From Irene McC Sent Thu, Jan 15th 1998, 11:20
From Irene McC Sent Thu, Jan 15th 1998, 11:20
On 14 Jan 98, xxxxxx.xxxxxx@xx.xxx.xx wrote: > I really enjoy listening to this records, but that's probably > because of the fact that I love music. But, I cannot understand this > stuff the way I'd understood it if I was born 20 years befor The point Robert is making is absolutely true. I *was* born 20 years before he was, and I was thus around and know all the records he mentions: > Japan, OMD, Human League, Stranglers, Talking Heads, Elvis > Costelo, Lene Lovich, Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, David Sylvian, > Devo, Roxy Music, Robert Fripp, David Bowie, BUT : I missed out on quite a few _big names_ at the time - dunno, they just passed me by, and when somebody tries to foist them upon me now (eg. Television's Marquee Moon) I just don't geddit. It seems out of time and all in a wrong place. I recently lent my prized Wire (Pink Flag / Chairs Missing / 154 / A Bell is a Cup) to a techno DJ friend of mine, saying he MUST hear them, and he gave them back telling me he'd been busy pushing the "skip" button a lot :-) I don't mind and I understand this now ::: IMO if you were there originally and appreciated the stuff when it came out with the Zeitgeist of the time, then it will always hold a special place in your heart. On the other hand, if you come to it later as a newcomer, you may still appreciate its musicality or originality *for its time* but you may never truly live that music or have it engrained into your bloodstream the way you will with music that forms part of your growing and evolving experience. Don't come Bach and Beethoven with me now, y'hear :-) That's a different kettle of pirhanas entirely. Maybe I'm not formulating this very clearly... but I hope I can get across the gist of what I mean. I grew up remembering a million hot sweaty parties dancing to UB40, thus I shall always enjoy "Signing Off". For somebody hearing it for the first time today without that encoded memory, it may mean far far less than it does to me with all the added enhanced layers through time. Blah blah and further blah. Oh, and Robert : it's "bandwidth" - and I'm also sorry about jamming it :-) I * "Incomplete without surface noise" - Autechre