U2 and the state of music today


amanda butler ([email protected])
Tue, 15 Sep 1998 08:35:00 -0400


Robbie wrote:

> Figure that into your take on U2 inabality to fill stadiums and
> you might see that something else more complicated is going on
> in America in relationship to rock and rock concerts. All you have
> to do is watch MTV to figure that out. It's more bands that U2 that've
> seen a drop in popularity in the USA. I blame it a lot on the kind
> of albums the record companies are choosing to promote and the
> way record companies and MTV are promoting (or not promoting)
> them. My only hope is that we've been in this crap music
> cycle here for several years now and it *must* be time for a
> change to take place (Oh God! I hope!).
>

 I have a theory on this. I'm not going to go into extremely long and boring detail
about the state of the world, the shifting of the planets, etc. etc. But I feel, as I
think other people on this list do as well, that with the coming of the millenium, the
world is itching for change. Think about some of the crazy stuff that's been happening
lately around the globe. People are getting restless, and will continue to up until
New Year's Eve 1999 and probably beyond that.

And that, I think, is why traditional "rock" isn't as popular as it used to be. People
want a new sound that will carry them beyond the year 2000 and into the future.
Possibly why hip-hop and electronica and all its sub-categories (i.e. jungle,
drum-n-bass, trip-hop) are so popular right now... they wanted a new sound and they got
it. And it will remain popular, mark my words.

And I'm no prophecist, but I expect that in a little while, this will all die down and
we will see a resurgence in traditional rock sound. I base that on the various 20th
century art movements that argue modernism against postmodernism and eventually see a
return to traditional modern values (i.e. purity, the self, nature...). In simpler
terms, people will get sick of computer-generated everything, and that includes
computer-generated sound. They will want to go back to the basics, and they will want
music that will further that cause. It's been happening for decades now.. it's all a
cycle.

Now don't mark my words, because as I said I'm not all that wise, I just pretend to
be. Just my theories, please take them with a grain of rock salt. Hehe.. rock salt
get it?

Ok, too tired.. time to go to class and pretend to be awake.

Dream out loud,
amanda

--
Visit the U2 fan art site, Baby Light My Way, at http://pratt.edu/~abutler/U2.html
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