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Jason Hartley

The Advanced Genius Theory: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Time? Paperback – May 18, 2010

by Jason Hartley (Author), Chuck Klosterman (Foreword)

4.3 34 ratings

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The Advanced Genius Theory, hatched by Jason Hartley and Britt Bergman over pizza, began as a means to explain why icons such as Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Sting seem to go from artistic brilliance in their early careers to "losing it" as they grow older. The Theory proposes that they don’t actually lose it, but rather, their work simply advances beyond our comprehension. The ramifications and departures of this argument are limitless, and so are the examples worth considering, such as George Lucas’s Jar Jar Binks, Stanley Kubrick’s fascination with coffee commercials, and the last few decades of Paul McCartney’s career. With equal doses of humor and philosophy, theorist Jason Hartley examines music, literature, sports, politics, and the very meaning of taste, presenting an entirely new way to appreciate the pop culture we love . . . and sometimes think we hate. The Advanced Genius Theory is a manifesto that takes on the least understood work by the most celebrated figures of our time.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 18, 2010
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1439102368
ISBN-13

978-1439102367
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Chuck Klosterman
1,908
Paperback
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63 offers from $10.06

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Fans of any art form or entertainment-especially music-have seen at least one beloved favorite's youthful brilliance, with time, turn to embarrassing self-parody. What pop culture writer Hartley proposes is that their genius hasn't faded-it's just outstripped the public's ability to appreciate. Though it can feel a bit tongue-in-cheek, Hartley gently advances his "Advanced Genius Theory" with rigor, enthusiasm, and a game sense of (re-)discovery. Eschewing the snide critical distance that many fans take for granted, Hartley gives the artist in question the benefit of the doubt: if we accept that Lou Reed, for example, was a musical genius in his youth, are we even qualified to say he's lost his brilliance as he's gotten older? (Regarding George Lucas, Hartley submits: "The fact is, Jar Jar Binks is no better or worse than Chewbacca. Just ask your dad.") Defining his terms clearly ("Advanced" geniuses must have alienated their original fans and lost much of their popularity), he proceeds through key aspects and examples of his theory, including the ideas of "Overt" achievement and "Irritants," the "most advanced musicians of all time" (Bob Dylan and Lou Reed), and the Advanced success story of Steve Martin. Though it should ignite many debates over whether your current favorite is Overt or Advanced, it also shows that, in either case, there's more pleasure to be found when one keeps an open mind.

Review

“Advancement is a profoundly optimistic way to experience art, and that’s what makes it difficult to accept; it requires a flexible mind, a certain kind of intellectual humility, and a willingness to disregard what initially seems obvious. But once you let your mind slide in the advanced direction, it can never slide back. Not totally. Things will always sound a little different … and a little better.” —From the Foreword by Chuck Klosterman

“Advancement scholars do not foster a spirit of inquiry. It's really just a way for Advancement proponents to appreciate shitty music by people they consider to be nonshitty. It allows you to engage with Lou Reed's music from the 1980s, but not the Hooters or the Outfield [not true! I love ‘And We Danced.’–JH]. This entire theory is shackled by a Heisenbergian principle of self-consciousness.” —Rob Sheffield

"Hartley gently advances his "Advanced Genius Theory" with rigor, enthusiasm, and a game sense of (re-)discovery. Eschewing the snide critical distance that many fans take for granted, Hartley gives the artist in question the benefit of the doubt."--Publishers Weekly

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; 1st edition (May 18, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439102368
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439102367
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,999,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7,091 in Popular Culture in Social Sciences
- #41,723 in Humor (Books)
- #60,760 in Music (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 34 ratings

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Jason Hartley

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Jason Hartley is a writer, musician, and online marketer based in Decatur, Georgia. Originally from Columbia, SC, Hartley's career has been as varied and unpredictable as some of the luminaries he writes about. His artistic and professional endeavors have taken him from the study of dance and choreography at the American Dance Festival, Dance Space Inc., and Movement Research, to professional catalog writing for the likes of Martha Stewart. Hartley also has written, performed, and recorded music professionally in Spigot, Toenut/Tyro, and Thank You Super among other bands. In his spare time, Jason has always been a writer--of nonfiction, novels, and short humor. His writing has been published in Esquire, Spin.com, VH1's Best Week Ever blog, and on his own website, advancedtheory.blogspot.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

34 global ratings

5 star		57%
4 star		12%
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Juan Carruyo

Advanced genius theory

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

Brilliant, funny way of looking at artists' long-term career and a very pointed yet subtle way of arguing against at music criticism at large. Recommended. The advices in this book have helped me look in a different light at a lot of late-career albums and contributed to my enjoyment of them.

Helpful

Jeff Kinch

Advanced Genius Argument

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 29, 2010

Verified Purchase

I'll admit to buying this book primarily due to the Chuck Klosterman foreword but it quickly stood out on its own merit. In describing it to a friend I explained the experience of reading it was like having one of those late night inane arguments with a group of friends about nothing and everything. Your passions are fueled up higher than they should be, you find yourself arguing both sides of a point, you take ardent stands on topics you don't think you've every thought about prior and you're left exhausted and invigorated. Only in this case, instead of you and a group of friends (and beers) it's just you and the written words.

This has become an heirloom of sorts among a cadre of my brightest friends - passed around accompanied by admonitions to finish it quickly so the "live" debates can begin.

At times you will be infuriated, at times grateful for having your long-mocked opinions validated, and at times confused - but at all times happy that you decided to buy this book. Bravo.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sunn Kram

Thought Provoking and Funny

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 13, 2011

Verified Purchase

Hartley's oddball theory is a refreshing, albeit abstract, new perspective on the way we look at pop artists and their work over time. While the subjects he puts in the Advanced Genius category are certainly subjectively chosen (as he will admit), the principles and guidelines that are used to define them as such are strangely poignant. We typically see artists' careers as having an arc where a peak of productivity and inspiration is reached only to be inevitably followed by creative decline. This notion as all-encompassing is clearly and convincingly challenged here. The author unfolds the idea with natural flow and a strong sense of humor while setting the stage for future exploration of the topic.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Clark Kent

Beware: Chuck Only Writes the Forward

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2011

Verified Purchase

It's a little confusing the way Amazon has the authorship here. This is NOT a Chuck Klosterman book. Chuck writes the forward--and it's darn good--but some other guy writes the rest of this. It's fairly interesting, but nowhere near as entertaining as Chuck is, so Chuck fans, take note.
If your patience with circular arguments and fine points of theorizing is short, you might pass this one by. The reasoning is solid, as far as reasoning goes, but...It's a bit much. Advancement Theory--who's more of a genius than who--is still just an arbitrary judgement, after all. I'm 20% through it and I've lost interest, due to the limited scope so far. But then maybe I'm too overt to appreciate this work properly...?

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Avid Reader

What a (funny) stoner idea

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book was quite entertaining. The entire principle is interesting and I find myself thinking about it every now and then. While reading the book I found myself wanting to go for a beer with the author and argue some points that he got wrong. Guess that shows its engaging.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

Brother loved it for xmas

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 18, 2010

Verified Purchase

This book totally gerrymanders that ambiguous line between clever and stupid. Until Jason Hartley, I was unconvinced that anything could --simultaneously and equally-- be both. plus,I laughed my ass off.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

great.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Alan J Cope

The Advanced Genius Theory

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

A great Christmas gift for my brother; it was exactly what he was looking for! The book was compact and concise; highly reccommended.

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