Geoff > Status Update

And sure, you don't need an education to consider something pretty, as you don't need an education take a flight to Denver. But the people who designed and made that airplane certainly have a pretty thorough training in aeronautics and engineering. If you want art to be sustained, and progress and develop over time, it needs to be understood on higher levels, and techniques taught, and outstanding art promoted, even if the public doesn't quite "get it" or immediately make a place in the market for it.

his stupid red tie is too long and someone needs to tell him to button up his damn suit jacket.

I think i just threw up in my mouth

Oh I'm not even watching it

I'm practicing my cello BUT WHY

I'm at work so have it on in the background. Am flicking between channels to see how different outlets are reporting it. Only BBC so far has spent any time on the (violent) protests.

(I kinda want the city to burn - just kinda)

Yeah but smashing the windows of a McDonalds does nothing but play into the hands of Trumpites - any legitimate message of protest just gets lost.

I am a little concerned taking my five year old tomorrow to the march in London, but if shit goes down I will just get him out of there asap.

Riots are the language of those who have no voice - MLK Jr.

It's also pretty great that everything the religious leaders in this ceremony are saying is completely contradictory to every facet of Trump's campaign, personality, and lifestyle. Yet there is no sign of irony in their presentation.

How many times during this ceremony do you think Trump found his thoughts drifting off to "titties"?

That Mormon choir looked exactly how I would have imagined

There you go. Done now. Off to throw up.

Dont know why he is thanking me. I didnt do it.

"And I will do all this right NOW"! [Trump pulls out magic wand]

Jonathan wrote: "Yeah but smashing the windows of a McDonalds does nothing but play into the hands of Trumpites - any legitimate message of protest just gets lost.

I am a little concerned taking my five year old ..."

Be safe.

You never know when shit will go down at these types of events, especially with tempers and sentiment boiling.

Well that speech was, what, 18 minutes of the same total bullshit from his campaign? He phoned that in.

Geoff wrote: "Well that speech was, what, 18 minutes of the same total bullshit from his campaign? He phoned that in."

I mean, were you expecting anything different?

First time I saw those guards coming down the steps (over his shoulder), for a brief second I thought "oh, damn, shit's about to go down" and they're gonna rush him off the stage.... and then he just continued to walk out of the frame

Nick wrote: "

First time I saw those guards..."

It was right as he was in the midst of that "everything changes right now!" stuff and I half expected them to open fire and execute all the politicians on the stage leaving only Trump standing

Nah, not really expecting anything else. A great orator he is not. But that's one more reason folks like him.

I love how Baron Trump looks like he thinks this is all, like, totally LAME man

Your national anthem is so frickin weird.

"He talks just like that fella down the street whose entire diet consists of beef jerky and Monster energy drinks. I'm votin' fer him!"

Jonathan wrote: "Your national anthem is so frickin weird."

Hey, watch it buddy, it doesn't glorify war for nothing. And the U.K. is looking like a pretty soft target these days.

Geoff wrote: "A great orator he is not"

well, I agree with you 100% there.

Jonathan wrote: "Your national anthem is so frickin weird."

Those are fightin' words, Jonathan!

My condolences to all American friends. I'm sorry that you're now officially living under Trump's presidency.

Jibran wrote: "My condolences to all American friends. I'm sorry that you're now officially living under Trump's presidency."

Thanks Jibran. We need solidarity among the good ones left in the world.

Haha we now apparently have a "national day of patriotism" - lol

AMERICAN CARNAGE!!! chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn (those are palm-muted power chords)

Geoff wrote: "AMERICAN CARNAGE!!! chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn (those are palm-muted power chords)"

Testament--Wall of Death-- American Carnage Tour ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UGLt...

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Geoff wrote: "AMERICAN CARNAGE!!! chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn-chn (those are palm-muted power chords)"

Testament--Wall of Death-- American Carnage Tour ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UGLt..."

There's gotta be a Deathklok for this

Geoff wrote: "I feel like it is absurd I need to even point this out to Wastrel, who once spent about 50,000 words recommending classical music to me. All those musicians playing that music had deep training and..."

Practical training, sure. But here's what I was disagreeing with:

"And anyway, aesthetic judgements require a level of interpretive, critical ability; they need to be exercised and trained and learned; to know what art is doing you have to know the process, terms, language and history of art - therefore, to some degree art requires experts, like the sciences, to teach it."

Mozart was never taught composition in this sense - nor were most composers and performers until well into the 20th century. They did not have this "interpretive, critical ability", whatever that is, just as most writers weren't taught that either. What Mozart did was imitate others, without any substantial critical analysis - how could he, when he was already writing at 5 or 6? He did self-teach himself some basic musical history later on, in adulthood, but in that he was unusual (in particular he studied Bach late in his life, as did Beethoven - but the general Bach revival didn't happen until several decades later). If nothing else, the history of music couldn't really be seriously studied at that point - there were obviously no recordings, few antique instruments, and scores, where they had been distributed at all, quickly ended up at the back of dusty libraries where nobody knew they existed. Even of contermporary music, publication of scores was not on an industrial level at that point, so we today have probably much more knowledge of the music of Mozart's contemporaries than Mozart did.

