The MTV generation (sorry, long)

[William Duffy]

> >> The question is: why do people like music? I've been a music fanatic
> >> since 8th grade, getting into bands like Queen, Duran Duran,
> >
> >NB: Any similarities between Duran Duran and "music" being entirely
> >coincidental.  :)  Although I must have to admit that I've considered
> >recently the possibility that indeed the Bee Gees (following the
> >reminder presented by the recent death of one of them) and not Duran
> >Duran was the worst band in history.  :)  (Not counting Country and
> >Rap "music."  And 'serious' techno either.)
>
> What's with all the hataz here?!? :^)  I'm *proud* of the fact that my
> current band covers the Hawklords AND Johnny Cash!  And a previous band
> that covered "Psi Power" also had Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn songs in
> our repertoire.  Judging country music based on the likes of Kenny Rogers
> and Garth Brooks would be like judging rock music based on Air Supply and
> Bon Jovi.  (And ST37 have that great "Sunburst Yodel #9" country-space
> tune!)
>

With myself, I couldn't say that I'd hate C&W music, because I usually just
turn a blind ear to it (in much the same way as I do with certain genres of
film & TV). It just doesn't interest me. Other styles I know are really bad
thogh, such as Rap!

> >But ok, I consider the entire early 80s to be one gigantic unmitigated
> >disaster...
>
> Hard to disagree with that.  Even in the underground, it was pretty grim.
> Punk rock, once an inclusive and diverse genre, had devolved into a rote
> form of macho jock-infested hardcore.  Once-interesting bands (from
Cabaret
> Voltaire to Devo) became bland synthpop purveyors (the first two Thompson
> Twins albums are actually pretty experimental, and were produced by Mike
> Howlett of Gong).  Some of the best bands the US had to offer (the
> Chesterfield Kings and Plasticland, to name two) were deeply emmeshed in
> slavish imitations of the past, with as much attention paid to fashion as
> the music.  Helios Creed split from Chrome and Damon Edge got boring.
>

What I found really sad was to discover your heroes doing things musically
that you'd never dream of them doing, such as Pete Sinfield writing most of
the Bucks Fizz songs, & Willie Wilcox (from Todd Rundgren's Utopia)
co-writing songs with Kylie Minogue. Also seeing musicians from bands like
Rainbow becoming backing musicians for ppl like Enrique Inglasies & Madonna.

There was also the bands that started off really good, like OMD who, as soon
as they got recognized, changed their style to boring pop music (and now
they are the backing band and song writers for Atomic Kitten). Ultravox was
the same. As soon as John Foxx left they became boring.

William