Human After All

I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t like to talk about music.  Who the hell would believe that?  However, I always seem to get caught up in the politics of it.  Which inevitably will end in that impossible discussion of whats good and bad, whats not, and why some people just stick to the popular side of things, and why others spend their days digging for buried treasure(or at least put some effort into it).  I’ll be the first to tell you that in the grand scheme of things, I really know nothing about anything.  I only know what I like. It just seems to me that the more interesting and personal stuff tends to come out of the Independent/DIYside of things.  It just seems more human.  More relate-able.  More creative and fresh. 

 

Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of good music that comes out of the more established and corporate environment as well.  The “machine” is almost like a force of nature these days.  Some of my favorite music from the way-back came straight out of some catalog.  I can literally see Phil Spector pointing at a book and telling The Ronettes, “Hey, sing this one girls.”  However, I feel it was a much simpler beast back then.  We worship that music for the same reason we get tingles when that 69 GTO rumbles next to us at a stoplight and we get chills just thinking about driving it.  I could go out and buy the new one right now, with all the bells and whistle, but it wouldn’t be remotely the same.  And…I can promise you that there are no tingles when you see 1992 lebaron next to you. 

That’s the problem.  Too many bells and whistles.  Too many switches to flip, and too many risk reports and safety precautions.  Its kind of like the one about the man who gets sick, starts taking one pill.  Gets more sick.  Takes another pill.  Something else comes up, yet another pill.  Well eventually he gets fed up with all the pills and procedures.  Quits it cold.  Gets better.  Who would have ever guessed it was the pills and the snake oil all along. 

I think it has a lot to do with the musicians as well.  I basically think there are 2 kinds.  Musicians that pray people will love the music they create.  And……Musicians who pray they can create music people will love.  And no….they are not the same thing.  I know I seem extremely cynical in my outlook.  But I can’t create shit, so I’ve always been a little bitter about it.

 Listeners are just as responsible as the musicians.  There are all different kinds of people, and they all do it differently.  Some aliens people just are completely indifferent to all forms of music.  They turn on the radio and all they hear are the adds.  Some people love music, but aren’t remotely curious as to whats beyond whatever is within reach.  Thats like getting a hamburger and never wondering what it would be like with cheese and bacon.  Then there are the desperate ones.  Its a sickness down to their very souls.  They wake up at night thinking about a song, or go to bed with one ringing in their ears.  Tragically, they will never be content.     

That’s it.  Thought Ended.  Like whatever you want.  But the next time someone asks me what my favorite band is.  I’m refusing to have “the argument”

**sorry for the recycled graphic…couldn’t be helped***