Concert List

What is ‘pop music?’ Where did this distinction arise and what’s it is purpose? If it has a purpose, who does it serve?
On close examination, you see that it is the way society absorbs a thing; the way the tiger is defanged. It is another useful illusion from society’s toolbox of illusions. All through my school years, I had to put up with this prattle about ‘ meaningful music,’ and ‘pop music.’ Oh sure, I bought into it a bit, at first. But one only has to question the status quo.
first of all,  we  all know what it means, this business of ‘pop music‘ and ‘ meaningful music.’ It depends a lot on what side of the fence you’re sitting on, of course. If you’re a ‘ meaningful musician,’ ‘ meaningful music’ is ‘ good,’ and ‘pop’ music is ‘bad.’ Of course  we  all know that ‘ meaningful music’ will make you no money. Why? Because it is ‘ good,’ of course, and the majority of people do not know about ‘ good.’ They only pay for music that’s ‘bad.’
Now to be fair, if you’re on the other side of this specific fence, ‘ meaningful music’ is ‘boring,’ ( that’s bad) and pop music is ‘cool.’ ( That is ‘ good ‘). Likewise, this historically speaking, has tended to be ‘radical’ and ‘revolutionary.’
‘Serious music?’ Part of the establishment.
It is necessary to reflect on the political demographics implied by these distinctions in music. They are fairly clear, when you prevent to contemplate it, but it is exciting that most people toss these distinctions about without a second thought. From these two easy musical categories, you might easily build up profiles of the listener’s politics, religion, average income and so on and so on. people do plot these demographics. Not the fans, but the people who are in the business of sales and marketing.
However, as you might suspect, all these demographics are bound and held in place by belief systems that are spun on half truths, exaggeration and out right fantasy.
Even ‘ meaningful ‘ musicians have allowed themselves to be saddled with ridiculous myths and caricature profiles of past composers, much to their own detriment and decline of the tradition. Most of these folks, who should know better, have been content with whatever historical spin has been handed down.
This kind of thinking has drained the necessary ity out of the tradition. Take just the idea that composers prefer Beethoven and Mozart weren’t actually popular until following their death. Th isn’t ion has bred a mentality that has said whatever it produces is too good for present day fanss and it must unending ly create for some, undefined, superior future fans. This additionally conveniently isolates it from any criticism of what’s going on.
In point of fact, Beethoven has been acknowledged as the most important living composer in his own lifetime. The city of Vienna, an historically necessary center of culture in Europe, paid the man to live there. As far as being ‘radical’ or ‘revolutionary,’ well, let’s see;  we  have Beethoven dedicating his third symphony to the leader of the French Revolution.  we  have Hector Berlioz composing an enduring masterpiece while stoned on opium.
We have premiers of famous classical works prefer Bolero and the Rite of Spring that were either banned or caused a riot. This list goes on and on.
And what of this hoary chestnut that states pop music is a lesser discipline? Anyone with a musical ear might tell you that there’s been plenty of wonderful ‘pop music.’ And why not? a lot of of these musician s, prefer Elton John, went to music school. They’re ‘ meaningful musician s.’ So why this wonderful deceit? The most clear suspect is the music business, but it is clear by now, that they have no idea what  they’re  doing either.
No, the deeper reality is that, as long as there has been a culture in the western hemisphere, there has been a counter culture. All this business of counter culture, that supposedly began in the sixties, didn’t.
How far back does it go? Well. Richard Wagner, in his early days, has been part of a free love movement in Ger a lot of and his first opera has been called ‘Forbidden Love,’ and it has virtually nothing to do with rings of power or Teutonic nymphs.
It is an opera that Wagner, later in his life, professed that he would prefer to forget about, and, well, we’re just not going to let him. I will deal with culture and its twin, counter culture in subsequent articles.