subjectivity: the problematic relation between ethnography and ‘science’ 70 4.5. Writing culture 76 4.6. Ethnography, reflection, and the study of popular music 79 4.7. The craft of ethnography: how I conducted my research 80 Chapter 5 – Ethnographic impressions: festival books and social media 5.1. Introduction 85 5.2. The festival books 86 5.3. Stories about the pop and rock festivals I visited 90 5.3.1 Pinkpop 91 5.3.2. Bospop 93 5.3.3. FortaRock and Pop podium Doornroosje 96 5.4. Social Media 101 5.4.1. Introduction 101 5.4.2. Popular social media in the Netherlands 102 5.5. Conclusion 105 Chapter 6 – Ethnographic impressions: taking part in festivals 6.1. Introduction 107 6.2. Pinkpop: freedom and inversion 108 6.3. Bospop: local identity and memory 116 6.4. FortaRock: identity, memory, and intimacy 118 6.5. Conclusion 126 Chapter 7– Ethnographic impressions: words and pictures to share experiences 7.1. Introduction 129 7.2. Transcripts of the interviews 132 7.3. The interviews 133 7.3.1. Linsey: ‘It always should be like this’ 134 7.3.2. Rick: ‘Without music I feel naked, unhappy, and vulnerable’ 136 7.3.3. Kiki and Doenja: ‘Music calls up emotions and recollections’ 139 7.3.4. Erwin: ‘Sharing the mood unites people. The music creates the mood’ 145 vi 7.3.5. Casper: ‘The music joins people’ 147 7.3.6. Pim: ‘Religion influences your worldview, music influences your mood’ 147 7.3.7. Steef: ‘Older people are relevant’ 148 7.3.8. Hugo: ‘A festival is daily life on a micro level’ 152 7.4. Interpretation: impressions from the interviews 153 7.5. Conclusion 158 Chapter 8 – Conclusions 8.1. Introduction: the character of this study 161 8.2. Conclusions to the research subject 163 8.2.1. The concept of religion 163 8.2.2. Youth culture and pop or rock festivals 164 8.2.3. Pop and rock festivals and religious symbols 165 8.3. Conclusions to approaches of the research subject 168 8.3.1. The relevance of a spatial approach 169 8.3.2. The relevance of a generic approach to print culture 170 8.3.3. The relevance of a musical approach 170 8.3.4. The relevance of the informant as ‘guide’ to develop research 171 strategy Appendix – The labels 174 Samenvatting (Summary in Dutch) 176 Summary 181 Bibliography 183 Curriculum vitae Heleen Kommers 199 vii viii Acknowledgements First of all I wish to thank my informants. They were always hospitable and gave me their full attention. This resulted in very personal conversations, or rather re- enactments of the festivals we discussed. With much enthusiasm and humour they told me marvellous anecdotes and their passion for the subject was unlimited. In particular I want to thank Gonnie Wilkens, who assisted during the fieldwork, offering at the same time a most pleasant companionship thus preventing me from feeling lonely, like during the pilot study, when I participated in some festivals on my own. Although this was an informative experience, working together with Gonnie brought a lot of insights which I could not have reached on my own. She also was involved in some interviews and proved very able in initiating ‘small talk’ during the festivals. I am very grateful to Martin Hoondert and Leo van der Tuin: I most appreciated their help, advice and moral support during the whole project. I also want to thank my parents and brother for their patience and support. Sometimes I lost heart, and then they were there with newspaper cuttings and tips that renewed my enthusiasm. In due course they became really familiar with my research object! Last but not least I thank Fontys University of Applied Sciences, department of Practical Theology and Philosophy of Life and Tilburg University for the facilities they offered and of course I also thank my colleagues who created a good atmosphere in which I fruitfully could execute my work. ix x Chapter 1 – Introduction1 1.1. Some introductory remarks ‘Music is a way to escape reality. […] The vibrations of the music make it spiritual.’ —Philippe Herbaut, guitarist in Act Of Gods ‘Music: my drug, my pain, my relief, and sometimes my mood. How could music not be more spiritual? […] Living without music is missing out [on] a meaning of our existence.’ —Sathor, guitarist in Ars Macabra2 Countless testimonies express, sometimes poetically, what music means to people. Music arouses feelings, it recalls memories; it evokes experiences. In our society, the idea that classical music can raise deep existential feelings and emotions is well accepted. Indeed, such music is so ingenious that it seems only natural that people connect it with dignified sensations; it touches people deep in their hearts. It is quite another idea when it comes to popular music, let alone ‘satanic’ hard rock or black metal. Many adepts of ‘high culture’ find it difficult to understand how people can associate such music with deep inner experiences. If this counts for the music, it applies even more to pop or rock festivals where the music joins the body rather than the soul – so it seems – with the smell of sweat and beer mingling vapidly with deafening noise and dazzling lights and where movements seem out of control. Yet, this scene is the subject of my study that bears the title Hidden in Music: An Approach to Religious Experience and Pop or Rock Festivals. The title calls for elucidation. It points at a twofold objective. On the one hand this research joined studies about religion and popular music.