It's important to note that almost all the tools with which music is academically analysed today did not exist at that time - the "terms" and "language" you speak of often did not exist, particularly regarding structure, and when they did they were not necessarily known about by composers. Even basic concepts like sonata form did not exist in conceptual form - the theory of sonata form was only developed in the 1820s. To a large extent, musical theory developed out of a desire to explain the work of Mozart and Beethoven, rather than being something that they were taught in that shaped their music. Musical pedagogy then concentrated on rote learning and imitation, rather than on theoretical or 'critical' teaching. If you look at Handel, for instance, whose education we know about: at first, he was forbidden from any contact with music, which was kept out of the house so as to prevent him from hearing it (his father wanted him to become a lawyer). He accidentally learned a fair bit anyway through osmosis, until eventually someone discovered this and commanded that he be taught. His music education consisted of a) playing instruments, b) rote canonical exercises, c) copying out thousands and thousands of scores by hand, and d) being told to go and compose his own stuff. The principle was very much of learning through osmosis, rather than of 'teaching' or 'critical analysis'. All this education ended when he was around 11.
And, of course, many great composers - and many more great writers - were entirely self-taught.

[And Yo-Yo Ma probably did just sit down and play the cello suite one day. Remember, he was a child prodigy who was giving public concerts by the time he was 5. And that's after coming to the cello relatively late in life (4) - he'd already tried four other instruments by then. He can't have had all that much training by that point.]


Of course Bach and Beethoven don't need to be 'taught' to anybody! People just need to be exposed to them.



ATJG: that theory relies on a distinction between art and pornography, which is of course unsustainable.



But maybe we should leave this discussion here.





Regarding Trump's oratory: I disagree entirely! I thought that was a really good, powerful speech, and I thought he delivered it really, really well, by the standards of of political speakers - fluent, powerful, confident, pausing in all the right places, modulating pitch and volume.
I mean sure, it was a scary speech that reminded me greatly of fascist demogogues of the past. But fascists wrote good speeches!

Anyway, good new. Trump didn't call for the end of the democratic system. It looked like he might, at several points in his speech, but in the end he didn't. So things are off to a good start.

Anyway, good new. Trump didn't call for the end of the democratic system. It looked like he might, at several points in his speech, but in the end he didn't. So things are off to a good start.

Geoff wrote: "There's gotta be a Deathklok for this "

I dunno. But maybe....-->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W35d...

Like especially Geoff's observation on the religious speakers with NO IRONY although everything they say is counter to Trumpism.
I think you've identified a major characteristic of Religious Speakers: if they were ironists, they'd be in a dif biz. Maybe they have this in common wiht politicians? (Great Zappa quote on Government as the Entertainers of the Military Industrial complex--a tribute to Eisenhower's brilliance--Republicans have ignored his profound critique. Now we have the Military Industrial Simplex.

The videos coming out of the city are pretty nuts

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news...

Richard Spencer got punched in the face, twice! Woohoo!

Geoff wrote: "Richard Spencer got punched in the face, twice! Woohoo!"

Can't stop watching!

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Richard Spencer got punched in the face, twice! Woohoo!"

Can't stop watching!"

Sometimes violence is the answer

Geoff wrote: "Sometimes violence is the answer "

I don't feel very bad for those windows either.

Although I do confess, these righteous protesters are very much inconveniencing my personal life atm. Even though they are very much defending my very livelihood and existence.

Although, on the whole, one must say that this has been a very peaceful in=augur=ation. That DC mall was a f*'ing ghost town. He gave the power back to the people and they're being pretty clear about how they feel.

And whatever 'violence' the protestors commit ; remember that Rump said, should he lose, he'd not peacefully concede. That this has been peaceful at all is to Obama's credit. In the real world, he had other options.....

Ein Fleisch, ein Blut,
ein wahrer Glaube.
Eine Rasse und ein Traum,
ein starker Wille.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZAD7...

Christ almighty, whyn't ya'll juss go smash some shit up yer own selves an be done w/this never-ending whine-all tirade that's after-the-fact woo-hooing. Read some good books and get out the vote in next election, clean up yer own hood bro's. This is pyric !

Simon wrote: "be done w/this never-ending whine-all tirade that's after-the-fact woo-hooing. "

Yes daddy.

Simon wrote: "and get out the vote in next election"

I mean, no.

Because shit will fall apart before then if the people don't take the power etc etc etc.

[and the books ain't getting neglected. no worries there]