Cakey Face's true identity...
Hello. Yes, Cakey Face's actual name is...Cookie Puss. Sorry to "out" you like that.
Anyway, LET'S GET BLOGGIN'!
Today's topic: Most of today's music sucks! Yay! Hooray for the untalented! Hazzaa for the tin ears! And, (ready?) WHOOP-DEE-DOO for the mindless masses who suckle at the teat of mediocrity! (How does THAT headline grab ya?)
First of all, we're not even gonna include rap in this discussion. It's not music. Period. Moving on...
Second, a little history. I grew up playing the piano. For many years. Scales, chords, practice, practice, practice. I still suck. Ok, honestly, I'm ok. I'm better at writing and arranging. (Stay with me. This IS leading somewhere.) My parents were very encouraging but only to the point of recitals and stuff like that. As far as all the bands I've been in and stuff I've written, they weren't DIScouraging, but my little music "career" was looked upon as a nice hobby. I played on the road over a period of about ten years (It's well documented on my site. Check it out, lazy bastard!). I've actually paid dues. I know people are gonna say "It's just playing. How hard can it be?" Well, it's not hard. Everything you do when you're NOT playing can be difficult. Anyway, without pointing any fingers, here's my point: I had the talent, and I paid my dues. There was just one link missing. You have to make this stuff your LIFE. I wasn't willing to take that last step. I'm still not. Now, I'm not stupid enough to make any blanket statements. There ARE still musicians out there slogging their way through the trenches. God bless 'em, eveyone! But it seems to me the ones who become exalted (Or "Idol-ized"...See what I did there? Clever, eh?) have no concept of "dues". They have no concept of supporting an album (Yes, I know they're CD's. SHUT UP! I'm old.) with a tour. They aren't prepared for live performance. (*cough*Ashley*cough*) These albums seem to go platinum right out of the gate. Why is that? Marketing? PR? Back in my day (I told you I'm old!) marketing meant dragging your ass from town to town, county fair to county fair and MAKE people like you and buy your product. It seems a similar thing happens with movies, too. Movies don't have "legs" anymore. Gosh, the movie only made three times it's money back the first weekend? FAILURE! But, I digress.
So, here we have musicians who've never studied music, voice, scales, chords (YES! It's IMPORTANT!) making millions of dollars. Hey, as a card carrying right-wing nut job, I'm all for making money. But these kids are gonna come down off their fifteen minute high and wonder what the hell to do next! If one can play, write, and produce, one could actually prolong their flash-in-the-pan to "flambe" status. I think the REAL heroes of the music industry ARE the producers, writers, and studio musicians. These guys work forever! Once you get that "I wanna be famous" attitude under control, you could have a great career. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with fame, but it passes. Looks fade. Cliche, cliche, cliche...all true, though.
I'm not, however, letting the producers and such off the hook. Music today feel so cookie-cutter. I'm sure it always has been, to some degree, but I'm so sick of all the bands with four guitars and a drummer jangling away. I'm sure the same thing was said in the horrible '80's about synths and stuff like that. And I agree somewhat. But in either case, you've gotta have great players, great songs, and great production. The holy trinity of music, you might say.
Yes, yes, yes! There is good stuff out there. I have a friend who keeps up with all the new stuff. He foregoes vacations, clothes, and FOOD for God's sake just for the sheer joy of buying the new CD by Spoon, Fork, Fork You, or whatever they're called. This guy has thousands, hell, maybe tens of thousands of records, CD's, DVD's, whatever! He says there IS good stuff out there. You just have to dig for it. He's 48. God bless him. I'm 40. People, I don't feel like digging anymore. I want a nap. Really.
What I've been doing is replacing all my old cassettes (and some of my vinyl) with CD's. When I was growing up (in the 70's and 80's) I loved all this music. I didn't really know why. I just did. After I had played in aforementioned bands, studied production in L.A., and opened my own recording studio I realized why I loved the music the way I did. Because I now knew what went into making it. I could go back to those hissy cassettes and crackling vinyl and actually identify what was going on arrangement-wise, production-wise, and chord-wise. Like a weekend at a marriage counseling retreat, I've fallen in love with the music of my youth once again. I can actually hear parts I've never heard on cassette or album coming through with bottled water clarity on the CD's of today. Yes, I guess I've closed my mind. But I don't care. It's my mind. And it's gonna remained closed. Although, sometimes I may hear something on the wind that comes drifting through an open window or two...
