MUSIC SUCKS NOW

The other night I noticed a billboard for a radio station here in NY, 96.3FM, which used to be a commercial classical music station that I grew up listening to and so did my dad. It now plays some kind of Salsa music.

Although I am guilty of not listening to the station over the past years and I feel that all they were playing was Mozart, and that they, like most radio stations killed themselves in a desperate attempt to attract more listeners...I'm still saddened by this billboard. It is simply another sign of the decline of Western creative music. Many people will rejoice, I'm sure. In fact, most probably will since people think of "Classical" music as some kind of background lightweight bullshit. It is only ignorance that breeds this notion, of course. What a bummer.

As a musician for the past 20 years trying to play and compose music of a refined type I can say that it is no surprise. Music like Jazz, Classical, hard core ethnic and folk music is in such a minority these days and only diminishing that it has rendered most of the work I have done useless and meaningless.

I'm all for popular music (and that is anything other than what I'm talking about because when someone says to me they went to hear some underground band and I ask them where, and they tell me at some venue that holds 500-1000 mother fucking people then I cannot consider that underground when a famous Jazz club holds 150 for example)...Please. I'm so tired of this and no longer voice my opinion. In fact, I don't care to discuss music for the most part and usually just nod my head and go along with whatever.

My musical experience has got me so down that I don't care to go hear anything anymore except classical, so I'm obviously biased and my opinion is strong in the negative way.

I still have a letter I wrote to WQXR thanking them for providing a place where I could listen to some great music and the letter they wrote back, along with a baton they gave me. I was a kid and so grateful.

So long WQXR. You were a big part of this city and another link to the past gone...