I've purposely left the title of the article i'm going to post about out of the subject line because I know it will unfortunately turn off a certain segment of the readership.

This subject comes up periodically here and I happen to have a great affinity for what the author is saying.

Generally what you'll hear against positions similar to the writer's are arguments like...

Old heads sticking up for the music of their generation.
There's good new music out there you just have to look for it.

...and so on and so forth.

The first argument I just read recently in a thread about The Beatles.
First let me say that what i'm referring to is readily accessible POP music.
One reason why I don't consider myself as falling into the category of an "old head sticking up for the music of my generation" is that I believe good melodies and composition don't have to be isolated to any particular era. For example, I could go back and pull a POP tune from the 40s (not my era) like Billie Holiday's Lover Man, Lena Horne's One For My Baby or Nat King Cole's Christmas Song as examples of stellar melodies and composition just as quickly as I would try and pull something from the 60s or 70s. The article's author doesn't take it this far, but i'm exaggerating the issue to make the point.

Yes popular styles change over time, but my benchmark has been to ask the question, "Could anybody and his brother have written/performed/orchestrated this piece of music?"

I would ask before you get all hot and bothered over the subject, to take an emotional step backwards and consider what's being said in the article not as an affront to your particular generation's music but as a comparison in the execution of what is supposed to be an art form.

Let's face it, people are going to like what they like and well they should.
At least be honest about what it is you're listening to.


What the F**k Happened to...lar Music? from the www.allaboutjazz.com website.

Thanks to cubic61052 for sending me the article.


...I knew that you could.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I guess that you couldn't.





tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

dont get me started man.... LOL u know me

Don't let people get you down by comments like "Old heads sticking up for the music of their generation" because that is there weak little arguement to try to justify that the present music scene is actually worthy of being called "music".

As I've said many times before, my mother was a teenager in the 1960s during the Motown era and she had absolutely no problem adjusting to the music of the 1970s and 1980s. She was in her 20s in the 1970s and in her 30s in the 1980s. I'm 38 now and first started bitching about music in 1985 when I was only 17. It's definately not a matter of people getting too old. Music has actually turned to bullshit and the "old folks" arguement is just the little thugged out mousketeers (who know no better) trying to justify it. Anyone with ears can see how stripped down today's music is and how weak it sounds compared to music of earlier decades.

I understand that a lot of older people's arguements about today's music is about profanity so that kind of gives them a comparison about the older people in the 1950s talking about how "evil" rock and roll was. Well, they don't know how to take or argue with me because I could care less about the profanity if the music was good. My problem is that the all the music is stripped down to a midtempo beat and some "talking". Anything in a song that would be worthy of the so-called "evil ass shaking and hips gyrating" has been taken out of today's music. The music is too slow to move to but these women are shaking and jiggling those nasty chunky cottage cheese asses just for the sake of turning the little thugs on. When they are shaking it, they aren't shaking it to the beat, they are shaking it faster than the beat. Hell, if you can't shake it because you feel it, then sit your tired ass down.
.
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[Edited 4/11/06 8:20am]

He lost me at "...if 50Cent was really shot nine times, why couldn't one of those bullets have hit a vital organ?"
That's a bitter guy. Bitter beyond seeing solutions.

"Our culture has been dumbed down to the point where your average dumb-ass American can't tell the difference between a truly great musician and somebody who's been studying their instrument for a week..."
If this is true (and it is) why is he looking for harmony/melody from the "dumb-ass American"?

He has valid points but he also has tools. He's a musician. Go out and teach some kid the fundamentals. Teach a few. Teach a class...whatever. If you're not hearing what's missing, it will not be void to you. Ignorance really is bliss.

So either educate or speak the "dumb" language and make it smart in a way that can be grasped. Don't call someone stupid...make their music smarter...in turn, make them smarter.

You can't blame a generation that grew up without music education but you can help change the tide.

I'm an old head.....(relatively speaking )

Yeah, if your're talking about turning on the radio, and hearing good mainstream Pop, then yeah...it's pretty much gone...

People like Lewis Taylor, Frank McComb, Soulive, Ani Di Franco, etc., are never gonna get that mainstream airplay...

