Roger Scruton - The Tyranny of Pop Music

[@williamwalter5291]

I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who is disturbed by the constant noise. George Orwell gives his own explanation for the ubiquitous sound in his essay "Pleasure Spots." He writes: "The music prevents . . . . prevents the onset of that dreaded thing, thought."

[@WakingUpToday213]

A wonderful tool for social conformity under the guise of "individual good taste"

[@ramon2008]

Thinking is overrated. It prevents something even deeper more profound and important than “thought”, serenity.

[@lewisclark1122]

I know what you mean. Go to any public space, and the chances are that it if it isn't dominated by a giant screen (showing sports or 'news') then it will be dominated by piped pop music - rather than the rhythms of normal human life.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

@@ramon2008 Thought can lead to, follow, or be a part of serenity. What is really serene is not locking oneself into prejudgment, but having the freedom to see life as it is and work and relax with it fully and openly.

[@MichaelSheffield-ox8yd]

That is its purpose, I fear.

[@AndyAcker]

2:43 "It is not so much listened to as over-heard." 3:15 "A carpet of sound, designed to bring all thought & feeling down to its own level- lest something serious might be felt or said." 4:08 "Silence must be excluded at all costs, since it awakens you to the emptiness that looms on the edge of modern life."

[@lindadrew4875]

THE SILENCE is never empty it is FULL OF SHITE IN YOUR EARS

[@nw3877]

@@lindadrew4875 silence is flowers, silence is honey

[@Luzt.]

I agree about some kinds of music making thinking or reasoning or even attention impossible. The worst in this regard is a happy/jolly/smiley music on YT. Why the f.... should anybody be smiling all the time? Grrrrr!

[@PeterKuypers]

"Silence must be excluded at all costs, since it awakens you to the emptiness that looms on the edge of modern life." Ain't that the bloody truth.

[@jpalberthoward9]

C.S. Lewis mentions this in "The Screwtape Letters". Two demons are discussing how to best torment their subject, and one says "Two things that cannot be tolerated in the kingdom of noise are music and silence".

[@LazlosPlane]

"In order to determine if a society is well-governed, one need only examine its music." -- Confucius.

[@leloupdessteppes3228]

He really wrote that ?

[@lennylobstar2692]

@@leloupdessteppes3228 google it ^.^

[@scotthullinger9955]

@@lennylobstar2692 - As if you find "truth" on Google?

[@fabiangutierrezyaver8090]

@@leloupdessteppes3228 Whether or not he wrote that Mexico’s narco-culture "music" gives you a hint on who has been ruling my country for the last decades and at what point they have done it wrong.

[@samspianos]

@Basil Ganglia Chinese and others like it well enough to leave well enough alone

[@tpstrat14]

I run a bowling alley and oftentimes I don't put on music unless someone explicitly asks for it. The natural sounds of people living their lives better qualifies as music than any prerecorded musician. The clash of the pins, the chatter of the people and even the din of the refrigerators is more musical to my ears than a prerecorded song, no matter how good it is.

[@jpalberthoward9]

I like to go and sit under a tree and listen to the birds, or take a drum, go to the train tracks and play along with the wheels on the rails.

[@jiggersotoole7823]

Couldnt agree more - the music of the world.

[@sidhu139]

what about the sound of someone breaking wind?

[@therespectedlex9794]

​@@jpalberthoward9You're one doozy of a day dreamer.

[@DieFlabbergast]

The lights must never go out. The music must always play, Lest we should see where we are; Lost in a haunted wood, Children afraid of the dark Who have never been happy or good. George Orwell (adapted from "September 1939" by W.H. Auden)

[@electrasong]

yes, thank you

[@DieFlabbergast]

You're welcome.

[@alankenworthy9722]

Misquote.

[@JoeCiliberto]

Lest none be deceived, our ears can never believe, what was artful and spontaneous, symphonic fountains spouting genius, is now an assault on the beauties, of human emotion and the universe with its ever discovered realities, our ancestors never heard, no passed to us to suffer, what this this now put upon us, that not even prayerful sleep can buffer I long to wake up in the morning, to find the rubbish man, carrying it all away for burning.

[@lindac2412]

Would have been great if you had provided the correct one Alan, or explained why it was a misquote.

[@darkeagle553]

RIP, mankind has just lost a great man...

[@itsajeepthing82]

I was just Listening to a couple of his talks today not even aware of his passing until i saw your comment. Truly a great loss

[@darkeagle553]

@@itsajeepthing82 indeed

[@nilesspindrift1934]

Having just reacquainted myself with this man's honest and compassionately modulated opinions after 30 years of thinking about other stuff, I was greatly saddened to hear of his death afew days ago and surprised to find that he was born in a tiny village 5 miles from me. I shall visit his birthplace very soon in homage to this great human. May his light shine in perpetuity. RIP.

[@enochschildren5337]

What hasnt this been all over the news 🤔 such a shame !

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Deeply saddened to hear this news.

[@kyleolin3566]

Why have I not heard this man’s work until after he has passed? I am a musician, and I always say art can be used to hide from the world, or it can be used to find meaning in the world. I will meet you someday. Rest In Peace Sir Roger Scruton.

[@lars526]

Even when I go into the woods for a walk...low and behold, the modern, domesticated man comes stumbling along with a portable device putting forth obnoxious, often trashy music that he insists be heard...even in Nature, where the sound is already beautiful.

[@MarkErrington]

I agree. There is a time and a place for music. The beautiful surroundings of nature are not it.

[@jefferyhammond1421]

Then you must go deeper!

[@Jide-bq9yf]

😀

[@Therehabanddocumentationguru]

That is a beautiful statement

[@juanpablotupper691]

@@HA-gu1qk I beg to differ. Enrique Inglesias and Shakira? 🤦‍♂️

[@theosprey7111]

Here in America we have not only the tyranny of pop music piped into all public spaces but also the endless yammering of screens blaring sportsball. I'd love to find a nice place to have a good beer or glass of wine where I can have a conversation rather than being forced to listen to crappy pop music, football or basketball games.

