“There Is a Meaning Buried within the Sound.” H. P. Baxxter’s Lyrics as Modernist Intertextual Poetry
“There Is a Meaning Buried within the Sound.” H. P. Baxxter’s Lyrics as Modernist Intertextual Poetry

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the lyrical output of H. P. Baxxter, frontman of the German electronic band Scooter, through the lens of modernist poetry and the theoretical frameworks of Russian formalism, Czech and French structuralism, and theories of intertextuality. While Baxxter’s lyrics are often dismissed as boasting or emblematic of mass consumerism, the essay challenges this view by examining their poetic qualities. It highlights how these texts, through self-referential declarations, heavily coded intertextual collage, and surprising, defamiliarizing juxtapositions, force the listener to engage in active and conscious interpretation. The discussion addresses the difficulty of defining poetry, arguing that neither traditionally associated features such as rhyme, rhythm, or decorative language nor authorial intent suffice. Instead, the article considers alternative criteria, namely the concepts of “defamiliarization” and “intertextuality,” to assess the poetic quality of Scooter’s lyrics. Ultimately, the analysis suggests that Baxxter’s texts can be understood as a form of modernist poetry, fulfilling the ideals set down in T. S. Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent.”

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