A pretty handy, heady art-e-fact.
Was fortunate to be introduced to Negativland and John Oswald and the Tape Beatles via KFJC. Also via KFJC, the Ann Arbor Film Festival I was also introduced to Craig Baldwin, a cinematic collage creator who "directed" this movie. A match definitely made on the left end of the dial!
I've had Baldwin's movie in my N*tfl*x DVD queue forever, and am thinking about getting rid of that option, as many films are available either at the library, or like "Sonic Outlaws" available online. Baldwin breaks great visual chaotic focus to the documentary.
By coincidence I watched this shortly after Kiarostami's "Certified Copy" and found a mild connection there. In both cases, I do think that often the "copy" can be more meaningful to the viewer or listener, whether it was an interpretation or a "culture jammed" version.
There are some nice points in this doc about how certain media are more immune to law suits than "sound." Author Doug Kahn gets a fair amount of screen time to discuss this, as does lawyer Alan Korn. There is a broad range of course in sampling/plunderphonic efforts.
As the Negativland and Emergency Broadcast System (hilarious name for a band) folks discuss, part of this is a gag reflex to the omnipresent media attack. As they both say, the internet both makes it easier for people to grab sound and visions to scramble, while also loosening up the stranglehold that ma$$ive media once had.
I should say sometimes it's the capitalistic gag reflex, but sometimes it's just a gag. Humor to me is a noble goal even without the social commentary, but together they can be a bit of a Siamese Twin.
On the flip side, seeing the Weatherman (RIP) grab private cell phone chatter adds the concern of privacy vs the fact that the "airwaves" are shared waves. Is *everything* up for grabs, every where at all times. I might need to tidy up my thoughts and actions with some 409.
No surprise the document, like I suspect you and myself, are going encourage erring on the side of creative exploration and exploitation of sounds. The idea that it is a form of "folk music" was a fun-to-funky take. Maybe not for old blues musicians in Rolling Stone tongue-tie-dyed t-shirts?
Speaking of arena rock, the irony of U2 (the band) and their ZooTV I think just underscores the American notion that if you have more power/capital behind you, then you can "plunder" a lot more easily.
Here in post 2020 covid hindsight, Negativland continues to make waves, air/sound/societal, as do many influenced by them. Even my Chat GPT agrees it is important that they keep phreaking us out.