[@melvinbennett444]

They don't want anyone conversing with one another. Every inch of your head turn, has to have a TV screen plastered on the wall in front of you, behind you, hanging over you. And then they have some idiot with a computer playing the latest gangsta rap crap, insulting your very being. And the most of the idiot patrons shuffle in and out, always with the head down, constantly seeking affirmation thru a text or email. A very sad sorry lot human beings have become.

[@jerryweber1768]

Agreed. You can't pump gas now without seeing a tv screen.

[@mad4nertz]

Osprey THANK YOU. I've had lunches with friends and we asked the employees to turn off the tv so we could enjoy our conversation. All they could do was mute the sound of the one nearest us. Better than nothing! Why would people not eat at home if they wanted to watch tv at the same time? Who is paying for all that fancy electronic equipment and the energy it takes to run it?

[@mad4nertz]

John Simcox YES! Someone might actually spend/enjoy a minute or two of quiet contemplation while filling up their tank. But no, we mustn't let people think.

[@scrunchyhoward8400]

Actually, there's a reason why that is and it also correlates with why your seat is uncomfortable. Fast food restaurants, like McDonald's, have lousy seats and blare deliberately obnoxious pop music (written by the same two guys, no less) over the sound system in order to make you more willing to leave sooner after you finish your food so that other customers can sit there and eat their quarter pounders. The dining experience is as much an assembly line for people as the slaughterhouse is for the animals. In the eyes of corporations: there is little meaningful distinction to be made between people and animals because they are all livestock to them and pop music is the background noise that they have engineered to best communicate their contempt for you.

[@juanpablotupper691]

"Metallica (...) unlike so many who had performed there, actually had something to say". That a man of his stature and educational background is willing to acknowledge the value of metal music, just speaks wonders of his open mindedness.

[@glennbalkin8247]

👍

[@HighlanderNorth1]

☑️ Speaking of metal, I found a diamond in the rough song last week. These guys were the first metal band I was exposed to, way back in the later 1970s when I was about 10-11 years old. Of course I'm talking about _KISS_ . But since there was no internet in the 70s and 80s, I missed out on some of their lesser known gems. Last week I found a Kiss song I'd previously never heard. Its called "She", and it grows on you! Despite whatever you may think of Gene Simmons as a person, he is actually a very good bass player, which brings up cool lesser known Kiss song #2, from their 1995 MTV Unplugged appearance. It's an acoustic version of their 1973 song "Goin' Blind". Gene plays an acoustic bass guitar, which isn't easy to play, and he does a nice job, as does Bruce Kulick on lead acoustic guitar. Eric Singer f-ing kicks ass on the drums too!

[@whiteleopard1713]

If you play it to plants they begin to get sick and die same with rap and hip hop. Low vibes sounds cause disturbances in bio field, disharmony. Just like negative thoughts and emotions cause water to produce disfigured snowflakes in Dr.Emoto study.

[@sonicgems]

@@HighlanderNorth1 Listening to it now, that's an interesting jam!

[@steveguse4481]

​@@HighlanderNorth1Kiss sucks.

[@Pan472]

I only discovered this man in May 2019. His ability to describe everything so accurately and in such a compact way is what made him great. Rest in peace, Sir Scruton. From a 17-year old boy.

[@ayeshafaeiha643]

Read Julius Evola's Revolt Against The Modern World. I'm sure you'll like it.

[@j.a4196]

@@ayeshafaeiha643 I'll read it. Thanks 👍 From a 19 year old.

[@pkyrome21]

@@TallisKeeton He was - in fact - a complete ninny with a very shallow understanding of logic, culture and philosophy. From a 54 year old man.

[@TallisKeeton]

@@pkyrome21 You mean Scruton? I read his 3 books and he seems q. logical lecturer to me :) From 45 woman who had to exercise a bit of logic on legal studies.

[@rachelkingsley668]

@@pkyrome21 🙄

[@nerychristian]

Music was never meant to be heard 24/7. It was supposed to be played live. Music is supposed to be a way of expressing culture.

[@peteramaya3584]

too right

[@samspianos]

Now we have the privilege of being surrounded by culture continually

[@Deurhzd]

It's like that with everything, problem of the west is *over*consumption Sugar is supposed to be scarce Sex with a new partner should be a very rare, special occasion Entertainment, fun, is unusual And the "entrepreneurs" response to all of this overconsumption? Work more, cut procrastination, produce more, so we can all consume *even more*

[@goodyeoman4534]

Same applies to other things, like food, sex and computers. All misused and/or corrupted.

[@Alter_Ego247]

If anything, music is a way of expressing yourself, not culture! But music isn't meant to be anything. It's simply what it is, not more, and not less.

[@Travis1365]

Roger Scruton. It was such a comfort while he lived to know that there still existed thinking men. God have mercy on him and on us all.

[@bluewrenreilly129]

Amen to that,and how he was persecuted by Democrats what a damning judgement on them.

[@Chris-dt5td]

His legacy is to think, read good books and keep the spirit of dialogue.

[@pkyrome21]

@@Chris-dt5td Never noticed much thinking - a lot of silly fetishising.

[@davidsimpson9647]

@@pkyrome21 Explain if you can!!

[@danilogiannibirolo1187]

this is argoument is the same for all those minus habens go around with wil dogs, pitbull and so on and garbage outfit, hip hop , mainstream kind of pop rock tv

[@doverbeachcomber]

My wife teaches flute. Often her students start off wanting to learn their pop favorites. But when they do, they have a revelation: their favorites turn out to have trivial melodies and boring harmonies. At that point they’re ready to make real music, just as Scruton says here.

[@kencur9690]

doverbeachcomber funny, I had the opposite experience. I hate pop, well contemporary pop anyway, but trying to learn the piano I have come to appreciate some of it: I won’t be playing it on my LP player anytime soon, or ever, for that matter, but for a brief moment I could glimpse an effort, no matter how minuscule and mediocre, an attempt at music. That’s for the “best” pop (which is still garbage); the rest I hated even more!

