Anyone here an Andreas Vollenweider fan?

 

Yes, Down to the Moon is very good, as are White Winds and Dancing With the Lion.

 

 

To me, Vollenweider is much more akin to prog than many artists that are listed here, but there seems to be somewhat of a bias against -- & lots of negative preconceptions about -- so-called "new age" music among many prog fans.

 

I have posted on AV as a possible PA artist before, but got very little response. I find that a bit odd, because I listened to much new age in the relatively prog-poor eighties & early nineties, and it was very palatable to this seasoned prog fan.

 

Perhaps the music has too much beauty -- many just can't seem to tolerate or relate to joy, hope or beauty in music. Anger, violence, dissonance, despair and aggression are what "connects" these days, it seems -- sentimental/soft songs are often roundly condemned as "filler" or "lame." (Witness the drubbing "More Fool Me" and "Kayleigh" regularly come in for here.)

 

We live in macho times, I guess. Perhaps male harpists just don't connect with the obigatory tatoo (how very original!), "frown for the cover photo," "flex that bicep and talk like a moronic inner city street criminal" materialistic, wealth, youth and appearance-obsessed culture that prevails out there. Lie, cheat and steal (even from your friends) to get what you want and "deserve." Hit first. Never apologize (that's being "weak"), drop out of school (because it's "boring" and the teachers "diss" you by urging you to use your brain and rise to your potential), play "Grand Theft Auto" all day, knock up your "ho" girlfriend and abandon her, get a criminal record and really screw up your life (then blame your teachers and parents, of course -- never grow up and take responsibility for your own life and choices, like an adult, because the world owes you a living -- now!)  -- know what I'm sayin'?

 

Sorry -- I've wandered off topic -- I suppose.  'Twas yet another trying day, thankless day -- the students are staying away (throwing their last best chance for a better, meaningful life away) in droves.

 

 

 

(Crusty curmudgeon rant over.)

 

 

 

 

And yes, Teaflax, people have been saying things like I did since time immemorial, (I've read it in 1800-year-old pagan Roman literature, for example) but I and my colleagues -- some much younger than I -- really do see increasing casual violence (even girls commonly fist fight now), short attention spans, a lack of the most basic knowledge of current events, history or even geography, more machismo, homophobia and a disdain for learning and the educated in the young people we try to teach. Too many seem to feel that if they "pay their money," they should automatically get their "piece of paper." (They often say as much when they fail &/or get kicked out)

 

 

 

I knew that post would ruffle some feathers, but I guess I needed to vent....

 

Hey, DP, lots of great albums in your tres cool changing avatar -- our collections seem to overlap quite a bit!

 

My "evidence" for increasing homophobia (here in Canada, anyway) is all anecdotal/observational, of course. I really hate the way "gay" is now used by the younger set to mean "lame" or "stupid" -- that must make gay teens feel very good and accepted, indeed.  I do see less racism in youth, but I really think HIV/AIDS contributed to a swing of the proverbial pendulum back toward a casual, prevalent homophobia. A couple of years ago, in a highschool classroom discussion of prejudice, for example, I mentioned homophobia (I had to explain the term), and most of the kids loudly condemned gays as "sick" "disgusting" etc. The hatred was palpable. Their worst/most feared/most common insult for one another seems to be "gay" (& recall that the word now automatically carries a secondary negative connotation). Recently, a Canadian teen hung himself because he had been labelled that at school, and this is sadly not uncommon. My twelve year old daughter was called a "lesbian" last week, and she was horrified -- I was afraid she would feel obliged to "prove" that it wasn't true....

 

It was okay, indeed almost cool to like Bowie, Alice Cooper (though he wasn't gay, he was often thought to be), Elton John and Queen "in my day," but again, in discussing music with kids, I have often been asked "is ____ a gay band, sir?" (The implication being that if they are, they are not okay to like.)

 

 

Anyway, time for bed (teaching in AM) -- nice talking with you, Fleatax!