January 3, 2011

acknowledgements for the linked photo.

Film by Yoann Trellu: www.keyframed.org Music by davidly: davidly.de

This morning I am listening to an interview with Robert Fripp. The talk is accompanied by his live performance of Frippertronics in the Wintergarden. It will last an hour.

I have always been fascinated by listening to any artist talk about his/her work,

This sound manipulation, and much other like it, has come to be called soundscape or ambient sound.

My restless mind says: Do you really like this? You should like this more. It is classic. Your kids like it. What's wrong with your taste? Perhaps you're shallow. Probably you're shallow. Yes, definitely, shallow, at least musically. Later check out other areas in which you are shallow. Right now, try to concentrate on the task at hand.

Imagine a culture that knows only drums for emotional expression hearing this for the first time. Would this sound suggest the presence of a God? A devil? Hal?

or:

Refute the Allegation that Frippertronics has Become the Elevator Music of the Twenty First Century

a. no one stays in an elevator for an hour.

or:

Explore the Scientific Evidence that Perceived and Heard Music Affects Mood and Permanently Changes Brain Structure.

a. I enjoyed the interview. I enjoyed the sound--for, maybe, the first 15 minutes. Now I am feeling a need to remove the headphones and go out and talk to people. In this case, depression impends. Okay, so that is a sampling of one (with a known proclivity for depression and restlessness)and therefore, possibly, inconclusive.

or:

Can Psychotropic Drugs Protect a Mind from the Natural Psychological Effects of Music.

a. Would this be a good thing? A bad thing? Frightening?

or:

Argue That Music and Drugs Are Necessary to a Sane Society?

a. Are we talking mind altering drugs here? Or weight loss supplements? Bach or Richard Simmons?

Come back tomorrow, or whenever, for the exciting debut of this year's Commentary.

Some titles to be anticipated:

Does, in fact, sunshine on my shoulders always make me happy?

Are there other ways in which I am shallow? Let us count the ways.

Challenge yourself this year. Learn to swim in the ocean by reading a book on the subject.

Alone is good. Sun is good. Rain is good. Exercise is good. Health is even better than good. Talking to people is good. Listening to people is more informative, sometimes.