Hey, I DO like SOME stuff today. I really like BT. Chemical Brothers, Tiesto, techno stuff like that. I still like Springsteen (politics aside), Elton, of course. He was actually my inspiration to keep playing piano when I was a kid. But anyway, you can look at my iTunes list to see what a REAL old fogey listens to. I think I'm done with my rant. I'm groggy again. Get ready, Cookie Puss...Daddy's comin' home!
posted by Taggart Snyder @ 6/14/2005 07:07:00 PM
3 Comments:
I'll agree with everything you wrote except the Springsteen (never got into him) comment, and the Elton ("I'll pitch a big ol' gay hissy fit if I want because I'm a big ol' gay") stuff. I am younger than you (so much younger), but I don't want to "dig" around for new music either.
Clear Channel radio cannot be counted on to play anything new, a computer program picks out the music of today's generation. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket...or my pants...so I cannot relate to paying dues, but I simply know what I like. And I like myself some British pop and techno.
One could argue Kelly Clarkson paid her dues by winning "American Idol." And One would be wrong. "American Idol" is amateur hour and "The Gong Show" rolled into one. I am still paying my psychiatrist for helping me work through my damaged psyche after witnessing "From Justin to Kelly," if anything, Kelly Clarkson owes me a few co-payments toward my insurance.
I wish Rap and Hip-Hop would go the way of primetime TV game shows (far far away), and you can take "reality TV" with ya! (since "Survivor" and "The Price is Right" are really no different)
All this ranting has left me with a powerful thirst, a thirst for knowledge and a thirst for Diet Pepsi. As the ethereal voice of Neil Tennant tickles my mind ("Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat...") in my own private soundtrack, I can honestly claim I have never watched an episode of "American Idol"...and never will. Cakey Face warm and fuzzy.
Hmmmm….. Closed minded people really are the pitfall of American society as we know it. By eliminating objects, places, or things, upon which you know nothing about because you won’t open up your eyes and ears to experience, is quite a sad existence indeed. Fortunately, there are people out there who find appreciation in almost everything, including today’s music, like me.
Lets start at where I agree with you. (( I KNOW.. shocking indeed.)) Over all I don’t think that bands/single acts are paying quite the dues that singers have had to in the past. Not only that, but the only thing that matters any more is sex appeal. If you look great, don’t worry about singing YOU WILL SELL ANYWAY. What message are we sending our youths? It’s ok to be dumb, a high school drop out, do drugs and smoke as long as you’re good looking. THAT is what I feel the real tragedy of today’s music is.
NOW for where I don’t necessarily share your closed minded opinion. There are TONS of truly talented musicians putting out spectacular music on a daily basis and I have TRIED to help you see that, but to no avail. I can’t fault you for not liking RAP, that is an acquired taste, one of which even I am getting mortified at. But to sit there and say “”BASICALLY”” the only decent music is stuff put out in the 80’s and techno is just silly. I could sit here all day and type of list of great current artists, but I don’t have that much time. Guess you’ll just have to wait and be exposed to more of it later LOL I have a new goal in life.
Over all I can’t change your stubborn Taurus mind about music and you can’t change my mind about politics ((( OR BEING STERO TYPED)) The entire thing is sad and just one more thing we don’t have in common. In closing, I think you should try and at least open yourself up to some new music. WHO KNOWS!!!!! You might actually enjoy what you hear!!!
PS... Count... Give Idol a try. You might find it to be interesting!!!
Dire-
I cannot fathom watching even ten seconds of "American Idol." That is what the rest of America is for, so Clear Channel can grab the newest "Idol" product, play it fourteen times an hour, and subject the majority of Americans to this amateur hour slop.
Also, while my radio listening has ceased until the new independent stations get going in town, you could copy and paste your first paragraph about close mindedness, substitute "conservative values" for "today's music", and understand where Tag and I stand
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