Re: Music Scene

[johnsrude@peak.org]

Regarding the difference between image and content, it seems to me to 
really
be a question of art and performance.

Art is when I create music in my studio. In private.  Performance is when I
ask strangers to approve of my art. In public.  Whether I make it easy or
difficult for strangers to approve of my music is both a personal decision 
and
is also a property of the music that I've created.

It's difficult for me to make an absolute distinction between image and
content, art and performance.  Picasso is popular, Bracque is not. Which 
one
made the greater contribution to Cubism?  I can't say.

A related issue is the tension between Art and Ego.  If my music was all 
about
Art, I wouldn't feel the need to present it.  Just creating it would be
enough.  Because I have Ego invested in my Art I want to present it.  If it
was all about Ego, I would construct some schlock that would appeal to the
lowest common denominator.  But people aren't stupid.  Entirely Ego-driven
music doesn't usually sell.  So music is a creative tension between Art and
Ego.  How much Art and how much Ego?  I can't really make an absolute 
judgment
about that, only a personal judgment.

Cheers,
Kevin
www.TheNettles.com