[@efe9446]

imagine you have a great range of flute works from baroque era to romantics and you chose to play some dumb pop

[@handles_are_a_bit_rubbish]

@@efe9446 To be fair, they probably didn't know any better.

[@davidjones5547]

@@efe9446 Not all popular music is dumb. There has been some very interesting popular music with changing time signatures in their songs made by Dream Theater, who for instance have 3 members of their current lineup who have attended prestigious schools of music such as Julliard and Berklee

[@granthurlburt4062]

I;m 69 and for the past 20 years as I struggle to learn the guitar, I find this about the tunes I've wanted to learn. And they were far better in the late 60's and 70's. More and more I play a Haydn piece, or the Earl of Salisbury, or Greensleeves. I see that so much that struck me in my youth consisted really of a catchy riff that grows more and more obvious and simple as I grow

[@75Shelli]

RIP, sir Scrouton! We are certainly going to miss you!

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

There is no scarcity of corrupt idiots. If one wears out you simply buy the next one.

[@ardenpeters2952]

First I've heard of this philosopher; he makes good sense, a rare commodity in our day. total agreement with the pervasive "music" of the day. Silence... what a wonderful thing!

[@masridasiregar5448]

I love listening to 50s-60s song but my friend call me "caveman",then i find this real intellegent bri'ish old man explaining things that i can never elaborate well to persons who mock my music taste, and my music taste can never be more right. This man is real legend.

[@301250]

His eloquence, bordering on the poetical is astounding! R.I.P.

[@syourke3]

Bravo! Silence is truly golden, as is real music!

[@xapaga1]

Listen to Sibelius, for example, for the sound of silence rather than Simon & Garfunkel.

[@Vingul]

​@@xapaga1 the electric version of Sound of Silence is pretty great, to be honest.

[@WolfyGreen]

'Experiments in endurance' - I love that phrase - shall we go out tonight darling? I know a delightful restaurant where we can have an excellent experiment in endurance.

[@allaboutkalergi5012]

I love Roger Scruton - he's a wonderful flowering of Western sensibility.

[@stueyapstuey4235]

oo g'orn giv uz a kiss! I'm sure he's not the best that Oxford, so unostentatiously, brags... Flower! Not to blush unseen?

[@Chris-dt5td]

Adorno should not be even mentioned on the same day with Scruton. The first belonged to the School of Frankfurt, which was the rap music of philosophy.

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

He was part of Islam's fifth column and totally superflous.

[@pkyrome21]

No - he was a nitwit. Much better logicians, moralists and aesthetes are worth reading.

[@davidsimpson9647]

@@pkyrome21 You're the nit-wit!!!

[@alecsuchi6620]

I run a shop and conduct my business in its entirety in real silence, with no background music, and it is heavenly. "Pop" music is seductive but in the final analysis subversive and a distraction.

[@efe9446]

you should play some, bach or beethoven mate.

[@isaacclarke8945]

It is very telling of the culture when music is replaced by noise, when foods consist solely of sugar and preservatives, and true human interaction is parodied by looking at a screen.

[@Kate-vb2pq]

Thank you! This really needs to be said, and I don't know if anyone could say it more eloquently.

[@stueyapstuey4235]

Pompously, mefinkz.. pff... it's all gorn wrang... ooo, fur de g' ol daze!

[@Dustshoe]

Kate V As a child throughout the 1970s, I can recall loving the pop music of the time. 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon' was a favourite song, as was music from The Carpenters, and a bit later that from Abba and Boney M. There were so many nice songs played on the radio, for instance, or at birthday parties. Easy listening, as they used to describe it recently in the entertainment section of in-flight magazines, was a major aspect of pop. Where is Easy Listening now? If it is around, it's never played in the public square anywhere. And with the trash that's boomed out everywhere today, I wonder how disconcerting that is for children, young children, today, as they are bound to encounter it. I consider that a very serious point about our environment and a young child's exposure to it. Nasty rap lyrics that a child's ears pick up is going to make that child not uplifted but depressed. I must admit, the nice sounds of the 70s, even though I was a mere child, combined with the tapes we had of the nice pop groups, made me wonder about the world and gave me an interest in the world. It gave me hope. Does that happen to anyone who's very young today? Well, each to his permanently-worn headphones! But in terms of the joy and happiness that music, pop music, should provide in this modern world full of oppressed and dejected people from all corners of the earth, you would think that the better pop music would be the only kind played. And in the time before headphones came along, a lovely song played in London department stores, for instance, would surely have gratified the ears of the newcomers unaware of the pleasure of popular song and good music. Alas! Nice sounds are not tough enough today! I pity the lack of regard for 'the lovely' today. The West is not, should not, be decadent!

[@SeanJRho]

“To hear it you must clear the ear of noise.”

[@mrcockney-nutjob3832]

Todays music is like listening to a car alarm.

[@1956soulmate]

Circus Midgets ...... best description yet! I tell 'em the needle is stuck but don't think they get it.

[@1956soulmate]

@Fake_Conservatives_LIE ....thanks my friend I am aware of the leftist agenda to shut down free speech and turn us into socialists. I will fight this with my dying breath.

[@ShirubaGin]

Don't compare pop music with noise music

[@petervermeer8659]

The West's cultural output is greater than ever. I don't think that would be the case if Western countries were dominated by conservatives who politicise art and boss around artists and intellectuals ("that's postmodernism! postmodernism is wrong!!'"). A conservative society is anti-intellectual, hostile towards art and beauty and inherently insipid, much like a marxist society.

[@cjay2]

@Fake_Conservatives_LIE They're incapable of even singing. There's so much auto-tune used, they just feature it on full. That and the multi-band compression to squash all the garbage together, and you've got soulless sound.

[@AWalkingHat]

All those who've worked in retail know why this is so profoundly true.

[@justinrubin2533]

It is rare that I have found someone who so eloquently articulates what I have felt for decades. With each passing line I felt his words somehow emanated from my own view on this subject and why I feel such displeasure in so many situations in the modern world. Brilliant.

