In 1610, shortly after viewing the sun with his new telescope, Galileo Galilei made the first European observations of Sunspots.
Monthly averages of the sunspot numbers since 1749 show that the number of sunspots visible on the sun waxes and wanes with an approximate 11-year cycle.
A theory [Sekhmet Hypothesis] believes that musical trends follow solar cycles, i.e. every 11 years there’s a quantum shift.
- 1966//Psychedelia
- 1977//Punk rock
- 1988//Acid house
- 1999//NuMetal
Apparently this is due to cyclical development of movements in “youth culture” which emerge with fresh strength and get absorbed by business within a decade. Suggesting therefore that ‘Uth Cultr’ when at its ‘peak'(or most its ideas prove the most appealing?) matches the peak of sun spots and within time get absorbed by the mainstream. So that means for example that the origins for punk rook started around 1967-70? Well yes apparently
So could sun spots really affect us here on earth? Sun Spots are defined as ‘Relatively cool regions in the solar photosphere that appear dark. They contain intense magnetic fields which provide the energy for solar flares. Sunspots occur in groups.’.
So its magnetism eh? And what effect may these have on “youth culture” I hear you type?
- Changes in neural electrophysiology
- Changes in neurotransmitters (which affect motivation and pain perception)
- Decreased memory, attention, and slower reaction time in school children
Sooo Psychedelia/Punk rock/Acid house/NuMetal could be the resultant effect of huge amounts of magnetism on young brains? I have to admit there is more a passing resemblance between ‘Changes in neural electrophysiology’ and those music types, especially in reference to drug taking.
Of course all this is a fairly arbitrary theory. What makes a scene ‘good’, how do we define what the scene is? Indeed there may very well be a correlation, but as with everything, it is difficult to pin things such as this down to absolutes as there are always going to be other effects on the collective creationist tendencies of youth.
None of this will affect me, due to the extra layer of tin foil in my hat.
You know, with the amount of information on history available in digital form, it would be possible (though probably not easy) to create a cyclic redundancy check to reference a trend such as this. Simple error detecting code to tell us where certain cultural trends become evident (or are errors, deviating from standard progress). If those events could be charted, and then plot in congruence to sunspots, or even butterfly fluttering, you and NASA might be on to something.
Also, does magnetism only effect young brains? I find that hard to believe, since magnetism can effect electrical current and as long as your alive, your neurons are firing like mad. A colleague of mine once powered a fluorescent bulb in his storage shed through pure induction (just a ton of copper wire wound tightly on the ceiling, about twenty feet from a power line tower). He had no physical wire going to the shed, just leeching through “thin air”. Energy flows where it finds the least resistance, maybe music does the same.
What the thinker thinks the prover proves. All Hail Eris!!!
I’m at film school for writing in Southern California, and I can speak for my own work over the past year: the hippie maxima is most certainly re-ascendant. Thank you, Grant, for bringing this to my attention: synchronicity, indeed.
In Peter Watts’ novel Blindsight, the “alien contact” portion of the book takes place in what is essentially a nest of particle accelerators, & the actors of the story are horribly psychologically impacted by the magnetic fields.
This Is silly. What about rap and hip hop? Motown? New wave, reggae and ska? And, yes, disco. This should be called “Stoner White Boy” hypothesis.
Did sunspots have any effect on youth behaviour over the last few days in London and other UK cities?
I can believe this theory. I stumbled across is from reading Supergods by Grant Morrison – and look at the first post. Good book kind sir.
aha, I came here because I’m re-reading Grant Morrison’s book, and it turns out he was here himself years ago… or from a 5th dimensional perspective, he’s still here, always was and always will be.