Klarinet Archive - Posting 000852.txt from 1997/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: my opinion (OFF TOPIC)
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 14:26:14 -0400

At 04:18 PM 8/19/97 -0700, you wrote:
>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,
>social commentary, poetry and theater. Finding it, though, takes a
>bit of searching; by and large it isn't on Top 40 stations.
>
I think the difference that matters here is between your basic, benign
crud, and your acidic, cancerous, anti-social-behavior-promoting crud.
Benny Goodman played pop music, yes, and mostly upper 10% stuff. But the
worst thing he ever did never came close to suggesting anyone kill cops,
never used vile language, etc. "Pushing the boundaries" is a virtue only
if you push them in meaningful directions. Pushing just to prove you can
get away with something is anarchy. Just my $.02.

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.