[@periurban]

I feel you man! It's torture! The worst is when you get those dreadful cover versions where the singer CANNOT sing! And the "engineer" didn't even have enough musical sense to fix it. I'm trying to concentrate on buying new shoes and all I can hear is the tortured soul of my muse being driven back deep into the cave from whence it struggles to emerge! Music? No-one knows what that is any more.

[@cd0u50c9]

Never have I heard such incredible explanation of this phenomenon. It appears Roger Scruton can formulate my own thoughts on the topic significantly better than I can. Incredible human.

[@MichaelSheffield-ox8yd]

Read Schopenhauer on music. Sir Scruton certainly has.

[@telephilia]

Is it just me? Am I under the mistaken impression that one sees fewer pianos in living rooms today?

[@YSLRD]

They are so obsolete that pianos are often given away. There are no buyers.

[@mennowinter7130]

Honestly they have become expensive. Id rather train on a keyboard and then get the real deal when i have the money.

[@wimvanmoerbeke]

fewer ?? none !

[@jimmyowen2829]

It's actually worse than he describes ... the "music" played in many American bars is no longer simply banal background noise -- it's often assaultive and vulgar in the extreme. In particular, this applies to RAP "music", which is somehow excused for ANY and ALL social and musical transgressions.

[@herrgolf]

...and heaven help you if you are openly critical of, let alone dislike, hip-hop.

[@DieFlabbergast]

Well said! So-called "rap" is NOT "music"! God knows what it is, but music it is not!

[@RodFleming-World]

@Jimmy & Melvin: I don't think there is any better example of how superior European (you know what I mean) culture is than 'music' forms like Rap and 'R&B'. When this originally appeared in the 1970s it was fresh and interesting; for 4 decades now it has been a rehash after rehash of the same themes. forms and motifs. There is literally no development over that period, except the addition of a question-and-answer form in the 1990s which gave us 'R&B' -- which continues, after 20 years now, to rehash its own version of the same old same old. Even if you don't like contemporary music, a simple statistical survey of the product of European-derived music over the same period will show a plethora -- countless -- different forms, innovations and combinations. Here is the simple fact: Until about 1980, the best forms of black music had been fusions, where two musical cultures came together and made something special. The best proponents in this, however, were likely to be from either culture -- Elvis or Chuck Berry? And can we really avoid recognising the fact that the most interesting rapper since 1990 has been Eminem, a white man? Or that rap itself was made into an international success by a white band, Blondie? (Rapture.) White European culture is a magpie -- or maybe it's Emmet L Brown, taking everything it can find and pasting it together to make -- wow, a time machine! And the qualities of eclecticism and innovation are why it's so good. It's almost as if we take other people's ideas, mash 'em around in the workshop and then come out and say 'There! Fixed it.' It is also why the Communist SJW Left hate what they call 'Cultural appropriation' -- they know that if they could stop white culture stealing everybody else's ideas -- and building them into something better -- it would sink from sight. Since destroying white European culture, which has spread over the world, is their aim, they want to remove from it the tools it uses to make itself great

[@melvinbennett444]

Agree totally, I loved R & B from the '70's, as it was very harmonical and pretty good instrumental music. A lot of the bands incorporated brass instruments into their groups which further made the music better. Groups like Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower of Power and Chicago and many more made very good music.

[@RodFleming-World]

@Melvin:...Rufus and Chaka Khan....

[@tomashize]

I am only in my 30s and yet I have felt this acutley for years. It's quite moving to hear it articulated so well.

[@Chris-dt5td]

Classic music can fill up the soul with beauty.

[@petervermeer8659]

@TomeOfBattle Try Sabah Fakhri, vastly superior to Händel

[@petervermeer8659]

@pproust Tu aimes Händel? Tu sais pas qu'il était allemand? Ils sont nos amis maintenant les allemands? Bien sur que non. Nous (les francophones) sont un peuple du midi en substance, comme les grecs, les arabes etc. Nous avons rien à foutre avec les allemands ou les anglais

[@elenap3637]

Good for you ! I am glad that some young people think this way, maybe our civilization is not totally lost. At least not yet.

[@brendanbroadhead5087]

@@petervermeer8659 I disagree but music is subjective.

[@BenedictRoffMarsh]

Well said Roger. Exceedingly articulate and beautiful in delivery. More importantly, very correct. Sadly tho those who most need it, are least able to hear this. I say this as a musician who struggles with other musicians who actually seem to hate real music - the expression & celebration of beauty, life and quality.

[@fuzzywzhe]

Haha, whenever I go out with people, we never go to a place with a television or music. When I'm shopping somewhere, if I hear music, it just drives me out.

[@thisisalwaysatest]

Which is why I cary about a pair of 30 decibel flesh-colored ear plugs. Seriously; I wish I were joking!

[@1956soulmate]

fuzzywzhe .... yes and I try telling them I'd love to shop here longer but can't think with that noise.

[@Nahum17good]

Wow! You’re speaking my thoughts! Brilliant!

[@rh001YT]

In case people don't know, Muzak was concieved as a service to retailers to boost sales. Via psychological studies and some insight, Muzak actually discovered what types of music piped through the speakers actually does increase sales. For that reason Muzak was incredibly successful. From retail, Muzak also moved into the workplace, selling musical styles that increased productivity. Muzak also provided the equipment, from way back in the vacuum tube days and the phonograph to the tape recorder and transistor electronics. Muzak provided whole package systems, for instance, the microphone at the retail checkout stand, over which stock questions or announcements could be blared, was part of a whole system, all nicely integrated so when the switch on the microphone was pressed the music went down in level a bit. Many people came to recognize the banality of Muzak music selections/productions and after a while "Muzak" became synonymous with "banal".

[@jpalberthoward9]

Jimmy Page was a session musician for several years in London before the Yardbirds or Led Zeppelin. He said that he was starting to get bored and frustrated with it, and when they started wanting him to do Muzak sessions, he quit and walked out. Somewhere out there, there is a generic Muzak tape playing in a supermarket or elevator that has Jimmy Page on guitar. Stranger than fiction.

