Mechanical Music for the Masses
By Andy LaTorre
We all have our own set of musical tastes. Some of us overlap, some are eclectic, and some tastes are exclusively singular. I can understand that and, as a member of the human race, let it be.
But when other's tastes are forced upon me, I find my reactions interesting. At the gym, frequented by many under 30-year-olds, I am forced to listen to very loud, bad bad vocals and instrumentals of the latest, what is now called I think, rock. Despite my many pleas to lower the volume, I am looked upon as a voice crying in the wilderness. To them, and that includes the elder owners of the gym, the music is motivating. They can lift more, stay at it longer. And conversations, spoken at the top of one's voice, are a strain.
My reaction is one of anger and frustration. The sounds coming from the cheap speakers de-motivate me and take all the energy away from me. What confounds me is the fact that the music played is always of one type. Don't ask me what it is. Acid rock? Whatever. There is no room for other tastes.
I would love to bring in "La Traviata". Boy, would that motivate me. Or perhaps some Band Organ tapes I purchased in Amsterdam. Forget it. I once brought in a tape of '50's and early 60's music. It was barely tolerated and I had to take a stand to keep it playing to the end.
Well, that's only a slice of what is going on here in a small mountain town near a medium university. This piece is not meant to condemn any group but just to relate some of my experiences.
Andy LaTorre
Orgue Mecanique
PO Box 1479
Cullowhe, NC 28723 |
(Message sent Tue 11 Feb 1997, 16:17:17 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.) |
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