Although a Jazz artist recently said, "actually, there really is a great deal of good music being played out there by some great musicians, it just isn't getting a lot of support..." he was talking mostly abut about improvised music, but as far as mainstream Pop:

Sorry, I know I've already posted this at least 3 times before,(most recently in that "What happened to Popular Music" thread), but it's my take on his "What happened" question to 'Pop'...




* True, the Industry has never inspired creativity, but generally, you used to need talent. Image has always sold records, but since the mid'80's, Image has gradually become The most important thing. Talent is, at best, an afterthought now. in the 80's, with the advent of video, image slowly began to to take over the need for talent. as Quincy Jones once pointed out , when there was just records and radio, a singer could come to the studio with rollers in her hair--it didn't matter what you looked like--as long as you could sing ...

* Members of groups like Earth Wind and Fire have pointed out that years ago, a label would sign an artist or group, have them tour and hone their craft and gradually build an audience of loyal fans, and create a base that would support an act over the years. The companies then weren't expecting you to necessarily be an immediate Smash hit out of the gate--they wanted it to build over time. Nowadays, you get a one or two album deal, and if you don't make it big, you're out the door...

The Corporations know now that the best way for them to make money is to just put an act out there, hype them with plenty of media exposure and Clear Channel airplay, pimp'em for a couple of years, and when that hype dies down, bring in someone new and start it all over again. It's more cost-effective for them. The music suffers in the long run, but they get their money. As Prince has pointed out, the heads of these companies now don't have to know anything about music. They come from accounting, law and business backgrounds, they certainly don't give a shit about lyrics that should have a more positive attitude, or anything like that...they're just looking at the bottom line. They don't know or care anything about the culture per se, so they don't take any responsibility for what's put out there....they don't care if pop just becomes a giant wasteland...as long as they get their money....


* Despite loud, showy protest about industry "payola", companies like Clear Channel make sure that some kind of payola is the norm --and only labels that "play ball" will get any airplay for their"artists"....


*the Pop Producer/ writers/arrangers of decades past-- Quincy, Arif Mardin, Burt Bacharach, Charles Stepney, Thom Bell, Norman Whitfield, et al, -- came up learning Classical, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Rock, Pop, Country, etc.. they had to learn all of it, along with Composition, Music theory, arranging, writing charts, etc. A producer today is anyone who can put some beats and samples together....


That's certainly not saying that there isn't creativity now. True, Hip Hop does have plenty of creativity, but the most creative ones aren't the ones selling big numbers. Artists like The Roots and Mos Def have the respect, but they aren't the ones selling the Multi-Platinum records right now--and Qtip can't even get a record released! Unfortunately, it's people like the Black Eyed Peas and Lil' John that will sell more....The Companies in Control now know that you can never go wrong by appealing to the lowest common denominator--the lowest expectations. The records that celebrate thug life, ho's, partying, gettin paid, My Humps, etc... are the ones that sell --the companies bottom lined it--- decided if that's what kids buy, why do they need to push anything else?

...and it's because the industry also knows that your average person really just doesn't give a shit about music. The people that are really passionate about music--people that are on Music sites like the Org--- are quite a minority compared to the average person, who just wants something to dance to, something to drive to, or something to put in the background and ignore....

They may vaguely be aware that music doesn't resonate quite like it used to, but they're not sure why...

There is still a lot of good, creative music out there, but it's not going to get any kind of mainstream exposure, you're not gonna hear it on your radio, it's not gonna get any kind of big Media push. It just isn't...




...
[Edited 4/13/06 9:53am]

I love that article. It's a really great question Back in the 70s, black musicians were fucking unstoppable. Gone are the days when you had so many experiences to choose from. Watching shows like American Idol, you can clearly see how talented some of the black contestants are, but the music industry managed to take the magic of Fantasia's version of Summertime and turn it into an overproduced piece of shit. That girl, while definitely not everyone's cup of tea, could sing and her album sounds like every damn thing that is out there.

Used to be a time when the music world was unleashing Arethas, Labelles, Chakas, Gays and Wonders on your ass. But now....when is the last time a black Icon was born? Not just out of popularity but out of just raw god given gifted talent? But this is not exclusive to black artists. Where are the Eagles, The Fleetwood Macs. Where are the Santanas? Music in general is suffering under the weight of a profit driven world.