[@suicidalbuddha]

Looks like things have finally begun to turn around. Marks and Spencer's announced a few months ago that it is withdrawing all piped music from its stores nationwide.

[@lemsip207]

In the 70's chart music used to blare out from those cramped chain boutique store such as Chelsea Girl into the street. It used to put me off going into them.

[@johnmartin2813]

They even have it in bookshops! One day we'll have to go to special shops to buy silence. (And even then it will be shopsoiled.)

[@MichaelFay63]

Well good for them. Notice on U- Tube they talkers, feel they need idiot music so they can "TALK"!! I suspect their Mothers had the Radio going in their infancy! When talking to a Robot voice here in Auckland New Zealand Saying ,"we are very busy, but your call will be answered in a few hours in the meantime here is some moronic music!"

[@nickhaines7513]

Motivating speech. A celebration of the remaining spiritually pure humans

[@jameseverett4976]

I went with a friend once out to a small town, to another friends house. It was at night and all was quiet. He started getting nervous, and got up to walk around the living room, complaining that he needed a radio on for some background noise. This is why I don't get along with anyone. I'm glad someone has posted this. Maybe I will...someday.... one day.... like being around other people again. Why? Because the problem is you can't be around people unless you can put up with this constant noise in the background that soothes them. And they have parties with music blaring that no one is listening to. I've even noticed that you can never really ask someone to listen to a song, say one that you wrote and recorded, or other song you found that you really like. Play it for them and they will immediately start to talk over it. They can NOT shut up and listen. And that's the irony of always needing music playing - you get to where you can't even listen anymore, because you're too hyped or nervous or whatever. Life becomes this drone where underneath it all you end up tuning out - of EVERYthing.

[@TheRKae]

Back in 1977, Emerson, Lake & Palmer took a wild gamble and opened their album "Works (Volume 1)" with a piano concerto that Keith Emerson had written. A lot of the fans were bored, the critics were bewildered, but I was astounded. It sent me down some very wonderful paths of discovery.

[@VM0451]

I would just like to add, ELP got a lot of crap for being pretentious yet for some reason still commercially successful. I think they were just really fantastic at balancing musical styles. One of my favorite bands when I really got into prog rock. RIP Keith Emerson, utter keyboard badass.

[@aliensoup2420]

I loved Emerson's rendition of Copland's Rodeo. Whoever expected Copland to end up on a rock and roll album, let alone Copland himself?

[@TheRKae]

I never understood that insult of "pretentious" when it came to ELP. (But every rock journalist repeated it endlessly.) They were merely having fun with music. Several of their songs have laughter on them. ("Are You Ready, Eddy?" "The Sheriff.") It was just fun for them to mingle different styles; they weren't trying to prove anything.

[@VM0451]

Yea, I have no idea why either. They often state that, but they also complain of them being commercial. It's a really weird contradiction. I hope people will remember ELP differently.

[@iahelcathartesaura3887]

TheRKae Those rock critics who called ELP "pretentious" were, to put it simply, jealous as could be.

[@tatianasivakova4296]

The most intelligent and reasonable man I ever knew. REST IN PEACE. He left us a lot of to listen to and to think about.

[@chonnerone2964]

Rest in Peace Professor Sir Roger Scruton

[@martinstremlow2997]

One of my favorite philosphers. May his words always be heard and considered!

[@HughTerry69]

This is why I have given up listening to the radio.

[@TofeldianSage]

Hugh Terry, you know, I have too. As a teenager I used to sit with friends to listen to an album. As an adult music became background to something else I was doing. But after a while I just got tired of the whole thing, especially if I would sing along and realize how foolish the lyrics really were. We are saturated with music now, and it no longer moves us. Maybe in retirement I will have enough time for some purposeful listening again. Cheers.

[@gavinreid8351]

Change the station.!

[@bawsack69]

RIP, an intellectual giant and a nationalist hero.

[@marichristian1072]

Scruton was undoubtedly conservative but "nationalist"? I don't think he'd appreciate that label.

[@bawsack69]

@@marichristian1072 I think he would now, the only alternative to nationalism is globalism, the time is coming when we all need to choose a side, he would have been with us.

[@bawsack69]

@Trouble Came Calling kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHnaZYCDetOgpsU

[@Kerys23a]

@@bawsack69 Only a sith deals in absolutes.

[@bawsack69]

@@Kerys23a Nerd!

[@efe9446]

nothing can be compared with the divinty of bach, simpilicity of mozart, passion of beethoven, femininty of schubert , joy of liszt ,rage of rachmaninov, wideness of tchaikovksy. Classical music must prevail for the sake of the society!

[@lw97nilslinuswhitewaterweb93]

And folk music too!!!

[@LinusWeber1997GER]

I agree, but Tchaikovsky is Romantic, not Classical. Still great, but stop calling it classical

[@efe9446]

@@LinusWeber1997GER bach isnt classical aswell. Classical term is basically classical westren music from renaissance to comtemporary

[@LinusWeber1997GER]

@@efe9446 Bach is baroque, yes. I don't call that classical either. Classical i smusic of th eclassical era. Mozart, Beethoven etc. But OK, just semantics.

[@alycejasmin6569]

And avant-garde music, as well. The complexities within John Cage's work and thinking are so magnificent, but in a different way.

[@patricksmith4424]

Top brain from a top generation. They don't make them like this anymore. I only discovered him recently, and was sad to see he had passed a couple of years back.

[@47StormShadow]

Savage, and on point. Love how he sees that Metallica is actually different than the mass. That takes real perception for someone whose taste doesn't line up with metal.

[@threethrushes]

Scruton turned me towards Spiral Architect.

[@JBYORK14]

He is the Orwell of our time. Love him.

[@ian4iPad2]

JBYORK14 Though Orwell was a socialist, Scruton was a conservative.

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

Orwell was a honest man, Scruton corrupt to the bone.

[@j.a4196]

@@hans-joachimbierwirth4727 Would you explain this in deep? I don't understand. Corrupt?

