Me: Do you know who Credence Clearwater Revival are?
Flash (A girl I work with): Are they like the backstreet boys?
This is a true to life transcription of a conversation I had with at work tonight. I was truly aghast. Here I was, trying to bring the gift of music to the masses and introduce them (albeit slowly) to the ways of Too Much Fun, and I was confronted with ignorance. You see, I had just purchased the new album by Jerry Lee Lewis, entitled "Last Man Standing," and I was playing it in the kitchen. One of the songs performed on this disc is "Travelling Band," originally by CCR. I was explaining to my co-workers (all infants by the way) about the history of Rock and Roll and Jerry Lee's importance as well as others in shaping that history. It truly makes me weep that kids today have no idea who these people are or what they did for music. I'm not disparaging today's rockers, there are many current bands that I enjoy, but I also firmly believe that those that did it first need to be recognized and appreciated. If it weren't for Jerry Lee Lewis, there would be no Rolling Stones, If no Rolling Stones than no Led Zeppelin, If no Zeppelin than no Sex Pistols, If no Pistols, no Green Day, Etc ad infinitum. These are the folk that forged the music we enjoy today and they were and are truly groundbreaking. On "Last Man Standing," (A fine disk that everyone should give a listen to) Jerry Lee even does a duet with Kid Rock. Talk about fantastic stuff.
I thank God every day that I was raised in an environment that allowed me the experiences that I have had, and too learn about stuff that isn't force fed to us by the media. In short I am believe that I am one of the last free thinkers to walk this world. I don't like something just because it is "underground" nor do I accept what a magazine tells me is good. I make up my own mind after my own experiences...and then I accept the consequences, but no matter what I know that I have made that choice and that there is no-one to blame but me and me alone. I attempt to broaden minds as I go along, I do not reject things that are "corporate", (unless it that thing truly is bad, then I will reject it with all the strength of my being, like those fucking cucumbers(some day cucumbers, someday, I will destroy you all)) But I also appreciate the things that are independent. Aren't we all trying to be independent ourselves?
Some days I feel that I should just give up and let the youth of today suffer in their ignorance, but then I consider the artists that go un-admired.
An artist without an audience is just masturbating.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment