American Idol--the dumbing down of music

 

You worry too much. I am not a fan by any means but see no threat to the youth. Pop music has been around for quite some time and sorry to say, it's not dying. What I can't stand is the increase of Country music fans. Rap seems to have leveled off but Country music in the States is on the rise. Why? You can thank Mr. Garth Brooks for incorporating the Rock theatrics and sound into his shows. Country music now more than ever sounds like rockabilly.

 

 

 

I can agree with that! That's what I said in my last paragraph (somewhat) in my reply to Squonkman...

 

I'm not agressive... or maybe a little... look in the mirror... when you say "you are already in rant mode" what other answer can you expect?

 

 

 

I think you are missing the point and overthinking all this. My basic premise is that with stuff like American Idol, the Disney marketing machine etc trying to dominate and inundate and mold our children's societal and cultural tastes, we have to work that much harder to make sure that the unmarketed word of mouth, sit down and listen, against the societal grain stuff like progressive rock is exposed and heard by youth in greater numbers, or it will die a slow death, like it did for awhile in the late 70s/early 80s. I am encouraged by bands like Porcupine Tree and Mars Volta and Explosions in the Sky etc making inroads on popular music tastes, but remember, I came from an era when some of the biggest selling bands in the world were prog rock bands in their heyday----Yes, Floyd, ELP, Genesis etc

 

Laugh this up. When I was a kid I used to love to watch Donnie & Marie and Solid Gold. I lived for Kasey Kasem's countdown. Today, can't stand them.

 

No worries. These things shall pass. But also, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

Not to begrudge your point, but people actually like Pop music. It doesn't mean they are stupid or have no taste. It just appeals to them. Face it, Prog fans take pride in NOT listening to mainstream and will stand on their soap boxes to belittle pre-processed music.

 

Ask yourself. Doesn't music serve a purpose? Don't you listen to it because you enjoy it? Would you want someone telling you your music sucks only because their music is "better"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

You still aren't getting it. Its not just another program, its the number one program around, and every kid in the country knows about it, and is inundated with the marketing hype that goes with it, like the Disney machine as well. There is little escape from it. So its not as simple as saying, hey kids, go and explore on your own and get into some prog rock, would you?, when you are competing against the marketing hype machine of stuff like Idol. They are being shaped and molded and inundated by the everpresent commercialism of stuff like this, on TV, on the internet, etc. Your posts aren't making any sense.

 

 

You are also missing the point. I don't dislike all pop music. In fact, I am a prog fan who is very open and receptive to pop music influences----I am not like some that won't even touch 80s Genesis for example. I like bands like Kansas and Pure Reason Revolution and the Moody Blues.  I grew up on great pop music I listened to on AM radio, back when AM radio was the soundtrack for our lives. I still listen to a lot of "pop" music like Elton John, Chicago, the Beatles, and heck, even the Carpenters and Abba.

 

 There is a difference between slickly produced corporately created commercialized pop music designed to cash in on something that is already popular as opposed to a talented band or artist being able to write or craft a great pop tune from sheer talent. There is a difference between a pop band that works hard to make themselves good musicians, hones their craft, and pays their dues and puts out a good product which then becomes popular, and a prearranged, corporate concoction foisted on the pliable apathetic masses. Which is why good alt country with great songwriting and a little edge is not as successfully marketed as "country rock" which is vacuous and cheesy and easy to sell on corporate country radio. When you have accountants and record company suits deciding what the country listens to, instead of artists and music insiders and true musicians, you get what we have today from American Idol to Disney to corporate slick country rock. It wasn't like this in the 70s, at least as much. While there is always some schlock, there was more of a freedom to make honest music without corporate meddling back then, until the disco age came along. Record companies nowadays take much less chances, and as a result, you get much less quality and more stuff that is popular for 10 minutes but will never last. We are in an era where music is processed, consumed, spit out and forgotten in a very small span of time.