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

@@j.a4196 Tobacco, money & lies

[@j.a4196]

@@hans-joachimbierwirth4727 i don't know too much about him. KZbin's algorithm recommended me this video. I guess I should read more about his life...

[@ehyyyyyy]

First time I've heard a political thinker talk about this, what a breath of fresh air.

[@ottodetroit]

FINALLY ! I find someone who gets it! Thanks Roger !!!!!

[@Tyrfingr]

Mirroring my exact thoughts. *raises beer to mr.Scruton"

[@jcawalton]

A manifesto for a desperately needed musical awakening. Well done, Roger.

[@theawecabinet]

Or a rambling, incoherent, snobbish, self righeous rant lacking in argument or clear definitions and jumping all over the place which only appeals to Radio Four listeners who love that sort of thing.

[@nudaveritas6322]

HOLY SHIT !!! BRILLIANT ANSWER!!!!!!!

[@hugolindum7728]

theawecabinet "Oh those horrible radio 4 listeners and their above 95 IQs."

[@theawecabinet]

Yes Radio Four is dumbed down, pseudo intellectual, pompous, arrogant, moronic state propaganda which targets the middle classes. Having a higher than average IQ does not make someone wise or informed or less susceptible to propaganda..... in fact I would argue that they are in many ways more susceptible. Radio Four simultaneously talks to its listeners like they are children and geniuses, and flatters their egos that they are clever and informed, when nothing could be further from the truth. In reality R4 never dares to provoke even the slightest twinge of intellectual curiosity in is listeners. There is much to talk about with respect to modern pop and culture in general and Scruton manages to miss all of it by a mile, instead serving up a sort of teenage essay on music which provides us with such profound insights as electronic music has repetitive beats and shopping malls and restaurants play background 'wall paper' music instead of complex or rousing symphonic works. I wonder why that is?! Perhaps it is the same reason why wallpaper has simple repetitive, relatively meaningless designs rather than complex depictions of The Last Supper on them.

[@hugolindum7728]

theawecabinet Having a higher than average IQ doesn't make someone informed or wise.... but having an IQ of under 100 certainly doesn't.

[@alejandrosaldanarosales9102]

RIP. The world has lost its awareness guide.

[@alonsoschneider8109]

Nope

[@groovermctoober4508]

Very well said. I‘ve been preaching the same for decades. I used to regularly visit my friend Eddie‘s snack bar. Eddie was a fan of classical music and used to play Mahler-Eddie‘s favorite-Bach, Mozart, Schubert, etc. while serving cheeseburgers and fries. I loved it! Finally, good music somewhere. But his jackhammer rhythm-addicted customers, brainwashed by the media to believe that more sophisticated music is too complicated for them to understand or to even bother attempting to listen to, complained. And they complained loudly, so that Eddie had to replace his beloved Mahler with what he called „the shit.“ He suffered, but he kept his customers. With one notable exception: me.

[@AudioPervert1]

thank you for explaining it so clearly ... how music was butchered for industry. for profit.

[@scottleft3672]

'change the channel marge"

[@gavinreid8351]

Steve Reich

[@jonathanknight8251]

Samrat B also for propaganda and mind control

[@robertwoodpa6463]

Lets not act like music wasn't for profit until now.

[@terrywitzu3795]

Absolute poetry. Beautiful, and inspiring as a mere rock n' roll musician. I personally have found that the noise/music he discusses has induced, in me, an uninspired state. Not so many years ago I was quite prolific as a song-writer, and since then have found myself unable to write anything unique, exciting, or powerful. Not even a decent vocal hook. Have any of you other musician's or artist's experienced this as of late? Would love to know I'm not alone.

[@tbwatch88]

you might be too hard on yourself here, mate. listen to the beatles and classical... and then go fail beautifully. the GREAT writer George Saunders told me once "we [writers of comic fiction] are all in the shadow of Gogol"

[@jpalberthoward9]

I have a couple of tricks I use to break out of a rut. Go and find some big trees and just sit under one and listen to the birds. Birds are the original musicians. They were doing it long before we were. If you live in the southwest, the great tail grackles are a good source. They sing a lot of riffs that sound like modern jazz, and if you throw peanuts or blueberries to them they'll hang out with you. I take the guitar with me when I go out there. If I tune to A=432Hz, those grackles will riff with me. (they don't like 440 for some reason, it makes them fly away). If I play some jazz or swing in Bb or Db, they will get going pretty good if they're in the mood. Sometimes I think John Coltrane might have done something like this. There's a big grackle in my tree out front, and he sang a riff one day that I used in a song. Remember, Charlie Parker's nickname was "Bird" Another cool thing to try is to go to the train tracks, bring a little drum like a bongo or a tabla with you, and play along with the groove of the wheels on the rails. The train keeps steady time, and you can play variations on the rhythm. Of course the "normal" people will all think you're nuts, but to hell with them. One thing I make sure to do when I'm in a rut is to stay away from people. Everybody's a damn critic, especially about things they don't know any thing about. Humans will piss on your parade faster and better than just about anything on earth.

[@TheTradWarrior]

Tremendous narrative from a very wise man.

[@pkyrome21]

Drivel from a nincompoop.

[@ShaneyElderberry]

It should probably be mentioned that Sir Roger Scruton plays western art music on keyboard instruments, including difficult J.S. Bach trio sonatas and romantic era piano works. He practices what he proclaims.

[@againsteternity110]

Modern music's success is a good indicator of the large swarms of dumbed down people we have in the world. It's very sad. Popular music from the West has absolutely nothing to do with music in the very least. A copy pasted beat with some brain dead, over-paid fool spouting out words that half the time can't be found in the dictionary. It's all about the party, the club, your status at the club. No longer melody, emotion, or creativity. Just the droning on of fools.

[@maxfieldstanton5411]

It's not art anymore, it's the careful product of market research.

[@scottleft3672]

fun....stupidfuck.....staying home leades to misanthropy....get out more you boring fool.

[@scottleft3672]

you spend time in the club....you suffer.

