Klarinet Archive - Posting 000833.txt from 1997/08

From: Lisa Clayton <clayton@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: my opinion (OFF TOPIC)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 19:18:33 -0400

Andy Scholberg wrote:
<SNIPPED>
>The most abrasive forms of popular music =96 hard rock and gangsta rap =96
>promote illegal drugs, cop-killing, suicide, Satan worship, fornication,
>sexual perversion, and other enormities. The subject matter and language
>are vile. Lyrics are liberally peppered with the "F" word, used in various
>forms as a verb, noun, and practically every other part of speech =96 and
>indication that the lyricists lack a basic working vocabulary. It would be
>practically impossible to make a habit of listening to this kind of sleazy
>music without damaging one's soul.=20
<SNIPPED>
>Junk music is to the soul what junk food is to the body. Habitual
>indulgence makes it less likely the person will be able to appreciate a
>subtle masterpiece =96 whether its a delicately seasoned salmon steak, a
>memorable glass of wine, or a late Beethoven string quartet.=20

Theodore Sturgeon once said of Science Fiction that "sure, 90% of
it is crud, but 90% of anything is crud." This is very much true
of "popular" music. Remember, there was a time when Benny Goodman
and Charlie Parker were considered "pop" musicians. And while I'm
not so overly fond of "mass-market music", there is quite a bit of
popular music out there that really pushes the boundaries of music,=20
social commentary, poetry and theater. Finding it, though, takes a=20
bit of searching; by and large it isn't on Top 40 stations. =20

Two things I want to point out that are a bit more on-topic: =20
first, a lot of classical musicians, from Bach to Gershwin used a lot
of "popular" or folk music in their compositions. Second, a lot of=20
what I consider the most exciting young clarinetists in the Bay Area=20
would probably be considered not much else than mere noise by a lot of=20
listeners-- namely, Ben Goldman and Beth Custer-- because they use
a lot of genres for inspiration. =20

Finally, in defense of hip-hop artists, while there are a lot that=20
are just offensive for the sake of being offensive, many, such as
Ice Cube, KRS One, Queen Latifah (just to name a couple) have very
rich lyrics that talk about the conditions young black men and women
have to labor under. Their music talks about pride, senseless death,
why *not* to be a gangster, African-American unity, despair, police=20
brutality, crime, poverty, sex as an escape, senseless death and=20
the lure of easy money, all with a amazing feel for rhythm and=20
poetry. If you listen closely to Ice-T for instance, you get the=20
sounds of a man trying to warn his younger brothers away from the=20
scene, and the same time angry at what he and his community have=20
gone through under racism and poverty. =20

It's far too easy to dismiss this kind of music as "merely noise", but
frankly I find that those who do so have no more an understanding of
the hip-hop movement than those who are so musically illiterate that
they can't sit through a symphony without falling asleep. On both
sides there's a basic lack of appreciation and understanding. =20

------ Lisa K. Canjura-Clayton <*> clayton@-----.edu
/ http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~clayton <*> http://www.jonsimsctr.org
/ Hank: "Cooties are what we used to call the germs girls had."=20
/ Bobby: "You mean like chlamydia?" -- KING OF THE HILL =20