Hell has a soundtrack
and, coincidentally, it happens to be the same soundtrack they play at the mall!
today, i share a lengthy quote from Mamet's book, The Cabin, which i'm currently enjoying immensely:
"I am offended by the universality of recorded music being played in situations where the listener is powerless to escape.
"I do not find it necessary that restaurateurs, businesspeople, and captains of transportation should elect to fill the arguably nonmusical moments in my day with their notion of the correct theme.
"I would prefer the street sounds, general, quiet, or the lovely rhythm of human conversation to music played in a restaurant. Why should the tastes of some restaurant 'consultant' predominate over my own predilection for silence?
"One might argue that said music is simply background, but it is not so for me. I love music. I play music, I write music, and when it is being played I am unable to tune it out. I am listening to it against my will, distracted from my thoughts, my book, my work, and hating the choice, the fact, and the arrangement, of the music, and the arrogance of those who have subjected me to it. Can it be that those of a certain class cannot imbibe their alcohol or chew their food without hearing Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, would feel cheated if the synthesizer arrangement of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds were not playing while they rifled through the men's department?
"I suggest that no one enjoys that music. That it is there because it is there, and that most peoiple either do not notice it or have come to accept it as the correct background noise for the above activities."
Amen, Brother David.
I think they play the worst "music" possible--so unique in its un-musicalness, it has been termed muzak--so that everyone suffers equally; if no one is enjoying the music, then no one feels individually slighted--all of humanity is suffering the burden of Kenny G's butcherings.
i always feel badly for the musicians, most of whom are, arguably, technically sophisticated if a bit soul-less, and not one of them could be enjoying the process of recording that crap. sure, they're getting a paycheck, but it would be akin to being an actor and landing a gig playing Santa at the mall.
Civilization has gone horribly awry.
today, i share a lengthy quote from Mamet's book, The Cabin, which i'm currently enjoying immensely:
"I am offended by the universality of recorded music being played in situations where the listener is powerless to escape.
"I do not find it necessary that restaurateurs, businesspeople, and captains of transportation should elect to fill the arguably nonmusical moments in my day with their notion of the correct theme.
"I would prefer the street sounds, general, quiet, or the lovely rhythm of human conversation to music played in a restaurant. Why should the tastes of some restaurant 'consultant' predominate over my own predilection for silence?
"One might argue that said music is simply background, but it is not so for me. I love music. I play music, I write music, and when it is being played I am unable to tune it out. I am listening to it against my will, distracted from my thoughts, my book, my work, and hating the choice, the fact, and the arrangement, of the music, and the arrogance of those who have subjected me to it. Can it be that those of a certain class cannot imbibe their alcohol or chew their food without hearing Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holiday, would feel cheated if the synthesizer arrangement of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds were not playing while they rifled through the men's department?
"I suggest that no one enjoys that music. That it is there because it is there, and that most peoiple either do not notice it or have come to accept it as the correct background noise for the above activities."
Amen, Brother David.
I think they play the worst "music" possible--so unique in its un-musicalness, it has been termed muzak--so that everyone suffers equally; if no one is enjoying the music, then no one feels individually slighted--all of humanity is suffering the burden of Kenny G's butcherings.
i always feel badly for the musicians, most of whom are, arguably, technically sophisticated if a bit soul-less, and not one of them could be enjoying the process of recording that crap. sure, they're getting a paycheck, but it would be akin to being an actor and landing a gig playing Santa at the mall.
Civilization has gone horribly awry.
Labels: Ranting
posted by slickaphonic at 3:40 AM
2 Comments:
Muzak is a trademark of Muzak Corporation. All rights reserved.
You say this because you don't know what the mall would sound like without Muzak(tm). The elevator hasn't been serviced for six years, and is making a low-pitched groaning noise, like a threadbare cable trying not to snap.
In a cost-saving measure, Nike has chosen to save transport costs by storing sweat-shop workers directly under the shoe department. They often groan and sigh, and sing songs which are soulful and beautiful but just don't put people into a shoe-buying mood. You can stop this by beating the sweat-shop workers more frequently, or you can just cover it with the vibraphone rendition of the Beatles' "Revolution". Are you really saying that you prefer the frequent beating of sweat shop workers?
hands down.
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