"Flinstoneyerfired" <mmurph@onlink.net> wrote in a message
> That we are talking about his music in a passionate way tends to lend
> credibility to his work- if the music wasn't substantial, there would
> be nothing to discuss.
That's an interesting point, with which I would agree. Upon reflecting your
comments overall, and this particular point in detail, the word
"substantial" jumps out at me. Substantial in what way? In another thread,
the talents (or lack of) of Amy Winehouse is being discussed.
On the one hand, that something provokes discussion would seem to indicate
it must have some value, purpose or some other point of note. It would seem
though, the only real point which invokes discussion, speaking in general
terms, is popularity. To the point of Frank Zappa, we are discussing him
because he achieved a level of popularity. The focus of the discussion seems
to be a question of why. Was he popular because he created "good music" (a
very subjective idea), or because his music was genius, or was it for his
political and societal views, or...?
I think all, or at least most, would agree, in the music industry,
popularity doesn't necessarily suggest "quality" (however that might be
defined). In terms of technical musical ability, there have been many
popular artists with limited or no talent in that area. As an example, The
Sex Pistols had never touched a musical instrument prior to forming the
band. They were an "anti-band" and played "anti-music", so their lack of
technical ability was not only not a hindrance, but the point to begin with.
In many cases, Zappa seems to have worked from a similar position of
"anti-music". His goal was to turn accepted views on their heads to make a
statement and get his message out to other like minded people. In his
comments in the linked video, he talks about making some tracks which he
intended to be annoying, in an attempt to reach people who were not so like
minded - those who had become apathetic to society.
So, getting back to where I started, I think it's important to discuss why a
particular artist or song might be considered "substantial". We may better
answer that question by simply asking why it is/was popular.
To put this in another light, why was Britney Spear substantial (popular)?
Perhaps in discussing any given artist, it is equally important to discuss
their fans.
