Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!nessus
From: nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Good and bad music
Message-ID: <4551@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Jun-85 05:15:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.4551
Posted: Wed Jun 26 05:15:46 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Jun-85 08:14:34 EDT
References: <2891@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 60

["Pablo Picaso was never called an asshole"]

> From jackson@curium.DEC (Seth Jackson)

>>  [Me] Well, I still disagree.  Music (like post formula, pop,
>>  commercial, trash music) that encourages stupidity, consistency, and
>>  lack of compassion is good for no one.  Of course this is my
>>  subjective opinion on what "good" is.  (And it's the right
>>  subjective opinion.)

> Ah, you are talking about goodness in a moral sense. This is a
> different issue from talking about goodness in terms of musical
> quality, which was the issue I was addressing.

Forget that I ever mentioned morals.  Morals are just to help you
determine what "good" actions are.  My theory about goodness, applies
just as well to music as to actions.  It applies to everything that you
might want to stick the label "good" or "bad" on.  Music that encourages
mind rot is "bad".  Books that encourage mind rot are "bad".  Actions
that encourage mind rot are "bad", etc.  The quality of anything at all,
in my opinion, is "good" to the degree to which it encourages
intelligence, creativity, and compassion.

> Well, since you have my view wrong, we don't have to worry about another
> Brave New World.

We already live in Brave New World.  Just look around you.  Top-40 music
and TV sitcoms are soma!

> My view is simply that you cannot place absolute judgments
> of "good" or "bad" on music (or anything else that is a matter of taste). 
> Music that is bad to you is good to somebody else, and saying that it's 
> bad because *you* don't like it is just closed-mindedness.

I'm not saying any music is bad because I don't like it!  I've said on
numerous occasions that I respect lots and lots of music that I don't
particulalry like, so I wish you'd stop putting these repugnant words in
my mouth.  I am saying that music that encourages stupidity, lack of
originality, and lack of compassion is bad.  That has nothing to do with
whether I like it or not.  Such music is bad for the listener, and
therefore the music is bad!!!

> Just a little more food for thought. There must be a fair number of
> musicians on this net. If top-40 music is so simple and formula, then
> any good musician should be able to write a top-40 hit. Try it. At worst,
> you'll see that's it's not that easy. At best, you'll get rich!

Who ever said it was easy?  Doing handstands isn't easy either, but it's
hardly an art form.  Brainwashing people isn't (exceptionally) easy, but
that doesn't make it good.

				"I saw a lion & a snake
				 Each killed the other
				 From their bodies bred a horde of scorpions
				 Which overran the world
				 Their venom was
				 Democracy"

				 Doug Alan
				  nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (or ARPA)