So hi everyone. Something I saw today astounded me. Thought maybe I could get some good conversation going before I leave 313/734/248 for the first time since I was a wee infant.
Are we living in a more self-serving time? I went to Comerica Park today to see Stevie Wonder on a television perform live a few miles away. Stevie Wonder is a very rich man. Stevie Wonder has also stopped being a major creative force. Yet there was something that I witnessed that changed me. Here he was being moved to tears, thanking everyone from a woman that he created an entire album with, to a stage hand who was placing his microphone with the same enthusiasm. Everyone who came to see got down, even though we weren't even truly there. Even though he is a long way from Songs in the Key Of Life, he is an amazing performer, and a man with more soul than i could pretend to muster. Is Motown and the pop music of that era a more social and caring culture? Is Detroit techno and the pop music of our era a more introspective and personal experience? Is this why people who listen to electronic music have a hard time letting loose and getting together? No one really dances TOGETHER at raves or clubs, do they? I'm not counting slabs of beefs and people on drugs that encourage freakiness. It seems like this list likes to talk about who is on someone's nuts, or what is art, or why is some pretentious newcomer who doesn't understand the etiquette of self-promotion a chump? Did anyone ever wonder who was on Smokey Robinson's nuts? Or were people just plain content with getting the most out of this universal and beautiful music, and having a good time. Think about the difference between Stevie Wonder telling me he loves me just because I took the time to witness his art, and some of the posturing that the techno community thinks is so cool. I should've played at this festival because I taught so and so a guitar lick, or this person sucks because they are white, or this music is so overtly commercial that only idiots like you could appreciate it. Maybe I need to put some distance on 313, so that I can really digest it and create with what i've learned from it. Maybe we all need to put some distance in before we judge everyone else and act insanely hostile on a ludicrous music discussion forum. n8 --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