[@againsteternity110]

You can have fun without listening to audible AIDS

[@thetraveller869]

scott left This comment originates as a perfect example of his argument...

[@communismsucks5062]

As a 25 year old old school metalhead, this realy resonated with me, the second in saw the title, I clicked so fast. Music is meant to inspire and expose our humanity, meant to bring us together and evoke our most intimate reflections. Metal is not the only genre I listen to, but the reason I love metal so much, is that it's a big giant middle finger to this "music" and the social trend of souless mindlessness. I have musical talents myself, and it infuriates me that people download that dumbass music app to do everything for them, rather than putting in work to the structure and performance of the music. If you've seen an old school MetallicA performance, can you imagine the musical ability, as well as the physical endurance to play that hard, that fast all night? Now we have lazy good for nothing youngsters exercising their thumbs to make subpar and subliminal "music". Anyone can be a DJ and scratch a disk, or use that stupid ass app, but not everyone can read, write or perform quality music or the instruments required for the genre. This all comes from the socialistic communist agendas to supplant our individuality.

[@jpalberthoward9]

The sentiments you express apply to all genres. Ever wonder why everybody hates jazz? Jazz didn't always suck. It used to be a powerful, vital art form, a continuing exploration of harmony, rhythm, and creativity, but not any more. Jack Kerouac once called jazz "The joyful noise of the ten cent beer joint". But then they started taking themselves too seriously. They got over educated, and began playing it safe. Somewhere along the line, the improvisation went out the window, and the audiences became snobby elitists who preferred to talk about it rather than listen or dance. When it became "serious" all the life went out of it and now most jazz is soulless elevator Muzak. I think the same thing happened to rock and roll. Soon all of the booga booga boom boom bass box beat will be generated by AI (not that I'd be able to tell the difference). The only hope lies with those who labor in obscurity without career goals or dreams of fame and fortune, who make music for the sheer love of it. When music becomes a commodity, the numbers and the bottom line will dominate over any aesthetic or artistic concerns. Sort of like the difference between home cooked Sunday dinner at grandma's house, and a funky baloney sandwich from a vending machine at the bus station.

[@zdave6083]

Both of you long winded humps are full of it. Took forever to say nothing real.

[@comesahorseman]

As long as I have Vivaldi, Mozart and Vaughn Williams, I'll be quite all right.

[@tiredgardener]

I used to love music, needed it on all the time. I spent 3 months camping in Iceland. The quietness of the wilderness rewired my brain, now I can live without music, and prefer silence, or bird song.

[@goodbuddy7607]

Oh God, I've been thinking and saying this for years. Nice to know I'm not alone in this thinking. The crap played in public spaces should be illegal. Where are the social justice warriors when you need them? I often wear ear plugs AND large noise cancelling ear muffs at the same time when shopping in a desperate attempt to preserve my soul.

[@SupremeCannon1965]

'It was only an 'opeless fancy It came like an April day But a look an' a word an' the dreams they stirred They've stolen my heart away' George Orwell saw machine-generated music coming in 1948. Proles everywhere sing it all day. And very happy to see in the comments that others see it too.

[@carlandersson7870]

Wow! Finally! 😤 I've habored these same thoughts the majority of my adult life, I basically thought I was alone since nobody ever speaks about it, but this really hit the nail on the head! I love this guy!

[@philippeyared2050]

What works for me in restaurants, at least when I am the first customer, is to ask the waiter to turn the music off and wait for someone to ask for it. And nobody ever asks for it.

[@best-of-dutch-music3791]

I love pop music but how this man puts it in persective is brilliant. I'll listen to silence more often

[@glennbalkin8247]

Yeah, there is music I love that perhaps ain't objectively good...

[@josiahmontgomery6303]

Wow. He just put words to what I’ve been feeling ever since I ate mushrooms in high school. More please.

[@gailascari]

I am constantly exposing my grandsons to classical music, my 6 year old grandson started piano lessons. They love music! Real music, composed by the best, both modern and past.

[@petestevens3970]

It is indeed the default: “Its too quiet in here ...” Silence, no longer a recognized retreat, no longer a common sanctuary.

[@EngineeringFun]

He hit it hard with "calling upon the word - like" :).

[@sealisa1398]

RIP...what a mind and talent to express.

[@Kpooji]

The music is there to fill all silence because silence is unacceptable. It is also there to hypnotise you into conformity of feeling.

[@philipcarpenter6430]

A genius! Rip Sir Roger Scruton

[@pkyrome21]

Hardly - daft as a brush.

[@Nandor318]

i want to put a backing track to this

[@sellout87]

Electra something off beyonces new album would be fitting. gradually getting louder until it totally drowns out his voice.

[@alexwr]

With Taylor Swift.

[@daavichon]

Yes, that is genius, please do! And what sellout87 proposes too!

[@ekbergiw]

A E S T H E T I C

[@einarabelc5]

The ultimate irony of moronic poetry. The total disconnect of the generations.

[@GregoryTheGr8ster]

There is no form of music that dulls the mind more effectively than rap/hip-hop.

[@michaelalbertjr.3230]

Well, trap?

[@ukbloke28]

There's plenty of intellectually stimulating, intelligent rap. You just didn't bother to listen to it.

[@lenk.4937]

Rhyming over an electronic bass hit isn't music. There is no melody or harmony. It has no redeeming value. Barbarians listen only for the repeating THUMP. They foist it upon us to harass and intimidate. Law enforcement does nothing to halt this constant illegal harassment.

[@TheJammerman]

@@ukbloke28no

[@erniebuchinski3614]

​@@ukbloke28 You speak of "intellectually, intelligent rap." Now THERE'S the oxymoron of the year, huh? 🤣

[@Shahzad-Khan]

Roger was just mad at the fact that our generation couldnt reach out to their enchanted world. How profuond was his remedy. Truly ahead of his time and left his message for our generation! We must share the word.

[@robdixson196]

I was a little surprised that he appreciates Metallica.

[@Hazehellivo]

Heavy metal is directly related to classical music.

[@aranisles8292]

Proves that he's not a mere snob. He uses his judgement no matter the genre.

