Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

Music Materialism


Recommended Posts



Reminds me of a discussing about music artists and how they divide up between those that just want to make it,  the One and done types.   Then the artistically minded ones who the money is a fringe benefit if it even happens.    I think those two categories go back as long as there has been a music industry.   A lot of the One and Done type end up with normal boring day gig and a musical weekend warrior playing bars and such, or when I worked at the rehearsal studio they'd be in on the weekends to jam and consume mass quantities of beer.     The whole DIY music scene is increasing the number of people who think of themselves as "musicians" and or "producers" but still the mindset of I'm a One and Done or I'm an artist.    I loved the scene in the movie Animal House and John Belushi in his toga coming down the stairs and there is a guy with a nylon string guitar singing a lame folksong to some girls.   Belushi stops, listens for a second, then grabs the guitar and smashes it to pieces.    If that was 2023 the difference would be the lame guy on the stair would have his laptop playing a beat for the girls.  Belushi would stop listen, then smash the laptop and throw it across the room.   

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Docbop said:

If that was 2023 the difference would be the lame guy on the stair would have his laptop playing a beat for the girls.

Minus the lame part, being able to play an instrument and/or sing very well is a hit with some women.😉

 

It takes a certain amount of luck to be a one-hit wonder. 

 

Becoming an *successful* artist or musician requires developing and refining one's craft to the point of commercial viability whether it's acceptance or demand.

 

For an artist or musician, building an audience or following takes a lot of effort and a certain amount of luck too.😎

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, HammondDave said:

Have to agree with Bill on this one….    https://fb.watch/q2a_sBpabY/?mibextid=cr9u03

The man has a point.    One has to wonder how good the generation that grew up on this stuff is going to be at living "ecologically sound lives" - you know, using a minimum of resources.

Then again, the hippie generation all turned consumerist some time in the 80's, so there's that.

I really get a kick out of all the ecological doom and gloom one hears in the media all the time.   Meanwhile, everyone just goes on consuming big-time like there's no tomorrow.   Not that I can throw stones.

  • Like 2

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Floyd Tatum said:

The man has a point.    One has to wonder how good the generation that grew up on this stuff is going to be at living "ecologically sound lives" - you know, using a minimum of resources.

Then again, the hippie generation all turned consumerist some time in the 80's, so there's that.

I really get a kick out of all the ecological doom and gloom one hears in the media all the time.   Meanwhile, everyone just goes on consuming big-time like there's no tomorrow.   Not that I can throw stones.

 

Well said. I'm trying real hard to love my Mac Mini as hard as possible, because it gives you Way More with Far Less, at least in amount of metals. Its especially welcome if I can keep my music things going in a gentler manner.

 

As you said, I can't throw stones. I'm more along the lines of Pink Floyd percussionist Nick Mason's comment: "My carbon footprint is appalling." 😬

 "I like that rapper with the bullet in his nose!"
 "Yeah, Bulletnose! One sneeze and the whole place goes up!"
       ~ "King of the Hill"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, HammondDave said:

Have to agree with Bill on this one….

 

https://fb.watch/q2a_sBpabY/?mibextid=cr9u03

 


Was gonna share this same vid yesterday, but these type of sentiment almost always gets a "OK Boomer" type of response from the more politically correct among us. I'm sure someone's simply gonna find some silliness in old school music to prove their point.

And to play the devil's advocate, it's not like "We're the World" changed much of anything, or "love and flowers" really made us any more altruistic than the Gen Z/Millennials.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A tale as old as time. I guarantee your parents complained about the music you listened to.

It's easy to cherry-pick examples to prove a point, which is the currency of outrage media like Maher. His argument claiming there's only two songs glorifying money back in the day is of course fallacious as well. Not only are there much more than two, but the sheer amount of music released today compared to even just 20 years ago is staggering. Of course there are going to be more songs glorifying money. There's also way more love songs and break-up songs and every other kind of song because there's just way more people making and releasing songs.

But let's ignore all that and actually look at the songs and records that won at the Grammys this weekend. Record of the Year went to Miley Cyrus for Flowers. A break-up song about self-empowerment. Not about greed. Album of the Year went to Taylor Swift for Midnights. Nary a song about the lust for money on it. Song of the Year went to Billie Eilish for What Was I Made For from the Barbie soundtrack. Not about money. Best New Artist went to Victoria Monet. Despite her last name kind of sounding like money, her album Jaguar II isn't about money.

I could go on but honestly, this is just lame stereotyping to rile up people of Maher's generation. "Back in my day, songs had meaning!" Sure, some did. But there was a lot of crap, too. One of my favorite things is listening to SiruisXM 70s on 7 when they do re-runs of the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem. Of course there are the classics that have stood the test of time, but I'd say at least a third of the Top 40 are songs that have been totally forgotten, many rightfully so. Real stinkers.

Kids have access to every song ever made. My kids listen to all sorts of stuff, from the cheesy Jonas Bros to The Beatles to Taylor Swift to Stevie Wonder to whatever. My 14 year old's favorite band right now is Nirvana. I have no idea where she even found out about them. 

The kids will be all right.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...