It is true that there is a lot of great music out there but you do have to search for it. On one hand this makes me feel hugely satisfied when I find gems among the universe of trash, however I feel like this generation is losing something in not having talent and musicianship at the forefront of their experience. And I'm not one to denegrate the use of electronics but even sampled and slickly studio produced stuff usually aint shit either these days.

paligap said:

I often wonder about just this. If there were music videos in the 60's/70's would the same thing have happened, to some degree? I believe so. Sure the public was smarter musically but what exec wouldn't have taken the cheap shot? Everyone knows what sells. The visual would have become a large part of the music. Being lax with the music knowing that the video-girls will pick up the slack. This is perhaps why it seems not to resonate like it used to...because in many cases, the music is only half the experience. The world is becoming homogenized on so many levels. Oftentimes, music is just a component.

It's very sad, but it's also exciting. Sad to think that the kids today will say the same of their kids music. Sad because you have to ask how much dumber can music get? But it's exciting because there are so many new avenues which makes it fertile ground for new talent, and though, as the guy says, many "can't tell the difference...", there are still those that can.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I agree with all this. And yes this generation and those that follow, will lose. I do believe that we are simply waiting for "the one" for the "Neo" of the music world. At some point there will be a backlash. The past two generations have grown up with no music as a part of their curriculum. It will perhaps occur to parents, collectively, to seek out the music programs/schools. Of course, the schools have to be there. These components will align and the new trend will be set. Not sure how or when but I do think this will happen. It only takes a few schools and the students (the Neo's) of those schools to make a ripple in the other direction.

I love the part in the article when he talks about the "Disco Sucks" era and asks when is there going to be a "Rap Sucks" era. I've been asking that same question for years myself also. Too bad we can't get Ethel Mermon to make a hip hop record and make the genre "uncool" like she made a disco record back in the day.

vainandy said:

well, for a start Burt Bacharach recently did an album with Dr Dre

I don't know who that person is but the name doesn't sound too much like a "cool" person.

I really don't think that would work today. My generation didn't want what we considered "old fogies" making our music but we still seemed to have respect for them. Today's generation seems to have no respect for anyone. If Ethel Mermon were to make a hip hop record, these thugs would probably take her voice, sample it on their record, and add lyrics like "bitch, ho....sit yo tired ass down you wrinkled up beeeeyuch". They would just make a big joke out of it and hip hop would continue on just as dominating as ever.
.
.
[Edited 4/12/06 1:29am]

vainandy said:

to be fair, Burt Bacharach a great songwriter with an asslong list of classics, but for Hip Hop fans he surely won't be considered a "cool" artist


"Walk On By" (Dionne Warwick, 1964, then Isaac Hayes,1970 and The Stranglers in 1978)
"A House Is Not a Home" (Brook Benton, 1963, Dionne Warwick, 1964, then Luther Vandross, (1981)
"What's New Pussycat?" (Tom Jones, 1965, from the movie of the same name)
"Alfie" (Cilla Black, 1966, then Cher, 1966, then Dionne Warwick, 1967, originally from the movie of the same name)
"I Say A Little Prayer (For You)" (Dionne Warwick, 1967, then Aretha Franklin, 1968)
"This Guy's In Love With You" (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, US no. 1, 1968)
"Do You Know the Way to San José?" (Dionne Warwick, 1968)
"Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (B.J. Thomas, US no. 1, 1969, from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" (Bobbie Gentry (UK no. 1,1969), then Dionne Warwick 1969, originally from the musical Promises, Promises).
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" (The Carpenters (US no. 1, 1970). Grammy nominee Record of the Year
"Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" (Christopher Cross, 1981, from the movie Arthur)
"That's What Friends Are For" (1982)
"On My Own" (Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, 1986)

He's written some really big hits. I wouldn't consider him "uncool" at all. They need someone like Carol Channing ("Hello Dolly") or Mary Poppins...wasn't she the lady with "super cali fragi....expi...hellidocias" or whatever the hell it's called? Someone like Lawrence Welk or Liberace. People in the classical music world....Broadway stars....show tunes...who's that damn "Sound Of Music" lady, send her in the studio with them.

vainandy said:

Julie Andrews...



...is who you're looking for to bring Rap to its knees.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I thought she had throat surgery and could not sing anymore....

