General Music Chat

What's with my generation? Art just feels dead in the 21st Century-technological age. Where are the Rembrandts and da Vincis? Voltares and Caravaggios? Where are the Martin Luther King Jr.s and Thomas Jeffersons? Gandhis, Shakespears, T.S. Eliots? Hitchcoks and Kubricks? And more importantly to this site: the Beethovens, Berliozs, John Lennons, Stevie Wonders's? It's as if all the progressions made in the past, not only in the arts but in other facets of society as well, were made so the next disillusioned generation can lazily take life for granted. I'm sick of video game playing, technology drenched ignobles arrogantly disregarding the past. I'm tired of unmannered consumers who do nothing but just that - consume. The world's population has grown considerably since the Boomer generation... where are the major artists? Perhaps they're there but won't be recognized because our society is obsessed with unintelligent nobodys like Paris Hilton and Akon. I went by a house party the other day and the adults there sat around drinking while their teen and pre-teen age daughters danced around scandalously to a song that simply repeats over and over again 'I want to f**k you, f**k you...' I realize freedom of speech is important but it's as if people take laws too far and use them to protect their medieval attitudes and outlooks. There's a wealth of information at our fingertips; why do people choose to be so dumb? I need to get off of the computer - so I'm finished pontificating, for now. I'd say that was quite the tirade...

I hear what you are saying Davis. I find after all these years, I still love to explore & discover new things musically. About bands like the Stones, The Who, Beatles, Buddy Holly, etc. And I have to admit, I would've liked to had been at the party you mentioned. Guess I have a Medieval Attitude & outlook myself when it comes to Women. {Just Kidding} Well.....To a certain extent anyway. I Love Music & Women!!.......Peace.

I hear what u r driving at and don't have an answer other than: tom waits.
some consider him (like his hero bukowski) - one of the greatest poets of our time... then again he's not really your generation... but I think people like him will emmerge... but like their predecessors they will be unknown at some point along the way.

...Tom waits is no hemingway... but then neither was hemingway himself. Don't you think it's true that people rarely are able to see greatness except for in retrospect?
I'm sure there are examples that both prove and disprove that idea, but I like to think it is one of the mysteries of art...
what will be the art that is significant to the people of the future... once you've stripped all the connections-to-the-present from it, and all that's left is the art on it's own?

Seth, maybe you have to wait for your generation to grow up. Alot of those persons you mentioned were older, or at least weren't recognized until theygot older or even pusthumously. The only time I know when a bunch of 20 somethings were changing their world was perhaps around the time of the French Revolution (Napolean was elevated to general in his 20s). And let's face it - we aint living in a revolutionary time.

Maybe you could take your complaint inwardly and ask "What am I doing to make my mark? To make a statement about my generation?" For all you know, you could produce the next great magnum opus and don't know it yet.

I feel for ya lil brother...Lord how did you side step all the mindless influence that has been present YOUR whole life...For that , I commend you...Sounds like you long for the past you never got to know..I at least got 15 or so good years in.Yeah , we crossed a threshold about 1981 well, maybe as late as 86 that took the human element out of being creative...The dumbing down was a natural progression when we took the human out of human being...Ill tell you guys, I blame this damn computer...I know Ill get flamed but its true...Humanbeing creativity allowed me to make a livin doing what I love 75-95...Live music used to be a major form of entertainment whether it was Joes bar and grill, Ramada Inn, Local Rock and Country clubs which are almost non existent now...From 1920s thru 1980s OUR business didnt change that much...We all gigged , recorded, performed with basically the same technology..it was all on a level that didnt take any computer skills to learn..There was a human cause and effect...Old 50's PA systems were still relevent in the 80s' ...2" tape in the studios.Knobs , sliders, HUMAN EARS....BUT, like everything else, when we keep making things faster, easier,we cheapin its intended value, lessin the human creativity
Hell, I miss the static on the PH long distance to my girlfreind 500 mi away in 79...My hotel room PH bills used to run 50-120$ a WEEK while on the road..I made me appreciated getting to finally see her, hear her real voice...I used to recieve and write hand written letters that took 5-7 days to recieve... When I would FINALLY see that evelope with flowers on it , my heart would melt...Jesus, we've moved too fast people...Damn, Id like to go back and see what the 3.5 floppy disk was all about...We were on to CD's by the time I changed the first software update chip in my datadisk. ...Now , Ive hid my head in the sand so long hoping all this was a nightmare, I doubt Ill ever catch up...Yep, the medieval times is what we're headin for....The only thing that will bring back the human element to this culture is the widespread loss of electricity...We'd have to become resourceful again and depend on one-another....Its only gonna get worse kids...Everyone is too busy with email, blogs,blackberrys,cell PHs etc to help the lil old lady down the street cut her grass...If we coulda stopped while we were ahead, things coulda been different....Hell, IMO, we've made alot of things MORE difficult to operate, harder to understand from a common sense POV....I like makin fun of those things like sayin in 65 , we had a knob that turned the radio on , then off...Now, a series of buttons have to be pushed, parameters set etc.....Hell, I could go on ...Dont really know how much of this is relevant to the topic but it was good to see a young man feel this way...maybe there is hope....
My eyes are glased over I dont type very fast...
Im gettin in the wayback machine (peabody and sherman) now set for 74..
Ill come back tomorrow.

Later,
KIDD

I like to stay hopeful and think that all the "major artists", as you say, of our generation are out there. I think some of the reasons we don't know them is because they're merely not aware of themselves, too anxious to make their move, or it just isn't their time yet.

Art may feel dead but you have to look in the right places. Don't expect the ingenious artist to jump up and down waving his/her arms around yelling, "Look at me! I'm the next big thing!" You have to search for what you want. I know it's not the easiest thing to do but it is very satisfying once you find something.

Perhaps they're there but won't be recognized because our society is obsessed with unintelligent nobodys like Paris Hilton and Akon.

this is not a "perhaps," this is an understatement.

Maybe , we don't have geniouses any more because the society of media is promoting short cuts to thinking. Plus Grunge and Punk pretty much ended good musicianship, better songwritting and having an open mind.

AJ6stringsting,
You make good & valid points.
On the other hand, maybe we do, indeed have geniouses around.
Maybe they just don't want to expose themselve to ridicule for being different.
So - if you ARE different - be brave.
Post your music, and: damn the critics!
.
Just remember: no statue was ever erected for a critic.

I agree with the part about society coming up with shortcuts, but disagree about the grunge and punk comment. Rather, punk and grunge were eras where bands did something different and reacting against what was popular.

musically, there is a lot of great stuff like out there like Flaming Lips, Russian Futurists, Porcupine Tree... just a few examples

There is also a lot of hip hop out there that is very much on the intellectual level and doesn't sound like club rap.