Re: Music is not political (Was Re: music is political)

["Timothy Mungenast" <mungenast@earthlink.net>]

"Many people just don't care to 
spend the time engaging with political addicts, as it makes life a far 
less 
satisfying thing. On the other hand, democracy demands participation, lest 
such political types infest and ultimately slow down everything while 
demanding "to be heard",  "

Interesting post, Stephen. I like having my preconceptions challenged!
~Tim


> [Original Message]
> From: Stephen Goodman <spgoodman@earthlight.net>
> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
> Date: 4/3/2006 8:01:02 AM
> Subject: Re: Music is not political (Was Re: music is political)
>
> I continue to have little patience for anyone who needs to define their 
> universe as "political", because it is these folks who want everyone to 
> operate on that basis, involving "deals" and "transactional
relationships". 
> Great for the medium of know-nothing middlemen and career politicos with 
> nowhere else to go, not so great for everyone else.
>
> Politics are always kept private until it is felt that more converts are 
> required for whatever is called "the movement" right now.  Then it's all 
> dumped on the rest of us as if we're somehow lacking in character or 
> something for disliking political types.  Many people just don't care to 
> spend the time engaging with political addicts, as it makes life a far
less 
> satisfying thing.  On the other hand, democracy demands participation,
lest 
> such political types infest and ultimately slow down everything while 
> demanding "to be heard", which usually means that what they want is for 
> everyone to "think like me".  Of course if everyone thought the same
there 
> wouldn't be any conflict - but then again we wouldn't be human anymore,
just 
> duplicates.  But to declare All Art is Always Political?  Such is only
true 
> for one who thinks so, and not for most others.
>
> As you can guess I don't think of peoples' relationships as political by 
> default.
>
> Art is Art.  Like it?  Great.  Hate it?  Great.  It's what one does with 
> such experience I think that matters - but that is not Art, but ones 
> reaction to it.  So, no, Art is not Political unless it's propaganda. 
Then 
> it's no longer Art, but Art Put To Use For Political Purposes, which in
my 
> opinion renders it corrupt and only assessible from an aspect of Style,
in 
> context of whatever political dross it was used to sell at the time.
>
> I've got an old Lenin pin, sold to a friend of mine by an ex-Soviet
soldier 
> on the streets of St. Petersburg in the early 90s.  In the US wearing
such a 
> thing is more of a fashion blip than anything else.  If I wore it in the
UK 
> anytime near May 1, I'd be thought to be a Socialist/Anarchist/whatever,
aka 
> Communism with a less-unhappy Face IMNSHO.  If one is making Art that is
by 
> specification Political, at the least what one is doing is making
Political 
> Art, aka Propaganda for Political Purposes.
>
> And that's all I'll say about it.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Stefan Tiedje" <Stefan-Tiedje@addcom.de>
> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
> Sent: Monday, 03 April, 2006 10:09 AM
> Subject: Re: Music is not political (Was Re: music is political)
>
>
> > mark sottilaro wrote:
> >> I'd pretty much say that non lyrical music has no
> >> intrinsic political qualities.  I dare you to gleen a
> >> message from any of my music.  Don't bother, there
> >> isn't one.
> >
> > Any art is always political...
> > Usually very conservative politicians want to claim that art should not
be 
> > political, and deliver some examples, which show that these examples
are 
> > political in their sense. (aka not asking the wrong questions...)
> >
> > Which is very political!!!
> > And every artist should be aware of the posibility of this sort of 
> > political abuse.
> >
> > If you are not aware of it, it might be political in the wrong
direction.
> >
> > Remember "Entartete Musik" and you know what politics can be about, 
>you 
> > can't escape it.
> >
> > Stefan
> >
> > -- 
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