Friday, March 24, 2006
May It Be
I listen much of the time to Classical96. It has what's referred to in the business as a "quick rotation", which means that they play the same things very frequently. Actually, over and over and over again. I don't mind hearing, say, the opening movement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony quite often. On the other hand, the listenership of this station is composed primarily - I have concluded - of aging baby boomers. Yes, I am quite aware that I am an aging baby boomer. But these are aging baby boomers with lousy taste. So, I just heard - for the umpteenth time - "May It Be (a Shining Star)", by Enya, from the first LOTR movie. Get me to a vomitorium. Soporific and pretentious crap, with a few portentous Howard Shore chords thrown in at the end.
(I will leave for another time the lousy movie tastes of aging baby boomers. But fantasy seems popular. Perhaps it is meant to compensate for the spiritual poverty of their lives. Or perhaps they were into Tolkien and the like back in university. I thought it was crap then and I think it's crap now. And if Al Qa'eda had chosen to blow up The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers instead of those other two towers, it would have suited me just fine.)
Movie music is very popular with the programmers at this station. Thus, earlier today I heard yet again the "John Dunbar" theme from Dances with Wolves by John Barry. No week would be complete without Mark Isham's theme from A River Runs Through It. Or "Tara's Theme", by Max Steiner, from GWTW. The "Warsaw Concerto", written by Richard Addinsell for Dangerous Moonlight, is a favourite. But no piece is as frequently aired as Jay Ungar's "Ashokan Farewell", better known as the theme song of Ken Burns's TV mini-series "The Civil War".
Now, all of these pieces are pleasant to listen to. (With the exception of the Warsaw Concerto which, with all due respect to those who might think otherwise, is a musical joke.) They all enriched the movies in which they appeared. However, familiarity does breed contempt. And over-familiarity breeds rage. Ashokan Farewell is played, I venture to say, not fewer than three times a week on this station. I phone in to Classical96 to participate in contests in the hope that if I win, I can get on air and plead with them to not play this corny, shlocky, syrupy, rancid, putrid CRAP for at least a week. Indeed, I would gladly give up any prize they have to offer if they would do so.
And I haven't even mentioned the "Air" by Billy Joel. You don't want to get me started on that.
(I will leave for another time the lousy movie tastes of aging baby boomers. But fantasy seems popular. Perhaps it is meant to compensate for the spiritual poverty of their lives. Or perhaps they were into Tolkien and the like back in university. I thought it was crap then and I think it's crap now. And if Al Qa'eda had chosen to blow up The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers instead of those other two towers, it would have suited me just fine.)
Movie music is very popular with the programmers at this station. Thus, earlier today I heard yet again the "John Dunbar" theme from Dances with Wolves by John Barry. No week would be complete without Mark Isham's theme from A River Runs Through It. Or "Tara's Theme", by Max Steiner, from GWTW. The "Warsaw Concerto", written by Richard Addinsell for Dangerous Moonlight, is a favourite. But no piece is as frequently aired as Jay Ungar's "Ashokan Farewell", better known as the theme song of Ken Burns's TV mini-series "The Civil War".
Now, all of these pieces are pleasant to listen to. (With the exception of the Warsaw Concerto which, with all due respect to those who might think otherwise, is a musical joke.) They all enriched the movies in which they appeared. However, familiarity does breed contempt. And over-familiarity breeds rage. Ashokan Farewell is played, I venture to say, not fewer than three times a week on this station. I phone in to Classical96 to participate in contests in the hope that if I win, I can get on air and plead with them to not play this corny, shlocky, syrupy, rancid, putrid CRAP for at least a week. Indeed, I would gladly give up any prize they have to offer if they would do so.
And I haven't even mentioned the "Air" by Billy Joel. You don't want to get me started on that.
# posted by Stephen @ 1:28 a.m. 
