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perhaps *some* musicians shouldn't be paid.....



(I found the start of this over on the Andrew Sullivan blog)

hear it here: 
http://ubu.artmob.ca/sound/komar_melamid/KomarMelamid_The-Most-UnwantedSong.mp3

back story: http://www.artsjournal.com/quickstudy/2008/04/yo_yo.html

excerpt:

The most unwanted music is over 25 minutes long, veers wildly between loud 
and quiet sections, between fast and slow tempos, and features timbres of 
extremely high and low pitch, with each dichotomy presented in abrupt 
transition. The most unwanted orchestra was determined to be large, and 
features the accordion and bagpipe (which tie at 13% as the most unwanted 
instrument), banjo, flute, tuba, harp, organ, synthesizer (the only 
instrument that appears in both the most wanted and most unwanted 
ensembles). An operatic soprano raps and sings atonal music, advertising 
jingles, political slogans, and "elevator" music, and a children's choir 
sings jingles and holiday songs. The most unwanted subjects for lyrics are 
cowboys and holidays, and the most unwanted listening circumstances are 
involuntary exposure to commercials and elevator music. Therefore, it can 
be shown that if there is no covariance--someone who dislikes bagpipes is 
as likely to hate elevator music as someone who despises the organ, for 
example--fewer than 200 individuals of the world's total population would 
enjoy this piece.

snippet of opening lyric:

Yo, I'm ropin' up my saddle for the long long ride
Every time I see the desert there's something inside says
Yo, yo,  this is the life
Give me open land and a big ol' knife
To get some bear, deer, even a snake
I light me a fire, do the shake and bake
I say yo, yo, I'm a cowboy now.



side note: I'm playing it now and I find it strangely intriguing.  But 
then "Old Songs Deranged", a compilation of Ives compositions adapted for 
marching band, is one of my favorite slabs of vinyl.