This is a plea. I am begging you.
For the love of anything sacred in American [and western] culture, it's time we re-examine what we hold important.
To those of you who listen to mainstream radio owned and operated by Clear Channel Communication (click here if you don't know), I beg of you one thing:
Explore your options. Listen to music that hasn't tested well in radio markets. Listen to lyrics. Learn to not only hear music, but listen to it. Feel it.
If what you're listening to includes lyrics about chains, jewelry, women and cars, I blame you just as much as producers for killing one of the few things we should actually be proud of: culture. OUR music: blues, jazz, rock and roll, bebop, swing, and all the fusions that come along with what used to be a beautiful process of natural artistic evolution.
Here is my challenge to you:
1) Listen to public radio. If you live in Minneapolis-St. Paul, try 89.3 The Current (or stream it online). This is a station that plays something that resembles music. Real, natural, organic music.
2) Explore America's history. Begin to take pride in more than our pride. Have you ever wondered what we've actually given the world other than a higher per-capita ego? We have a rich history which created so many new genres that have spread all over the world.
Before you listen to that synthetically-produced crap again, get a healthy dose of real American music.
Here's the prescription. You need to take a listen to these. Seriously:
- Muddy Waters
- Howlin' Wolf
- Mississippi John Hurt
- Woody Guthrie
- Chuck Berry
- Sam Cooke
- Wilco
- Bob Dylan
- North Mississippi All-Stars
- Ryan Adams
- Lucinda Williams
- Jimi Hendrix... and not just the ones you know-- find some deep tracks
- Johnny Cash (you think you like "country"? this is country)
- George Gershwin
- Dizzie Gillespie
- Hank Williams (the real one, not the third)
Again... let me suggest that you listen to some of the music of all the artists listed above. If you find something you like, do a little digging.
Be a committed participant in culture.
If you find, after listening to all of this, that you simply don't like any of it, then fine.
Return to your commercial radio.
Return to being a music consumer rather than a music fan.
Return to allowing one of the major contributions of America slowly get flushed by vocoders, producers as artists, and money-driven "art".
Why is it if Someone disagrees with your music tastes they are not worthy of being a music fan?
ReplyDeleteThose polls must be based on something. Just because you like music that happens to be be popular enough to actually make money on makes you unworthy of enjoying music?
Not saying that I don't have my own tastes just that I refuse to attack someone because they are different.
Also your link to clear channel is broken.
ReplyDeleteNever did I state that somebody who disagrees with my music tastes is not worthy of being a music fan. In fact, I never made any statement about who is worthy of being a music fan or attacked anybody in particular.
ReplyDeleteSimply stated, it is important in our culture have an appreciation for who we really are, where our rich music comes from.
If we can't do that, then we can't even fully appreciate the trash that's on top 40 these days.
i loove hank williams!
ReplyDeleteHeeeey good lookin
whaaaaat you got cookin
hows about cookin somethin up with meeeeee!