English and their music
Hmmm, it must be time to make some gross generalisations and insult some people (unintentionally).
I have to do a rant about the English and their musical tastes and perceptions. Now most people my age have listened to the radio, heard some different genres, and made some choices about what they like and don't like. It amazes me that many English I talk too only seem to have short-term memories about the current fad, they have no depth for artists they have heard, and no breadth apart from "Top 40" type stuff.
When Grunge, and specifically, Nirvana swept across the world it must have missed London. Over half the people I have talked to have never heard of Nirvana, and fewer still have heard of similar groups - Pearl Jam, SoundGarden, Green River, The Melvins etc Many of these are not small, unsuccessful bands. As I was not living in London at that time, I have no idea if this just didn't get air-time, or if it did, and was ignored. But ok, I can accept that this was, for most of the world, a phase.
So why have other bands, ones you would think are generic by-words of classic quality also unknown? "Jimi who?" they ask. I urge you to find out if they have heard of Deep Purple, Van Halen, and The Eagles.
And then they have the gall to say my music is crap. At least the bands I listen to actually play instruments and write their own lyrics. I find some Trance/Dance music fine, some even good. It has a hypnotic aspect that just goes straight to those feet-tapping nerves. However the vast amount of crap overwhelms me, there are so many artificially constructed Boy/Girl/Mixed bands, based purely on image and a slight amount of talent. And they admit it! Pure marketing, it sickens me. "Artists" who mix music, or generate melodies on synthesisers can have talent, but when compared to, say "musicians", Rage Against the Machine, who do all their sounds without using a synthesiser (mostly generated on electric guitars) and write imaginative, meaningful lyrics. Lyrics full of alliteration, similes and poetry, the comparison of skill and talent falls firmly on the musicians side.
I would love to see a thesis on musical ability, how does Mozart rate Vs The Spice Girls Vs Suicidal Tendencies? It just bugs me when they say "what is this crap? who are these people?". I can accept that it may not be to their taste, but saying something is crap is irrelevant if the music is skilled. Don't like Bach? doesn't mean he was crap! "Tool is unpleasant for me" is a much better statement.
All I ask is that people comment about their perceptions, and not confuse their tastes with ability.
