"There's nothing good out there anymore." Yeah, you hear that being said all the time. I've never agreed with it. My first reaction to the statement (and this might be the music snob/nerd in me talking) is that the person has just "given up." A related and slightly different idea is that there can't be anything knew, that everything has been done. I'll get back to that in a minute.
Because I've been so busy recently, the reading material has been piling up. I've had one particular issue of The New Yorker open to the same page for two weeks. You'd think I could make it through a two-page music review, but a sentence a day doesn't make for much progress. The review was of saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Apparently, not even Gary Giddens' fine writing could hold my attention in these crazy times. Saxophone. From Denver. Berklee. Discovered Indian music by accident. Astounding music....etc. Right, I'll get to it at some point.
So a couple of nights ago I'm driving home with the radio on (because futzing with the iPod connector thingie in the Jeep in the dark is both a pain in the neck and downright dangerous) and Terry Gross' Fresh Air comes on. Rudresh Mahanthappa? Hey, I know that name! Sort of. I love the interview. I generally enjoy her interviews, but I especially love them when she's speaking with musicians who are so open and honest about what they do. Yessir, I can listen to that stuff all day long. Very early in the show, they take a break to play Mahanthappa's song "Apti."
Oh...my...gawd.
I almost had to pull over to the side of the road. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and arms. My eyes began to water a little. Yow!
Article comments
1 - Josh Hathaway
Here here! It is still out there. You have to choose to involve yourself and invest in the search. The rewards are immeasurable.
2 - Tom Johnson
I somehow had a feeling you might be talking about this today.
3 - MarkSaleski
well, it was either this or the Flaming Lips cover of "Borderline"....but i didn't feel like making josh's head explode.
4 - Mat Brewster
If anything there is too much out there. My goodness I hardly have the time to listen to what I already have and every day I find something else of interest.