> I think I missed the point. Why should we strive to make the music more
> popular? I kinda get turned off by overproduced commercial music mass
> produced for the masses (excuse the cliche). I love the music. I love
> the variety in it. I think that when music becomes so popular, it merges
> diverse thoughts into the thought of big $$$ (read: same song, different
> group or: same s*it, different day). The pop audience seems to love
> something one day, hate it the next.
Wait, wait, wait. I'm sure we've has this discussion before, but let's
keep things clear in our minds. For music to become "popular" requires
two things to happen-maybe three. First, and most obvious, is that by
definition it must gain mass appeal, and to be appealing to such a wide
range of people with wide ranging tastes (I'm being generous here), means
the music itself must be awfully damn diverse or pretty mediocre, with
the latter usually being the case. The other possibility is one that all
you "glasses are half full" people would like in which you educate the
masses to appreciate this wonderful music--an overwhelming, if not
impossible task. However, much improvement could be made in this
direction and many of us willingly and patiently make strides to do this
in our daily contact with friends and acquaintances. I really don't know
enough to predict what progress could be made using an informational
newsgroup for this purpose. The questionable third possibility would be
to have a situation such as exists in the UK where people hear the music
on a more or less daily basis in commericials (yeck) or as theme songs
for TV/radio programs. In other words, if you hear it often enough it
becomes a part of your life, regardless of your previous tastes (or lack
of such) or your "understanding" of the the music.
> It took me a long time listening to
> many different styles to gravitate to the love of AJ that I have now.
Yes! Now how can we foster such development in others. I'm sure there are
others on this list who "arrived" at an appreciation of this music from a
much shorter and less circuitous route, but that doesn't mean they cannot
appreciate it as much. However, they may not have the sticking power of
those of us who have taken longer to reach this point.
> I think that once the pop audience was done with AJ, all we would have is
> shreds of broken up groups.
I don't understand the reasoning here.
> Of course something else would come along.
Wait a minute, now. If this music is what most claim it to be, it will
continue to evolve. It' not static, or shouldn't be, but people keep
trying to nail it down. Shall we digress a little on Heisenberg's
Uncertainty Principle as an appropriate metaphor for what should be the
case? I suppose not. The point is, something else SHOULD come along. I
certainly hope so, anyway, and I hope it's still got a that groove.
> Last point: would you like groovin' to some great AJ in the middle of a
> top 40 crowd? *shiver* Wow, does this seem so negative?
Well, first of all, it rings of that "holier than thou" shit which we
probably would like to avoid. But mostly, it give the, probably erroneous,
impression that the music itself will become so shallow that people with
more simple tastes (is that PC enough?) will like it.
Sorry for ragging on this post. I'm off my horse now.
Bil
bdwyer@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu