Re: [Harp-L] Opps I did it again. Pop is for the week.

"Chris Michalek" <Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> · Sat, 1 Oct 2005 12:33:15 -0500

Ben,

Don't misunderstand me to dispise the public.  I was speaking in
terms of what advertising companies think of the general public.
David Ogilvy had one of the largest agencies in the world.  He taught
that people can be made to believe anything.  My point was to rise
above the masses and believe in yourself.  Don't do things simply
because others do.

I understand how hard this is as I am ultimately a follower too
thought I strive to live outside the box.

I believe what I believe and only wish to share what I have learned
as a follower and leader. I certainly do not despise the public nor
do I think everybody is stupid.

>
>
>
>---- Original Message ----
>From: lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: Chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
>harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx, Roscoharp@xxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Opps I did it again. Pop is for the week.
>Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 19:25:30 +0200
>
>>If there wasn't so much implied haughtiness and self-excuse in your
>post, I might agree with most of it. 
>>
>>But just think about this : you think there's no marketing about
>Coltrane ?
>>
>>Think again. 
>>
>>Marketing and music (in the sense that it moves you) have nothing to
>do with each other. That means that there may be great music without
>marketing, and that there may be great music with marketing. And of
>course that there may be lousy music with either. 
>>
>>However, I get pretty pissed off when I hear people deciding
>off-hand what is or is not great music. And despite what you think,
>people are not stupid. They may buy a record because it's hype, but
>everyone has records in their collection that they will listen to
>again and again, that will move them. And Richard is right. Among
>these records, a vast majority are vocal.
>>
>>I think that "marketing" has become the easy "misunderstood artist"
>argument to explain lack of success. If you know how to reach out to
>people, you will have success. The rest is down to exposure and
>distribution. That's when marketing plays a crucial role. 
>>
>>Is there a lot of preprocessed music nowadays ? Hell, yes. But
>there's a lot of pop music that is also deep, insightful, lively,
>musical, vocal and is nonetheless pop and will stand the test of
>time.
>>
>>Currently, I'm in the process of digging deep into a genre that was
>made by marketing (or the press, which, in the 70s was most of what
>marketing was) and broken by it, namely progressive rock. On the
>whole, prog was not easily accessible and yet prog bands like Yes,
>Genesis, Pink Floyd, ELP, King Crimson and others filled stadiums in
>their time. Should we ditch all of them because they were popular and
>therefore their success was due only to the public's stupidity ?
>>
>>If you despise the public, you will certainly never reach out and
>touch it...
>>
>>Ben
>>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>>  From: Chris Michalek 
>>  To: turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx ;
>Roscoharp@xxxxxxx 
>>  Sent: Saturday, October 01, 2005 6:17 PM
>>  Subject: [Harp-L] Opps I did it again. Pop is for the week.
>>
>>
>>
>>  >>about which music sucks and which music sings.  The question was
>>  >about
>>  >>what most people hear and respond to, first.  Pop music by
>>  >definition is
>>  >>music that's popular, so it's a fairly reliable guide to what
>most
>>  >>people respond to, first. 
>>
>>
>>  Pop music is only popular because that what people are told to
>like.
>>  It's all about marketing.  Do you think a song is popular because
>you
>>  hear it on a pop station twice per hour?  Companies pay for that
>kind
>>  of exposure.  You know this Richard.  Weak minds are subjected to
>the
>>  same things over and over thus they believe it is what they are
>>  supposed to like.  They believe it is popular. Marketing in the
>Pop
>>  sector involves a technique called Forced Evangelism. 
>>
>>  Imagine this scenerio...
>>
>>  A person is standing outside a building staring up to the sky
>because
>>  he sees a Magical Super Monkey holding the staff of Irania.  Other
>>  people come by "hey what are you looking at"  the first person
>points
>>  up and says it's the "Magical Super Monkey and its holding the
>staff
>>  of Irania."  "I don't see anything" another person comes along
>what
>>  are you staring at...  "it's theMagical Super Monkey holding the
>>  staff of Irania." "Yeah, I think I see it." so this guys sticks
>>  around.  When the crowd build to five people new bystander
>preceive
>>  and event... more and more people begin to "see" the Magical Super
>>  Monkey holding the staff of Irania.  After a few hours and a 20
>>  people news stations will come, you'll see shadows on the news
>with
>>  circle around "Breaking news we have exclusive pictures of the
>>  Magical Super Monkey holding the staff of Irania."
>>
>>  People in general are followers and will believe what you tell
>them.
>>  Or to put it in the words of David Ogilvy - "People are Stupid" 
>BAck
>>  to the point of pop culture - most people are more or less
>>  "brainwashed" into thinking what they like.  Why do you wear the
>>  clothes you do? Do you dress outside of the current fashion trends
>or
>>  do you follow them? Were you wear bell bottom a year after you
>said
>>  you would never ever wear them again? Why do you have the things
>you
>>  do?  Because other people have told you it's good to have them. 
>We
>>  are all followers in one way or another but I guarantee you that
>one
>>  person is pulling the string to make happen what he or she
>envisions.
>>
>>  The true gems of the earth have risen above the hoopla. They
>thought
>>  differently than others.  Why do you try to play like Litte
>Walter?
>>  He wouldn't try to play like you.  Same goes for Howard Levy and
>>  Toots followers... I know for a fact that Howard encountered
>>  incredible resistence in trying to bring jazz the the diatonic. 
>He
>>  believed it could be done and nothing swayed him. He lives outside
>>  the box in constant uncomfortableness...  Not everybody has the
>>  strength to be different that's fine and without the weak, the
>strong
>>  would have no reason to be themselves...
>>
>>  So I think in colors I can't help that it comes naturally. I know
>>  that people like Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, Ravi Shankar,
>Thelonius
>>  Monk and Miles Davis thinks the same way. I'm a follower too but
>I'm
>>  in good company in being weird.
>>
>>  A true response is emotional and people resond to emotions because
>>  it's a common demoniator amoung all people on the earth. 
>Everybody
>>  knows what anger, sadness and happiness is.  They know it so well,
>>  they know it when they hear it or see it.  
>>
>>  Really...how many people listen to Britany Spears and think - "Oh
>my
>>  gosh" as they are moved to stand on their feet. Pop is mainstream
>-
>>  neither truly good nor truly bad it's in the middle.  It's for the
>>  average and mostly played by the average. It's safe and people
>like
>>  it because it makes feel happy about making a decision that
>everybody
>>  makes.
>>
>>  All I want to do is share what I see so that you all may learn
>IMOWFL.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  Chris Michalek
>>
>>  www.michalekstrone.com
>>  CD Available
>>  http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michalekstrone
>>
>>
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>>

Chris Michalek

www.michalekstrone.com
CD Available
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michalekstrone