Contemporary Music

Thursday, April14, 2006

Okay...I will admit it...I am a child of the '60's and have a distinct bias. That being said...the dearth of musical creativity these days is truly a cause for distress. Where are those musical pioneers who are reinventing, reshaping and revamping the art?? Is innovation in remission??


Credit where credit is due department:
Even though not an afficanado of RAP music, I DO appreciate its inherent originality and creativity. And...let it not be said that the current scene is totally barren because there is ample evidence to the contrary. But...compared to the prolific '60's...today's level of creativity is a veritable wasteland.

The degree to which music blazed trails, the incredible ability to develop something NEW and ORIGINAL...to really be at the cutting edge...these are just not evident in contemporary music and musicians.

I will say that a large part of this wasteland haa been engineered by the industry and that there ARE new and innovative musicians who are redefining the art...but...whether from payola or the indefatigible need to coopt, the music business has done its best to stifle anything that even remotely may be new and cutting edge and they substitute for this potential quality an endless slew of pap-like "create-a-star" pseudo icons who just feed the fires of the corporate drive for the almighty dollar.

Even though the industry was still there in the '60's...they had not gotten their claws into the scene to the extent that they were able to coopt the musicians or the scene. But...even some of those musical rebels have sold out to the corporate world in their acceptance of corporate sponsorships from beer companies, stock market investors, and a whole slew of anti-individuality, pro "dollar at the expense of everything" mentality corporations.

I guess I am just another nostaligia lovin', live for the past, old hippie refugee from the 60's. I have heard it said that this is surely a sign of old age and dementia...if so...I must plead guilty.
I can only hope that they will put us in old age and retirement homes that serenade us with those awesome classics that I still listen to. The Dead, Cream, Hendrix...I could make a pretty damn awesome playlist!! That way we can at least rock out as we rock on!!

trickster108