VOICES 06
ICONS AREN’T INSTANT
IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE ACHIEVE FAME FOR NO GOOD REASON, ONE CAN’T HELP WONDERING WHERE TOMORROW’S ICONS WILL COME FROM
T
he Eames chair, the Ferrari 250GTO, the New York City Subway map, the music of the Beatles, Shakespeare’s plays and the Boeing 747 each hold unassailable status as definitive
examples of their genre, enduring well beyond their original era. The late Massimo Vignelli, designer of the original 1970s New York City Subway, says icons are “intellectually elegant”, as opposed to “fashionably elegant”. In design terms, simplicity, durability and adaptability are the hallmarks of a classic – and it’s not a stretch to apply those criteria when assessing anything else in terms of icon status. Sir Paul McCartney was playing his guitar and singing long before he met another young musician and a band called the Quarrymen at a church fête in 1957 – and nearly 60 years after the Beatles were formed, he’s still performing, composing and one of the most influential musicians on the planet. The unmistakeable “Mersey beat”, drawn from the roots of rock ’n roll, R&B, doo-wop and the now-obscure skiffle, and distilled into the catchiest of pop rhythms, is still irresistible. The influence of McCartney and the Beatles’ work on subsequent generations of musicians points to its durability (the song Yesterday has been performed or recorded by more than 2 200 musicians and is the only composition by a UK writer to have been aired more than 7 million times on American TV and radio). Now well into his 70s, McCartney’s still collaborating with artists like Rihanna and Kanye West, touring and infusing his work with his particular genius for melody.
Boeing’s 747 was the first “wide-body”
passenger aircraft ever produced and democratised air travel by opening the skies to a mass market by virtue of its size – almost twice that of its nearest rival of the time. Its distinctive “hump” upper deck made it the most distinctive airliner in the world and its original nickname, the Jumbo Jet, is still the catch-all term for commercial aircraft among passengers of a certain age. The fact that it’s still in production 50 years since it débuted in Pan-Am airline’s colours in September 1978 – and has outlasted the brand which helped inform its design – only adds icon credibility. So in a world of instant messaging, on- demand content and, ultimately, instant gratification, where are the classics of the next 60 years going to come from? The 21st
century
has seen trends take the place of icons – they’re fleeting, experimental and as much a flavour of the month as eating off slate roof tiles. Modern entertainment records will eclipse
old ones because it’s never been easier to buy a song or watch a film. Flavours in some wines come from laboratory test tubes, rather than from careful maturation over years, under the watch of expert winemakers and the curse of the production line is a focus on quantity and speed, rather than enduring craftsmanship. In almost every modern industry, cost-
effectiveness has replaced simplicity, planned obsolescence trumps durability and ecosystem lockdowns have been the death of adaptability. Try handing down a smartwatch to
your grandkids…
WORDS: TREVOR CRIGHTON. IMAGE: LISA SKINNER
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