Rock N Roll is Dead (And We Like It) Part II:

Though there may only be two people out there reading this, it has come to my attention I have been unfair toward the Country Music community. I was accused of deliberately jabbing Country Music and straying away from the point of the Blog: Rock N Roll is Dead. In all honesty, of course I took a cheap shot; folks, that's what blogs are for, Blogs let you say what you normally wouldn't say aloud to anyone you know. I wouldn't necessarily say that Blogs are cowardice, but it is certainly a ambiguous way to feel anonymously powerful, if only for the ten minutes you write it. Furthermore, Blogs are inherently subjective. And, if we can be academic for a moment, objectivity exists only to focus and bend the refracted light of subjectivity. So, in essence, what I'm saying is that Objectivity is merely the hand-maiden of Subjectivity. (Do with that what you will)

Yes, but I suppose I have digressed from what we were talking about: Country Music. The real point the reader made was that I was inconsistent if you'll remember, "Ethnocentric, and dare I say it, full of misery and self-loathing." I then alluded this is why the Blues were created and that is was certainly more creative and soulful. I was taken to task by a reader, who happened to know my email address, and what follows is the dialogue we had back and forth. (Note: I publish this dialouge in hopes that other readers will appreciate the notion of dialogue as a means to undertstanding one another and communicate)

M: "How is it that Country is ethnocentic, when the Blues is not? Not that I like country, but just the same, it is incongruous. Otherwise the post is decent, save for the "their" instead of "they're". (Note: I have read the post several times, and still can not find that mistake. If you find the sentence please post somewhere so I can see. I'm not saying I didn't make it; I'm saying perhaps I'm reading too fast and can't see it.)

B: Country is totally ethnocentric in that it revolves mainly around a miserable, overly-patriotic sentiment of US vs. THEM. Furthermore, Country is the terrible off-shoot of Bluegrass, whereas the Blues was completely innovative and original, and, lest we forget, started the entire Rock N' Roll movement in America.

As for the grammatical error, well, there are no excuses except to say that I was writing quickly and wasn't paying attention; it was about completion of thought.

M: I am not talking about the merits of one versus the other: the blues is, hands down, a better brand of music. I am merely talking about the inconsistency. You don't have to hate all things white bread just because they're white bread in order to prove that you are open-minded. That is my point. You can be consistent and true to your thoughts as long as you are careful to say what it is you want to say without giving discerning readers (possible detractors) something so obvious to point out.

B: Ok, look. The Blues is not ethnocentric; it is merely centric. It revolves around the self and self-laments, sure, but doesn't espouse the feeling of America vs. The World. It just doesn't. The Blues was a way to feel bad but still be critical of the the system. Country doesn't do that; it tows the line every time. I don't hate country, in fact, there are some country songs you can groove to, but that's Old Country: Willie Nelson, Hank Williams. So, in essence, it's not inconsistency, it's the truth overly simplified.

M: Again, not my point. The point is to present your core issue. That issue is that pop-music is crap. Throwing in the off-hand comment was unnecessary and detracted from your point. That is all I am saying.

I agree with your point of view, by the way.

And, that's where we left it. I felt it was important to share here because those who felt critical of the statement may now have better insight into my thought process, and, by the grace of God, would allow us to understand one another better. (That's probably a long shot)

Rock N Roll is Dead (And We Like It)

It's true. In the shower this morning I realized music has been rotting away miserably at its core for years. I woke up humming "Emotional Rescue", thinking that the Stones needed to rescue themselves. There have been several turning points, in my mind, that led to this demise: the death of Jimi Hendrix, the death of Jerry Garcia, the death of John Lennon, and the rise of the "bubble-gum" hip-pop industry in the late 80's and early 90's. Honestly, the last great musical wave was Punk; it was nasty, hard, political and meaningful. It was raw and uncontained. Now, even punk is pop and marketable, i.e. Blink 182.

We are now Pavlov's dogs, conditioned to three minute ditties with formulaic rhythms and sounds. Are any of these artists mildly distinguishable from one another?. The radio pounds these artists into your head, MTV and VH1 have the videos and interviews on loop, media campaigns staring the artist selling their new jeans, their new perfumes, a new clothing line, hit puree, and, presto, another faithful listener, another consumer. And, let's be real for moment, what do these pre-pubescent boppsters and mid-life crisis cronies have to say about life, about anything? Nothing. Everyone's talking about their ass, how lovely it is, condensing emotionally crippled ballads in a chorus of three and four word emptiness. It's a disgrace. Of course, this raises larger questions of how we, as a society, are being conditioned to feel and think about the world we live in; in other words, helping to contain our emotional responses to situations and the world around us.

I'm sure you are asking, "Well, what do you listen to?" Good question. Just about everything: Jazz, Jam Band, Rap, Bluegrass, Blues, Acid Jazz, Funk, Punk (Rancid/Flogging Molly/Dropkick Murphy's..Etc), Electronica, Classic Rock (Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, The Talking Heads...The list goes on and on.) (And, yes, I know they are a bunch of old and out-of-the-way white radicals, but, hell, everyone has to start somewhere) I leave County music out because it is void. And, seriously, it's not even country anymore, it's Pop-Country. Furthermore, it's ethnocentric and, dare I say it, full of misery and self-loathing. Folks, that's why people created the blues, to let others know how they was feelin', and it sure as hell has more soul and creativity. Do I feel that everyone should listen to subversive elements from the mainstream? No. It's matter of taste for each person, taste which is highly questionable, but for God's Sake can we demand more innovative music please?

If what we have on the radio today is the evolution of music, if this is what music is to become, then I, for one, am opting out. It's time to de-evolutionize music. It's time that we took back music from the record companies. No more formulas, no more Idols, no more making 400 percent profit on CD's and downloads. The time has come to feel music again, believe in music's healing powers, music's communicative powers, not just its capital value. This nonsense pushed on us today is not music; it's simply musical advertisements. Rock N' Roll is dead, and we like it.

Christmas Saves the Economy (Again):

Well, ladies and gents, the time for gift-giving and receiving is over, and with it, another economic salvation. Congrats on saving the economy with our incredible spending power, and with this salvation, we boosted the funding for such dubious efforts as: the war on terror, bigger and better tax breaks for the corporate class, providing a "third-leg" for the dismal airline industry, funding for the new sub-class of nuclear arsenal (Bunker-Busters), military defense and premptive strikes on Third World nations, and, finally, giving proof to the rhetoric of a "free-market", just look at the deals we got!

Good job to all who towed the Government Line; you will be forgotten. That is, until, they need you to open up your wallets again to fund another campaign. Let the unity begin.