i'm in a soft and slow mood now.

flu.

One thing i don't like about this modern age is that people have a general distaste for culture.
as well as a closed mind, which doesn't seem relevant but assuredly is.

one thing i like to think about is the definition of art.

art is anything.
i really like how artists like tracy emin and john cage (and of course, marcell duchamp) dared to challenge the definition of art. my favourite example invariably is john cage's 4'33''. it challenges the definition of music for most. yet even though the song is 4 minutes and 33 seconds without any sounds being made, there are still many artistic elements to it.

1. The length of the song is set at the stereotypical length of most pop songs.
2. John cage was famous for introducing sudden experimental sounds into his music. therefore people would have been listening out for sound. which segues nicely into the point of the song.
3. it makes people listen. the music is not made by the performer. rather it comprises of whatever sound is incidentally present during the performance of the piece.

music is anything. a prepackaged 4 minute and 30 second (or 3 1/2 minutes now, given the impatience of our MTV generation) pop song by lady gaga is a piece of music, as is 21 minutes and 28 seconds of electronic guitar feedback by Sunn O))). I personally feel that sometimes the latter is more enjoyable and carries more artistic value, but they are both music compositions.

so honestly, nothing much interesting has happened in mainstream music in the last 20 years. grunge was good for a short while, especially given the socio-cultural context in which it emerged. death metal was fun, but it kinda fizzled after a while. music now is rather formulaic sometimes. its really funny to hear so many old songs being re-recorded by young people nowadays. especially 80s songs. its like they've given up trying to make something new and fresh. i can just imagine two cigar-chomping record label execs saying to each other "those young people've never heard this song anyway. just give it new singers. preferably multi racial. guys must not have any facial hair and girls must have perky titties.

mmm.... perky titties.

All of my dreams that fell through and had tasted so sour
Take second place in my mind for this one sacred hour
Still I've been moved for so long by this strange fascination
Here as I stand all alone in complete concentration
Face through the clouds in the Gods shine with awe and splendour
Rise up and roar they approve will they always remember
I hear the voice of the crowd, it will last forever
Locked in my heart kept away like a stolen treasure

One Sacred Hour- Magnum