I really have no comments that have not already been said...just that I am enjoying this thread and wish more people would read it - get involved so we can hear some feedback and hopefully learn from it.

My generation did not have the option to go to a high school of performing arts (they did not exist). In my case, I had oboe and flute lessons at 7:00AM at Jacksonville University twice a week, dance classe after school every night, then public school afforded me the ~luxury~ of their one hour of band/music at school each day. I believe that those people in the public school system of this generation have been granted more opportunities than mine was granted.....I also believe that the talent is there, but music moguls have promoted who/what will bring them the most money. I guess our culture was commercially ready for the music of today.....sadly enough in some cases.

theAudience said:

Be careful what you guys wish for/put out there...this may open up a whole new genre of rap and we'll all have to blame you.

Remember what happened to that Annie song.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

That would be June 7, 1958

SexyBeautifulOne said:

anon said:

Aw hell no, that would be totally vainandy's fault.
I was just helping him out with a name.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I wasn't surprised by that song at all. Look at the tempo of all the rap songs for the last 10 or 15 years. If it gets any slower, they will be going back to the days of classical music. They think they are so damned hard and thuggish but their music has the tempo of a weak "sissy".

vainandy said:

Hey....watch what you say about classical music....if you think all of it is slow and sleepy, you have better have another listen....
This thread is about the quality/complexity/expertise/talent (or lack thereof) of music and the artists of today.

cubic61052 said:

Interesting...kinda sounds like my situation growing up, though I was taking Clarinet, ...

So you 're saying kids now have more oppotunities? thats interesting, I was under the impression that a lot of schools had been losing their music programs. I'm thinking about articles like this one:


http://www.myracleworks.c...041405.htm



THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED

Why public schools are singing the blues

By Kristina Diener// April 14, 2005
The Los Angeles Unified School District 's recent budget cuts are no surprise to the jaded public. But when cherished music programs are diminished, people start to take it personally.


Culminating in the latest in a string of severed classes for national public school programs, Abbi Simmins thought she'd heard it all. The multi-talented seventeen-year-old musician thought it was an "April Fool's" joke to hear a rumor that the school band was about to be history because of the latest downsizing disaster. But the LAUSD wasn't kidding: music programs were to be truncated entirely to compensate seemingly unabated funding furies; and this financial fiasco did not allow for what was perceived as superfluous courses - - like music.


The Los Angeles Unified School District, which for years has suffered an endless succession of severe financial constraints, is at it again. Since the mid 1980's, public schools across the country have bit hit the hardest, with 58% of funding going for school lunches and a plethora of “other programs,” leaving a trail of class carcasses and devastated reactions from students and parents. “It isn't funny,” laments Loren, a sophomore at a public high school in the San Fernando Valley and an avid trumpet player. “After my parents divorced, I lived with my dad until he divorced again, and it really killed me. I funneled all my frustrations into playing and now there's no diversion. I'm left with piles of sheet music and no band.” Other students are singing the same sad song. “Music is our first love,” reports a chorus of disenchanted divas. But the day music is reinstated in the public school sector may be light years away.


No Strings

Deciding to offer more than the basics, the first music education class was held in 1957 with the simple hope that children would grow to understand and appreciate music. Apparently the expectations were high and students rose to meet it, and soon, practically every school in the nation required music education. Throughout history, music was considered so important that Roman gods worshipped it, the Sirens sang in unison with the moerae, and savage beasts were reputed to be soothed by it. “But try telling the powers that be how important this issue it and you're met with a blank stare,” fumes Kathy Peters-Margolis, a music appreciation instructor and president of Music is Our Future, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children appreciate and learn music fundamentals in Indianapolis, Indiana. “Those were the good old days indeed!” Nevertheless, music means more to many people than a simple instrument: many attest to how music saved their lives.


