Music Is Dead
June 25th, 2007 by Jared Morris
Who was it that said that a decline in culture will ultimately bring an end to that society? Do you remember hearing that American Idol were in talks to bring Paul McCartney on the program as a celebrity judge? Sir Paul declined their generous offer. Well, what would’ve been the point? No one would have known who he was anyway.
What? Jared you’re insane. I remember hearing a story about a 15-year-old girl, whom after the Wings retrospective CD “Wingspan†was released, was asked if she knew who The Beatles were. Her response “No,†then she was asked have you ever heard of Paul McCartney, “Oh, isn’t he the guy from Wings?â€Â
Today I did an informal poll of all young looking clerks at different area stores today, all within the ages of 19-22, and (hold your breath) none of them could name the Four Beatles.Â
“The Beatles saved the world from boredom,†George Harrison.Â
How soon the world forgets, Dark Horse. The best I was able to conjure was one 19-year-old at the Bose outlet who could name “John Lennon and Ringo.†Just as a basic music knowledge quiz, I asked him if he knew who Bob Dylan was. He responded, “of course I do… I’m in a rock band.†(YOU’RE IN A ROCK BAND AND YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THE BEATLES WERE???) …calm down…
You may often wonder why music has become so inane in the last decade or so. There’s your answer. I shudder to think about what the next generation of music will be like. Those who’ve never heard of The Beatles. The Beatles, only the band that every single pop and rock band owes everything to.Â
How can school, parents and media have failed these children? It’s an important piece of pop culture, nay, social history to be informed about the fab four. If you don’t know the material, at least know the names.Â
It’s easy guys, it’s just like remembering the gospels. Ringo, George, John and Paul. I mean heck… If you know the name of the last pope, you’ve got two of them. (Next Step: there’s George Martin, Phil Spector, Billy Preston, Ravi Shankar, Dhani Harrison, Linda McCartney, Yoko Ono, Pete Best, etc etc etc.)
There’s no hope for the music industry and there’s no hope for culture. You’ve forgotten The Beatles.
June 25th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Just as Sinatra faded until his death, and just as Elvis is fading, so too, will the Beatles. Let the music stand on its own, not because it happened to be on the radio while you lost your virginity in the backseat of your dad’s Buick.
June 25th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
No, your mom is taking me.
June 25th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Odd how the music subject is being blogged. Had a difference of opinion with a colleague a couple of weeks ago, after I had watched a Donovan concert on PBS. He’s about your age, Jared…never heard of Donovan and thus says “he must not have made any contribution to the music world”. HAH! So, speaking of dead music…I’ll ask you. Heard of Donovan, Cat Stevens, Jackson Browne…(and if you say “nope” then I’ll eat my vinyl and invite you to join me for lunch!)
June 25th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Lots of people make contributions to the world of music then fade into obscurity. Ask any modern rock band who their influences are and invariably they will name at least one artist you’ve never heard of.
So, I just looked up Donovan. his wikipedia page doesn’t meet their standards, lol. Yeah, I’m not surprised a young person doesn’t know who he is.
June 26th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
I would recommend any youngster to listen to “Little Steven’s Underground Garage,” a weekly rock-and-roll retrospective and also a place for “garage rock.” They could learn a lot from it. The Beatles, Monkees, Stones, plus Donovan, roots music…”Little Steven” VanZant (yes, the guy from The Sopranos) covers it all in a topical format.
http://www.littlestevensundergroundgarage.com
June 26th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
LOL…Pat. I think Steve VanZant looked much better in his doo-rag when he played with the E Street Band than he did the wig on the Sopranos. And what ever happened to Clarence Clemmons? Maybe I’ll go look…
June 27th, 2007 at 6:09 am
That, and don’t forget Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
June 27th, 2007 at 6:10 am
By the way…speaking of McCartney, if you haven’t already, check out his new album, “Memory Almost Full.”
June 27th, 2007 at 11:20 am
And let’s not forget the Monkees…’Here we come, walkin down the street” EVERYBODY!!!
June 27th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
The Monkees made a brief return to TV on the I Network (formerly Pax, now Ion) last fall. It was great to see some those classics again…like Mike Nesmith throwing darts at the Beatles, one of them landing on Ringo Starr’s forehead. And RoseMarie singing the Monkees theme during a shootout episode.