Wednesday 31 October 2012

Classic Rock is the New Classical

i've got dazed and confused wailing through my speakers
vinyl
there is no difference in depth and meaning
between this song
and beethoven's fifth symphony
in fact it blows the fifth symphony back to the eighth position

classic rock is the new classical music
it's enduring
and selling
and more important
than any other music ever made

if keith moon ever met mozart
they'd get drunk
and then moonie would blow the frilly cuffs off mozart
with drum fills

bruce springsteen is a better poet that keats yeats or frost

david gilmore has a truer connection to the planets that holst

robert plant could've taken pavarotti in an arm wrestle

orchestras are losing funding
seats in symphony halls are not filling
styx outsells bach

they did an extensive study
they went to great lengths to find out who's listening to
and buying
traditional classical music
here's the answer:

janice snotwoggle (eels lane, wales)
lord leonard lickmore (earls court, london)
peter pzykaticunvyye (reykjavik, iceland)
michael white (toronto, ontario)
tippy titwiggle (perth, australia)
norman noseworthy (bismark, north dakota)

that's it!
6 people!
everyone else is listening to classic rock!
wow!

i keep trying to listen to jazz
but i never really listen
my attention derelict disorder kicks in
and i start day-dreaming about the next ac/dc CAL show

i listen to country music
but i never really listen
i find myself wandering into the tool shed to sharpen my axe

i listen to the music my kids are listening to
but i never really listen
instead i end up grounding them
and forcing them to listen to me lecture on the merits of the beatles
and how they saved the world

i listen to old music that old people like
but i never really listen
instead i get alarmed that it makes parts of my body shrivel
parts that i don't want to shrivel

classic rock is the new classical music
i know there's some purists out there
who would love to argue the point
they'd pull out charts
and cite historical references
and whatnot
but i don't give a damn
because that's rock 'n' roll

craig martin
october 31, 2012
bourbon


Friday 26 October 2012

There's Something Happening Here

q107 just played bon jovi
followed by joni mitchell
cool

the queen band is tearing up ontario
the guitar army is charging forth fearlessly
and all the singers are becoming peacocks (sorry phil)

the landscape within performing arts centres is changing
a different view is needed
people are voting with their dollars
and they want classic rock
cool
that's good for the series

the stones band is starting to rub up against each other
being on the road together throughout the east coast is going to be telling
we've chosen a big group of songs for our outro set
with four shows under our belt
pulling into toronto
and performing exile at massey hall
is going to be heavy

having two new stops
one in north carolina
and one in florida
is amazing
the audience loved the show
of course it was the CAL beatles band
and they're surgical with their commitment to the music

lots of chat about south florida
and our lack of presence there
it's hard to just show up and play
so many things have to fall into place
i did connect with someone
a heavy music fan
with some experience in the business
we might do something together
it will be an event

lots of stuff going on with the alumni
everyone is keeping busy
within and outside of CAL
i love all the bands that have been formed
because of musicians connecting within CAL
we've also been responsible for a couple marriages
and some kids!
fun

leaves are falling all around
i'm in rake mode
i take the radio outside
and amass a pile of leaves
i find it soothing
all the while
i'm surprised at how much information
i'm getting from the radio
i was on the satellite kick for a while
but listening to DJs is the best

do they even get called DJs anymore?
i'm going to ask the gang at Q
maybe they could bring the term back

we're working with a lovely new singer
jenn kee
i get so many requests for auditions from musicians
it's humbling
i check everyone out
and always reply
jenn grabbed me right away
masters in music
loves classic rock
beautiful and easy going
fitting nicely into the alumni fold

to all the parents out there
who are deeply distressed about the music their kids are listening to
don't worry
one day you'll turn a corner
and they'll have some zep on
i've been researching charts
concentrating on the 70s
i know every song
some of them really don't stand the test of time
and there's a lot of fluff
but one day i put on houses of the holy
and it all changed

side note about the the charts
it's amazing how much stuff doesn't make it over the pond
to britain
they don't know a lot of our music
and we don't know a lot of theirs
except for classic rock

an exciting season leading up to the holidays
a bit of a scattered blog today
it has something to do with leaves

craig
october 26, 1976
tang and wagon wheels