Theos-Talk Archives (August 1996 Message tl00336)

Liesel:
> I thought I really disliked rock 'n roll. It's too loud and the
>beat is too pronounced & steady. But a few weeks ago I asked one of our
>summer college kids to lend me some of her rock disks, to copy for
>Konstantin, and the stuff she gave me was gentle & melodious, and I thought,
>quite nice. Some of the sounds the instruments produced were far out, but
>not jarring, so I thought they were innovative & interesting.

My mother was a chaperone for a group, including myself, of guitar students that
attended a Beatles concert in 65'.  The din of the screaming drowned out the
music, but her willingness to go to concerts extended to even my college years,
including one by Tiny Tim.  There was never any criticism at my house when I
played the Who's Tommy album every night for six months.  This kind of tolerance
led me to be surprised by the intolerance I noted from other people, some of who
happened to be members of the Society.  One is entitled to one's own
preferences, but that's as far as it goes.  I'd wondered if there were some
esoteric (real or unreal) reasons behind their ideas. That somehow, certain
types of music can influence you in good or bad ways.

>On the other
>had, last year my cusin invited me to her daughter's wedding. It was quite a
>gala affair, & it cost me several $100 to get there, stay there & give a
>wedding present. The dancing was done to very loud rock. I couldn't take it.
>I walked out, & my cusin didn't forgive me until very recently.

Sounds strange.  Usually wedding bands play all types of music, including the
hokey-pokey and Elvis.  Maybe that's how the wedded couple wanted it!

-Ann E. Bermingham