One such refugee is Blake Nelson. June 17, 2003 is a day the former heroin addict says he'll “never forget.” The sixteen-year-old multiple offender left the dismal quarters of Juvenile Hall for the last time. “I was determined never to return, and I decided to do something constructive and turn my life around.” That ambitious endeavor was a one way trip to school to earn his diploma. “A foster parent of one of the kids gave me a guitar,” relates the heavily tattooed music worshipper. “And I fell in love with it. Music gave me a sense of purpose, like nothing else ever had,” he sighs. Blake proudly plays for a local band in Memphis and has since quit his demons. “Music saved my life,” he insists. And he isn't the only one who found refuge in strings. “If I had a dollar for everyone who told me that music was their sanctuary, I'd have a mansion in Malibu ,” says Corey Bates, a retired high school English teacher in Santa Fe who spent ten years fighting city hall about the trials and tribulations in the public school music sectors. “Music is so integral to learning that's it's horrifying to contemplate where we'll go without it.”


The Mozart Matrice

The Mozart Effect, a term coined by Alfred A. Tomatis for the suspected increase in brain development that occurs in children under three when they are exposed to the music of Mozart. Numerous theories abound on the meaning of music and how it affects the brain, but one interested physicist went where nobody quite ventured before. Gordon Shaw, a retired University of Irvine physics professor, decided to discover if music could actually elevate intelligence. He and his colleague, former concert cellist Frances Rauscher, studied the effects on several dozen college students who listened to the first ten minutes of the Mozart Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (whew!) and voila!! The researchers discovered a temporary enhancement of spatial-temporal reasoning (guess that could only help the SAT's…) as it was measured on the Stanford-Binet, an IQ test with a very low ceiling and high floor, which is used to quantify extreme degrees of intelligence – or lack thereof. Both researchers have since speculated that exposure to Mozart enhances spatial-reasoning and memory in humans. And that's only the latest in a series of continuous discoveries linking music and the magnificent mind, according to Shaw, president of the Music Intelligence Neural Development Institute. Maybe mother really did know best: piano instruction is thought to enhance the brain's “hard wiring,” allowing cognitive flexibility and making it easier to learn more intricate subjects, such as math and science. “Think of it as something like learning another language,” says Marty Graphien-Langue, M.A., a piano instructor in Tulsa , Oklahoma. “If you can follow graphs and charts, you can pretty much comprehend more difficult subjects, which would make sense, considering how music and math are highly correlated.” So, if teaching junior fractions and linear thinking is a goal, music is apparently a good method.

So too does music connect with the attention deficit disordered. In one controlled study, Rosalie Rebollo Pratt and colleagues studies 19 children, ages seven to 17 with ADD while playing recordings of Mozart during three times a week brain wave biofeedback sessions, using Mozart, including the selections of Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, The Marriage of Figaro, Flute Concerto No. 2 in D, Don Giovanni and other concertos and sonatas. The group that listened to Mozart had reduced their theta brain wave activity (slow brain waves often excessive in ADD) in exact rhythm to the underlying beat of the music, and displayed better focus and mood control, diminished impulsivity and improved social skill. Among the subjects that improved, 70 % maintained that improvement six months after the end of the study without further training.


The Journal of Neuropsychology at the University of Hong Kong discovered another interesting phenomena: children who studied music exhibit significantly higher verbal memory than children who did not. Researchers there found that music training during childhood contributes to the reorganization and increased development of the left temporal lobes, which is the area of the brain responsible for verbal memory. “It stands to reason how this would be true,” says Marty. “Try reading sheet music and see what a complicated masterpiece it is.”

And in 1999, researchers working with 135 second grade students at 95 th Street School in Los Angeles announced that the same students scored 27% higher in math and related subjects after only four months of piano training. “Clearly there's a correlation here,” says Corey.


Music Mania

Since the mid-1980's public schools have seen a huge cut in funding for what is arguably considered to be one of the most important subjects since the "Three R's". Some schools are experiencing a reprieve, and according to Janet Chapman, the long time principal of Rosewood Avenue School in Los Angeles, her school has been somewhat spared. “Because of the generous grants and donations afforded to Rosewood, we are able to offer our students music classes one day per week,” she maintains. “Many other public schools are not able to do this, regrettably.” Some more fortunate institutions are also able to cover costs through bake sales and fund raising. “But this is an arduous, protracted process, although it's surely better than the alternative. Budget cuts have destroyed our ability to offer more classes,” she laments. “But hopefully this will soon change.”

