Sun AM Musings

This AM's run was started in 11 degrees.  But it warmed up quickly.  Two hours later when I finished, it was already up to 12 degrees.  I just checked a few minutes ago, about five hours after starting my morning run, and it's now 15 degrees--a veritable heat wave?

I was listening to the radio in the car the other day, something I ordinarily don't do.  And, the station that was on doesn't ordinarily play music as its attraction; it's "talk radio," although "blather radio" is often more fitting.  Between segments (Is that what the technical term is, "segments?"), a song was played and, frankly, it hurt my ears to listen.  It was squeaky, nasally (not in a country-and-western style, though), and just didn't sound very good at all.  The host broke in not long afterward, a minute or less, and started talking about how great the song was, how we should listen carefully to it (I couldn't make out the words/lyrics due to the squeaky, nasally, etc. voice.), and how "very talented" the "artist" is.  As a matter-of-fact, I wouldn't have been able to identify the noisemaker (I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I hesitate to call whoever this was/is an "artist."), but certainly "talented" wouldn't not have been among my choice of words--never!--to characterize the guy.

This played into what I've thought for a good many years, that what passes for music is merely noise.  If music is "melodic," then what much of what has been passed off as "music" of the last few decades is hardly that.  It's just noise, sounds--and not very pleasant ones to listen to either.  And the so-called "singers"...well, if we stick with "melodic," then there aren't many singers out there.

No doubt some will point to the many search-for-talent shows on the boob tube to refute my views.  Maybe they would be right.  But what little I know of these shows (Are they also consider "reality" shows?), aren't the judges on them just other people who make noise?  So, if all they know is "noise," then...?

We can add a lot of more modern art to that, too.  Again, I suppose beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but perhaps our vision has been hampered, even manipulated.  Everything else seems to have been watered down, things like education, thinking, the media, etc., too.  Even what's considered decent, civil behavior has been dumbed down, so why not these?  Again, probably just the curmudgeonly ramblings of an old coot.

Out this weekend, some people started talking about some guy named "Hanna."  I don't remember his first name, but apparently I was supposed to know who he is.  I guess he's on some television program and is a hot shot.  After a few minutes of banter, in which the others were making comments about this guy, I asked, "Who is he?  Am I supposed to know him?"  I guess I was, but I didn't and still don't.  Someone said, somewhat incredulously, to me "All that knowledge in your head and you don't know who ______ Hanna is?"  Nope....  When I do the weekend crosswords--Sats are tougher than Suns, even the Sun NY Times--the clues I have trouble solving are those dealing with recent (past couple of decades) movies, music, and television.  Karen or Bopper often help me fill in those....  Perhaps I am just a cultural Neanderthal?