Definition of Music

Rip It Up, Issue 217, 1 September 1995, Page 11

Definition of Music

Thank the lord of the letters page for those Slagger Slags who slagged the slaggers with slag. Hopefully, this will put an end to letters to RIU by closed minded musical hermits, piling shit on top of styles and bands they don’t understand. There is no such thing as good or bad music. ‘Music’ is just a name for a collection of sounds with some sort of order put to them by human hand. Everything, from the tortured soul ramblings of an old bluesman with only a guitar or harp, to pretty a capella, to Dame Kiri’s vocal beauty, or good old Mozart’s masterly arrangements, right through Elvis, Hendrix, Zappa, the Stones, the Ramones, Cypress Hill, U2, Bjork, Nirvana, and PJ Harvey, to demented death metalheads or the sonic fury of Big Al’s industrial... is only music. There is no good or bad, there is only music you like listening to and music you don't like listening to, purely depending on your own taste (which can be dictated to some by whatever’s the current cool, as much as true personal taste, but that's all part of the equation).

Here’s the great, throbbing red point my prattling on has lead to: Everyone is an individual and has the right to enjoy whatever style or styles of music they .want.

Music isn’t made to be hated man. You’ll enjoy the whole world a lot more if you concentrate on the good vibes from music because, when you really think about it, ain’t we lucky it exists? Try to imagine the world without it. Fatted Lamb Taking Control of the Wheel, South Auckland. PS: I sure hope someone gets what I’m on about, ‘cause I’ve never made so much sense to me in my life. PPS: May Shihad, Jan, Dave Dobbyn and Bailter Space one day rule the world.