Public opinion is clearly in favor of music education. This year, a record 54% polled reported at least one family member who played a musical instrument and 80% believed that studying music could enhance cognitive abilities and intelligence. This impact is reverberating elsewhere: studies consistently maintain that 78% of Americans believe that learning an instrument helps students perform better in other subjects and a whopping 96% insist that participation in a school band is a great method for developing teamwork skills. “It certainly couldn't hurt,” grumbles a disgusted Los Angeles Unified School District employee who asked not to be named. “After all, it keeps kids off the streets, doesn't it?”

VHI's Save The Music might think so. The program has already raised millions for music education and has inspired other institutions to contribute. To date, American Express has already donated $1,000,000 and Steinway has given $215,000. “And that's just the beginning,” says Corey. “People are really pushing for music programs, so I think there will be a huge push in the near future.” So far, nearly $2.4 million in corporate pledges are accounted, a figure that is much higher than last year's total.


In recent years, the mandates and limitations of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act and other legislation, combined with cuts in state funding have imposed funding adjustments and reductions, causing local boards of education to lose control over minor decisions. However, Massachusetts State Representative Frank I. Smizik, (D-Brookline), decided to sponsor a bill to create grants that will increase music programs in public schools within his state. Obviously, such action should be taken within all states, and the good news is there are numerous ways to begin. “Start by taking small steps,” advises Ms. Chapman. “Support your local public schools through monetary gifts and volunteering.” Notwithstanding this, here are some ways to help immediately:

Bid on great stuff - Go to eBay where celebrities have donated various items. All proceeds go to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.

Donate Money – Go to vh1savethemusic.com to make a cash contribution. Donations will be used to purchase new instrument.

Support your local programs – Help support public school music programs in your community. Visit the VH1 Save The Music Web site for tools and materials or go to supportmusic.com.

Write your congressperson or state representative. “Believe it or not, these letters do have an impact,” says Ms. Chapman.

Volunteer to teach music yourself, if you can. This is one of the best methods to continue the outreach and support so crucially needed in schools.
Support outreach programs that encourage music education, and programs that contribute to public schools, such as grocery store box tops and local business establishments. Many of these organizations contribute to funding such programs.

“But there's so much more that can be done,” says Ms. Chapman, “but taking that first step is like hitting the tip of the iceberg - at least it's a dent.”

And as for Abbi Simmons? She's on to the University of California at Santa Cruz – and majoring in Music. “Nothing can stop me now,” she exclaims. “Now that I can pay for it!”


Kristina Diener, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles at kdienerpsyd (at) pacbell.net.


...

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

KA-BOOM, my brother.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I agree with this point big time. I often wonder what kind of music their children will have to look forward to.

paligap said:

Sorry, but I am at work and cannot give the article the attention it deserves. But after a quick perusal, I am aware of budget cuts in music/art programs, and do believe it will be devastating to our culture and society as a whole. But as I think back on my experience, in grade school we had music once a week, art once a month and movement and languages never. In junior high (now called 'middle' school, I believe) we had music and art as electives, another lauguage as a requirement, movement/dance never. In high school it was the same. Now students in the same public school program I graduated out of are offered two different high schools, strictly for the performing arts (and they even have two schools strictly for those interested in technology)....not sure how that is worse than what I was offered.
DISCLAIMER: I will never imply that our school systems are offering enough programs of the arts. My musical and dance training early on taught me many lessons that I have carried throughout life - and not just those of making music or dancing. I learned discipline, I learned that anything worth doing is worth giving it your all, practice makes perfect, ad infinitum. Once again, our society and culture will eventually suffer greatly.
I think we are on the same page.
This is an interesting thread...good food for thought and rigorous conversation...

That mention of the 'Disco Sucks' movement really pissed me off... It was mentioned in jest but still... The idea of protesting a genre of music... How freaking nuts do you have to be to do something like that??? Have you seen the footage of those rioters??? What's next? protesting chocolate cake??? One of the most embarrassing moments in american history IMO...



Musicians are entertainers... they ain't curing cancer... The guy's taking this shit wayyyy too seriously...

vainandy said:

I know. The tempo is usually true to the listener, though. When you have a generation of "laid back" kids that only play a sport if it comes with a joystick or controller, or that aspire to be players/drug dealers that don't break a sweat...the tempo in the music will emulate this. Look at the sk8ers...the music they listen is pretty much the contrary. It's pretty interesting how much music tells about the one/generation listening.