Thanks, andros, but my post DID sound pretty anti-Miller. Should’ve said “Lawrence Welk,” I guess.
Arnold, there’s nothing wrong with “sweet” music per se. I own a couple of Paul Whiteman albums, what the hell.
But, as a jazz fan, I have to be fascinated by that teeny window there, from about 1936-1941, when American Popular Music was JAZZ, by gum.
Not dance music, but hot throbbing RHYTHM.
And not just played by the Ellingtons and Basies and Luncefords of the world, by by the ofays, too…Goodman and Shaw and Barnet had HOT orchestras. Your old Granny knew what she was doing, all right.
(Lest anyone consider me a Moldy Fig, I also recommend the [harrumph] Big Band Stylings of Charles Mingus and Gil Evans and Carla Bley.)
I guess I jumped the gun there. It’s just that my father had several Glenn Miller albums, so he’s one of the soundtracks of my childhood. And now I’m taken swing dancing lessons, and so get to hear a lot of Mr. Miller (and not enough of Benny Goodman.)
BTW, my Mom still likes Lawrence Welk and will watch him at my house when she comes to visit. It takes all kinds I guess!
La franchise ne consiste pas à dire tout ce que l’on pense, mais à penser tout ce que l’on dit.
H. de Livry
Damn you people for making me relive a childhood trauma! Not really, it’s actually an early adulthood trauma. Reruns of Lawrence Welk used to come on either just before or just after a show I loved to watch. If I wasn’t paying close attention, (just vegging out by the tube, ya know) I would see him and OH GOD HE IS SCARRY. I don’t know what it is about him, but he gives me the creeps. The matching technicolor polyester suits, maybe. To vindicate myself for the abovementioned vegging, I should say this was at least on PBS.
Okay, now that we’re all cozy and friendly again, let’s re-route the hijack and get back to flaming that boorish, pork rind-chomping RoboDude’s pathetic ass.
Well, well, it would seem this Robo “Dude” belongs on a site more on par with his intellect and breeding: might I suggest this one.
Just look at his grammar:
Clearly, he was educated in the inner city.
Oops, gotta go, lovey, that’s my cell phone ringing! If I could just find a good place to pull my new Beemer over I could do several things at once - internet access from my dashboard seemed like such a good idea in the showroom, but with this twisting road, my cell phone ringing, Buffy giving me manual pleasure, and this glass of bubbly in my hand, I find it hard to concentrate on the internet and my Wagner CD. Life is truly difficult sometimes.
That’s why an understanding of these forms takes time, not because they’re an acquired taste. The failure to appreciate great art could, of course, be born of ignorance rather than stupidity. But being dumb sure helps!
What about those who have been exposed to it, but just weren’t interested?
Judging someone’s intelligence by whether or not they are interested in or capable of appreciating a specific thing is simply absurd.
Would I be justified in assuming that I am smarter than someone who does not know how to assemble a computer? Or someone who lacks the skills to build anything more complicated than a cutting board? Or someone who knows no more about robotics than what can be learned from watching sci-fi movies?
Hm. Are you equating the ability to put together a computer (knowing what goes where and what each part does) and the ability to understand and appreciate an art form with many levels of meaning?
Basic understanding is understanding the structures; deeper understanding is grasping the meanings behind the structures.
So no, I wouldn’t assume anything, if I were you. Essentially, what you know is the equivalent of knowing how to put legos together. Does it give you any deeper self-knowledge, or insights into life?
My point is that art appreciation is not the only activity which uses brain cells, and judging a person’s intelligence based exclusively on whether or not they enjoy studying art makes about as much sense as selecting a car based exclusively on how big its cupholder is.
Essentially, what you know is the equivalent of knowing how to put legos together.
Judging from your post, it seems you would need professional help just to add memory to your computer without screwing it up.