What's been rabbit punching me like a small nasty imp for years has now been reduced to steady raindrops falling on my head, that series of uncomfortable realizations and steady stream of proofs that the whole music scene has shrunk. And because of that current but insistant perception of mine, that means I might look at the new music of the dirty south a little differently than other people i know and make them mad because i don't take it nearly as seriously as they do. whether it's rev horton heat, hellbillies, or the drive-by-truckers, because of my views and thoughts about the shrunk scene and reduction by social atomization, the whole assortment of music seems small. all the music of the new dirty south tucks into a single small genre i call hickabitty. except maybe for bobby lounge.

but so what i think that? in fact, i barely listen to music at all lately. my sound system died and i can't afford to replace it. and even though i work in the field, so to speak, i don't listen to music very much at all or go to the shows. truthfully, i hate the business. it's full of liars, lunatics, and thieves, and they drive everyone who has to deal with them in any way crazy or at least temporarily wild or at the least seem to force you to lose control while dealing with any of them. so i don't listen to much music, and i certainly won't buy music because that would only help support the liars, lunatics, and thieves.

that's why it's unusual that i've been listening to music lately. in particular, one song and quite regularly for the past week. in fact, the only song i've played i have been playing over and over. and it's from a cd somebody misplaced and hasn't asked about so far. because i consider it unclaimed, i've taken it home temporarily. i've borrowed it without permission because the owner isn't around to ask. i found my old fifteen year old personal cd player, so old the black bits of sponge that cup the earpieces are nearly turning to dust.

and i listen to a live version of "sympathy for the devil" through those headphones. i think to myself that's a lot better song than many of the other live versions on the cd, and infinitely superior to "high wire" despite the little bit of moral anger expressed in that latter composition.

i get a lot more pleasure these days doing almost anything else than listening to music. this morning, for instance, reading about art. especially these two articles (one on the recent klimt sale and one on the new dada exhibit in new york). and i say i enjoy reading these, i enjoy them very much! i want to write the writers or the arts editor, anybody there, and thank them for writing these. and for running these, because i loved reading them. i think they allow me to gain a wider view and think larger thoughts, if only for the moment.

yet i wonder sometimes if i'm drawn to these things out of some small interest in myself -- that i'm attracted to them only because i had a personal connection however long ago and remotely and across the universe distantly to each of these eras through people i'd encountered along the way.  ¶ 6/28/2006 10:06:00 AM