It is hard to know what someone was thinking. I do have compassion for DFW and for others suffering from depression. Not that depression is easy for anyone, but I believe that it’s even more difficult for those who are intelligent and aware. It’s easy to reason yourself out of various treatment options. And for those who are aware, it’s all to simple to focus on human nature and the state of the world. And I agree with you about taking notice.

Especially in popular music, there are no minor leagues; you’re either desperately poor and living out of a van or you’re set for life — and that promise of big money goes a long way toward ensuring there’s very little in the way of thriving local music communities that can provide incomes, nurture developing artists, and compete with corporate products. (It’s not Wurtzel, it was *me* who saw the best musicians of my generation destroyed by madness.)

It’s a shame we have to take people like her and the new overseer at the WSJ seriously, but hopefully the fact that they’re so shrill and ridiculous means they know they’re dying along with corporate entertainment. And who knows what sort of phoenix might rise out o’ *that* happy funeral pyre.

I figured that was your take and your point but I didn’t want to be attributing any views to you that you don’t hold.

Thanks.

I found it highly laughable in so many ways.

“In the era of the online music store — even if you buy from iTunes rather than stealing from LimeWire, the problem is the same — no one knows how to listen to a complete album anymore.”

Excuse me, Miss Wurtzel, I do. I frequently get laughed at for the way my iTunes library and iPod is arranged by album, which is generally how I listen to them. I still own around a 1000 CDs and buy more. I’ve bought 10 songs off of iTunes, because someone gave me a $10 gift certificate which took me 9 months or so to use.

As far as I’m concerned, Hollywood can die its well overdue death. For pure craptastic entertainment they put out a decent movie or 3 a year but for actual content worth my time give me an indie or foreign film any time.

As for quality music–poets even still exist–it is easily found via various means, usually involving friends with discriminating tastes and/or going to local shows.

Yes, if Miss Wurtzel expects to find large amounts of quality on the commercial airwaves and in commercial theater chains then she is likely to be disappointed. Then again, if she does expect this it leads me to seriously question her analytic abilities and her qualifications to be a lawyer.

It is well past time America found something better to export!

I’ve been thinking a bit too about my various online presences. It seems odd that people find me in facebook, LinkedIn, etc., when I’ve been on the “free” web since 1995. Can’t my old HS friends search google? Do people use “Classmates” to find each other as much as I think they do? I really dislike that they make people pay to use a bunch of that site, and I am not going to pay it.

Can’t wait to meet you f2f in October.

Joe

I must sound like a billboard - I’m not getting a kickback for recommending them (although I should look into that).

On the other hand, I certainly understanding choosing to limit one’s online presence. So, there you are.