[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
I may be eclectic, but at least I'm a snob.
i was going to leave it at that.
i was not going to elaborate.
however, i then thought i'd throw myself into this also.
i start by saying Alfred, Ysoie, others -
if you like your pop radio music, if you receive
pleasure and are enriched by that music, more power to ya!
the below is not an attack on you, they are my words.
my words here are meant to express my views and ideals.
your tastes are yours, my tastes are ours, er, i mean, mine.
now then.
if the mood strikes me for some pure pop, every once
in a great while i'll dig through and pull out Pearl Jam's
_Ten_, or maybe _Our Time in Eden_ by 10,000 Maniacs.
-> as for me and radio, we're at a Mexican standoff. <-
listening to pop radio for me is like straining out 98%
of the trite, contrived, and appallingly boring tripe to get
to the meager 2% of reasonably interesting music.
although there's the rare Tori or Delerium track,
it's simply not worth my time.
not worth another predictable 4/4 guitar song...
not worth another kid singing about his angst, or his girl...
i DO like angst in music, but it has to be sincere, like Henry Rollins, etc.
i DO like romance in music, but it has to be sincere, not a safe, generic
script.
(whether it's aggression, joy, disappointment, romance,
or storytelling, it all has to be real. and gritty, no room for dilution.)
sincerity isn't -safe- enough to play on the J-CORE corporate radiowaves,
only dilution.
another thing about this: i often listen to music for what i SEE
when i listen. just like how people reach for books that probe the mind
and offer vivid visuals, i listen to music that opens the mind's eye.
i like to stretch and push away comfort sometimes.
so, in summary so far - i demand passion, honesty, integrity,
passion, uniqueness, depth, passion, freshness, aggression,
passion, sensitivity, nuance..
i admit, maybe a few times a year i'll actually get in the mood
for some run-of-the-mill guitar rock and turn my radio
accordingly - it's everywhere! it's the whore lying in wait,
the song engineered to be accessible, to make money from teenagers.
...so what radio do i listen to? National Public Radio.
or some evenings, the local college station plays something interesting.
come to think of it, i suppose i do listen to 80's rock
once in a while during lunch - but that's for nostalgia's sake,
a little lick of meringue to supplement my meal.
if you get 2,000 people together for a meal, you'll want the food
to be as bland as possible, as this will not offend any single
partaker. you may bore some people, but that's generally better
than burning someone's palate with strange or spicy food.
in a world where there are no options, or even limited options,
i would have the same take on what music i listen to.
BUT!!!
my gosh, we have access to so many rich and wonderful genres.
we can listen to any musical discipline from any country around the world!
we can listen to ANYTHING!
(wide brazen grin of assuredness)
i just know that if i can listen to -anything-, experience -anything-,
i'm sure as shootin' not going to pollute myself with that field
full o' bland tripe over yonder.
as for me -
i'll experience something sacred, something that can be treasured!
(something that will make me grow and stretch.)
(besides, i enjoy the research anyway...)
edward jay
NP: Theatrum Chemicum - _Verso la Luce_
"We forge gradually our greatest instrument for understanding the world -
introspection. We discover that humanity may resemble us very considerably -
that the best way of knowing the inwardness of our neighbors is to know
ourselves."
- Walter Lippmann
(|==========-=-=----=----=---- - - - - - -
<{---o<(\,- Sir Edward Jay, the Second ov Harnish -,/)>--o---}>
^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ICQ #13819982 ^v^ ^v^ ^v^
http://members.aol.com/jaharnish2
(|===========-=-=------=-----=-- -- - - - -
Follow-Ups: