Today’s music is less weighty than the music of yesterday
Several years ago, I documented a conversation that you won’t find anywhere else (hint, hint) – namely, the conversation that launched the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (or so I claim).
HEY MAN!
What?
I JUST HAD A TRIPPY IDEA.
Are you gonna eat five pizzas again?
NO, MAN, THIS IS SERIOUS. I WANT TO MAKE A HALL OF FAME FOR ROCK AND ROLL.
What, like Cooperstown?
YEAH, BUT COOL. LIKE, WE’LL PUT THE BEATLES IN THERE!
And the Stones?
YEAH, AND THE DEAD!
Cool!
Of course, those founders were all cool when the initial few rounds of nominees came into the Hall, but when they had to start considering people like the Sex Pistols and Nirvana, that was totally uncool, because, you know, the artists of the 1960s mattered, man. Like, they dealt with weighty issues and stuff.
And if you don’t believe that the old music was weighty, consider this report from NBC San Diego (h/t Rolling Stone and Astralwerks Records):
Too many vinyl records stored on the second floor of a San Diego building caused a collapse that damaged a popular thrift store.
Thrift Trader in the city’s Hillcrest neighborhood suffered significant damage when the second floor collapsed overnight.
Let’s face it – records have given way to cassettes, then to CDs, and now to entirely digital music.
So when an old hippie tells you that his music was heavy, he means it.
tymshft 