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| R Tomens 2015 |
So, have you had your soup today? I had one last week...yes...a tin of Heinz tomato soup. I like to slum it now and again...he says, as if usually either dining out in London's finest restaurants or creating culinary masterpieces at home, neither of which I do very often...
...it's good to slum it, I thought to myself, considering the musical equivalent...but not being able to find- ah yes, watching re-runs of Top Of The Pops on telly Thursday nights. They show episodes consecutively, as originally aired. Currently, they're from 1980...I said I was slumming it - can you imagine the horrors? Perhaps you were there and know them well. I was there, but not looking, as far as I recall, although I may be in denial about that, wishing to erase memories of them completely...
...I can't think of a better/worse example of musically slumming it than watching this parade of puke-inducing Pop, especially when introduced by a wunnerful Radio One DJ, all teeth and casual wear (a rugby shirt, perhaps), bad hair...young girls at his side...oh, very suspicious viewed through our retrospective post-Saville glasses...yes...
...perhaps I have to be reminded of how terrible music can be to reinforce my feelings for the stuff I love. Is that it? Context? 'What year is this?' asks LJ, almost without fail, having not fallen in with the concept of running the shows as they first went out. The horror of it all is heightened by the faithful re-running, as in The Police appearing for two, possibly three weeks in a row. Imagine it! I hit the mute button, of course, but the very mention of their name has already made me feel ill by then. Don't look. That's it, read a magazine, flick through a book, leave the room (best option)...
..."But what has this got to do with Pierre Henry?!" I hear you scream at the monitor. Well, I was nominated to post a track-per-day, you know, one of those Facebook trends. I chose Pierre Henry's Prismes yesterday, because I had to include PH and it was one of the first tracks to crop up on YouTube. The friend who nominated me didn't 'get' the music. I knew he wouldn't. But, bless him, he said he listened to almost all of it - ha-ha! Well, that was my challenge to him, to play it all the way through. He was baffled by the absence of melody, harmony or rhythm, understandably, when you've been raised on music which always contains at least one of those elements...
...we've all been raised on what is, compared to Pierre Henry, 'Pop music', haven't we? By which I mean Pop, Rock, Dance etc. Watching Top Of The Pops from 1980, I reminded of how polluting Pop music can be. Spoon-fed shit, it's what people grow to desire; a terrible addiction. It took me years to wean myself off Pop. Or, I should say, break the dependency in order to appreciate music that contains none of the traditional elements. I still love Pop in many forms, of course, be it a Bowie song, Cole Porter's genius conveyed by Ella Fitzgerald...Motown...Sinatra etc. But I pat myself on the back, if I may, for learning to listen to other sounds. I suggested to my friend that he forgets the word 'music' and opts for 'sound'. It's a start, a seemingly simple one, yet for many, hard to achieve...
...by way of a comparison I mentioned Art, the obvious analogy being between pure abstraction and figurative/representational images. Yes, that one. People still want to 'see something' in what is supposed to be Art. In the same way, they seek the comfort of melody, harmony and rhythm in music...
...I considered using the mentioning 'education' regarding this matter, but thought again because it's an off-putting word in relation to the arts. 'Oh christ, must I really learn about all the references made by TS Eliot in order to fully appreciate his poetry?' No. But it would lead to a deeper appreciation, I imagine, just as learning about the development of electronic music in the 50s would help place Pierre Henry in a historical context as well as increasing your understanding of how it evolved. That may, or may not lead to the enjoyment of 'abstract' sound. Whatever, in this case, familiarity can breed approval rather than contempt. I recommend the regular playing of music that someone finds difficult, such as Jazz. So I've said to people in the past. None of them have got back to me to say it worked, but it's all I can offer...
...my friend has good taste in many respects but I know it's a huge leap across the divide between, say, The Specials and Pierre Henry. Funnily enough, therein lies a connection between the avant-garde and Pop in the form of Jerry Dammers' Spatial A.K.A Orchestra playing Sun Ra. Sadly, their existence has not lead my friend on the road to conversion regarding Sun Ra. I wonder if it has worked for other Specials fans? One in a thousand, perhaps? So we go on listening to what we like. One Thursday night soon, I'll no doubt also be listening to what I hate and if laughter is the best medicine, I choose that when slumming it...it's better than the other option, crying...
TTFN
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