In the same way that true art has the capacity to transform; un-true art has the capacity to lower our vibration and to perpetuate an unbalanced state.  In order to be immune to bad-art, you first have to be able to recognize it, so after extensive research with my good friend Ryan, I have developed a ratings system to aid in this identification.
1. Defecators
At the bottom most rung of our system, we have the artists who are basically just defecating on their audience.  When watching or listening to them you must lower your vibrational level so much that you are no longer really human, and you come away from the experience feeling a little like a feral animal.
Exhibit A – R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped in the Closet’
R Kelly’s strange, strange, strange foray into the musical-movie genre is the clearest example of defecation I could find.  I watched this film in its entirety and it changed me.  For the first time, I recognized bad-art in its purest form and it has helped me to identify other bad-art which is perhaps more socially respected or polished, but still at best little more than empty space (i.e.  Most of the films that win Oscars).

I entered R. Kelly’s world while watching this film and it was a jarring yet fascinating experience, like an anthropological study into the mind of primitive man.  Be warned, it is an endeavor to get through this and not everyone is cut out for this kind of journey.  If this sounds like something you want to experience I would suggest you don’t do it alone…and bring some Mary Jane along for the ride, because it is ROUGH! It will feel eight hours long, and you should also consider that there is some recovery time required, it took me about a week to feel normal again.  If you make it, you will have a perfect understanding of what a defecator is, and you will more readily be able to identify them elsewhere, and then run the other way.

Exhibit B – He’s Just Not That into You

Not only is this the most annoying title to say, it is also another prime example of defecation.  It took us more than one sitting to get through this.  First of all the dialogue/script was so disconnected that they may as well have been reciting the ingredients off the back of a shampoo bottle… I could not comprehend what they were talking about and had to keep rewinding to try to decipher the meaning of the words that were spewing forth.  It was a painful process.

Every message contained in this movie is insulting and degrading to the entire human race… this is not an overstatement.  Ironically, the misguided folks who wrote the book, wrote the script, or had anything to do with this film, actually try to pass this monstrosity off as a helpful guide for women, when in fact it is a portrait of society’s archaic beliefs about women and women’s resulting adherence to these unhealthy beliefs.  Let me clarify that when something is degrading towards women it is therefore also degrading towards men…these beliefs are a disservice to us all, regardless of gender (there is no separation!)  Our inherited beliefs about gender have caused a disconnect that most people don’t even know they have, and this movie displays it all …so thank you ‘He’s just not that into you,’ for allowing me to receive all of that so clearly.

2. MASTURBATORS

On the second rung we have the masturbators.  People who just want to hear themselves talk, show off their bodies, or fit into someone’s lame idea of what is ‘hip.’  It can feel like listening to noise or to animals yapping (although that is an insult to non-human animals.)   It’s entirely ego-driven and separated.  Dishonest.  Man-made.  Limited.  You walk away feeling a little empty and disconnected, perhaps inadequate or unattractive.  I won’t even list examples here.  Just turn on the radio or the TV and I am 98% sure there will be a shining example for you.  Songs about videophones, or regarding how much money and fame someone has, or music videos with half naked bodies paraded around.  “Look at this piece of meat…your penis could be inside of this.”  Songs and images that worship the cult of image and perpetuate ‘The Lie.’  (I don’t need to explain ‘The Lie,’ everyone feels it on some level when they look upon it; it is the absence of truth.)

3. COMMUNICATORS aka ‘Prophets’

Finally we have arrived at true art.  I feel better just thinking about it.  Artists who raise your vibration, make you feel, make you excited to be human.  People who channel something more than the limited reality we often become entrenched in.  You know it when you see it/hear it, it’s tangible and ineffable.  A sigh of relief.  Chills.  Tears.  Joy.  The human experience communicated clearly for everyone to see.  Such a joyful and loving act, shared so openly and vibrantly.

Exhibit A & B – Leonard Cohen and KD Lang

Leonard Cohen is the first that comes to mind when I think of communicators. ‘Hallelujah’ has been covered a million times – with good reason – but I haven’t heard anyone come close to KD Lang.  She is more than human in this performance.  She is performing a ceremony of some kind, reciting magical words.

Relax.  Open your hearts and listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvIORzoLzrY

We all wrote that song.  We all sing it.  That’s true art.  Recognizing your truest self in everyone and everything.  It’s transcendent.  Ego-less.  Formless.  Wordless.  Joyous.  We are ALIVE!  Together!  And we made a beautiful world!

In Conclusion

Bad art has helped clarify for me what real art is.  Bad art is entirely beholden to the delusion that we are separate; that we are individuals and that we are alone in this experience.  When people with no perspective on the human experience (people completely entrenched and committed to ‘The Lie”) attempt to communicate the human experience, they end up just regurgitating someone else’s view of the world, inadvertently illustrating ‘The Lie.’ Witnessing this disconnection allows us to recognize ‘The Lie’ elsewhere and call forth a more honest expression, standing in our own power and expressing our own unique and precious points-of-view.

Real art is a communion, a communication of the human experience.  I love delving into the strange world of bad-art and am so grateful for the contrast it creates.   It is a good indication of where we are collectively, and it makes finding true-art all the more refreshing, like a beacon of light when you are lost in a fog of confusion and delusion, a beautiful reminder that we are all one and we are all creating this life experience together.