[@kenhimurabr]

@@Hazehellivo in fact, all pop styles are.

[@Hazehellivo]

@@kenhimurabr In what part of pop does the instrumental compares to classical music? Couldnt be more different!

[@cjay2]

@@kenhimurabr To you perhaps. I think you'll inexperienced and/or mis-informed at best.

[@youkokun]

Oh my goodness I nearly cried. This is absolutely true and any choir kid knows it. Look, Lady Gaga has a beautiful voice, but her songs are trash. We can find glimpses of Truth in beautiful music...as in silence.

[@thoughtfox12]

The worst part of working in retail. Especially at this time of year my word

[@philomath67]

Restaurants, working out, super markets, the hairdresser. It's everywhere and it's horrible.

[@thoughtfox12]

@@philomath67 it pursues you mercilessly into your home and your own space, I can’t get it out if my head

[@juneyoo]

beautifully articulated. His insight on judgement cannot be understated.

[@joshkooga7204]

Sir Roger and metallica..now there's a combination i never thought i'd hear..

[@corbeaudunordofficiel254]

That's why I always try to create accessible, beautiful music, so that people who are not used to complex classical music, can stil access this style and enjoy it. It can eventually open their mind to other styles than the generic, formated and corporate pop music that we're hearing everywhere, all the time. Works great until now, thanks to be part of this "cultural fight" Roger Scruton! :)

[@noself1028]

Thanks so much for posting! Roger Scruton perfectly articulates my sentiments. I spent my youth listening to what we now call classic rock and, for reasons too lengthy to explain here, didn’t become interested in classical music until my twenties. I’m 61 now and listen to it almost exclusively, with only the occasional rock CD thrown into the mix. The interesting thing is that, on those rare occasions, I’m often disappointed by the banality of rock as compared to classical. On a final note, I was pleased to hear Scruton offer positive, constructive advice for introducing young people to high quality music.

[@davidjones5547]

Apparently you listen to very little prog or progressive metal where you would find a good number of the musicians being classically trained.

[@noself1028]

@@davidjones5547 I actually do occasionally listen to Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, and the like, but these are generally considered part of the classic rock genre. Of course it’s purely a matter of personal taste, but metal bands just don’t appeal to me. In any case, none of the above comes close to good classical music in terms of quality and inventiveness. Just my humble, indisputably correct opinion…😏

[@davidjones5547]

@@noself1028 I believe you are mistaken when referring to Yes, Rush, and Jethro Tull as part of the classic rock genre. These bands you listen to fall in the genre of progressive rock. As someone who has a classical music background, having studied the flute for 12 years and being accepted to attend Juilliard, only to be talked out of going, I do agree with it to a degree when it comes to classical music. Jethro Tull for instance took Bach’s Bouree in E minor and made one of their most well-known songs. Rick Wakeman studied at the Royal College of Music. There are also some classical influences in the music of Rush. As for your distaste for metal, maybe you are listening to the wrong kinds of metal. There happens to be 2 sub-genres of metal known as symphonic and progressive metal. In these subgenres, one finds the music to be interesting because of the time signature changes within the songs as well as the music’s complexity. A particular band that comes to mind is Dream Theater where you have the guitarist and bassist having attended Berklee and the keyboardist having attended Juilliard. Here is an example of their music. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGjao2uModpkl5o You also have musicians in the metal genre who put out an excellent rendition of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGjao2uModpkl5o So not all metal music is unlistenable. There is some good out there.

[@noself1028]

@@davidjones5547 With regard to the proper classification of the bands I mentioned above, I think we are both arguably right. They produced their music in the classic rock era and it’s played on classic rock radio stations; on the other hand, it’s also progressive. As for DT, I have given them an honest hearing in the past and actually tried to like them - just didn’t. I will concede, though, that they display a higher level of musicianship than the typical rock band.

[@davidhodges2583]

He would have made a wonderful philosopher king for Britain.

[@dikasochirin4116]

He was ..

[@VaughanMcCue]

@@dikasochirin4116 Bob Dylan could step in.

[@antoniatrotta-houdin1573]

Ignorance is the real tragedy of humanity...

[@meltyrel5553]

Thank you Roger....such a poignant and objective analysis of what is no more than noise pollution at best and a debasement of human dignity to lower levels at worst.

[@steveweinstein3222]

He would have really gone crazy in 18th century England, when public houses & the streets were full of popular music blaring out from every direction.

[@B.A.Pilgrim]

I get this at work where everyday the same station drolls out the same songs - it's like groundhog day

[@andyfield7397]

"aural contraception, preventing pregnant conversation" - Marillion

[@matwtf]

"Everybody's waiting for judgment Day so they can say I told you so"

[@Toto-bv6nn]

Soon? Daria [e-mail] I guess soon ... I wanted to bring beauty in this world but I failed maybe; I was brought up on much Beauty but then tragic things happened

[@nikdrown]

Juri Kokozej and that is where you can create more beauty. Make the tragic more beautiful. Not in glorifying it but in its need for remedy. Never stop being artistic. It begins in the mind. It dies there as well. The world needs you more than you realize. Keep creating

[@fernandoarana4601]

We will miss you, Sir.

[@GD-ns8wf]

I miss you so much Sir Scruton. I will be eternally grateful for the education you gave me

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

Why don't you follow him?

[@DieFlabbergast]

* Sir Roger (You may say "Sir Roger Scruton" or "Sir Roger" but you do not use the title "Sir" with the person's surname alone.)

[@dan3696]

RIP Roger Scruton

[@alonsoschneider8109]

Who cares

[@Vingul]

@@alonsoschneider8109 I care.

[@martinheath5947]

Worst of all by far is paying good money to be forced to listen those short snippets of "classical music" repeating over and over whilst on hold queuing on the phone to any government or other agency. Literally more and more maddening with every repeat!

[@dixonpinfold2582]

Worse than snippets of New Country, you say? A bold claim.

[@lambobambi]

this is the "im 14 year old and I only listen to old music made with REAL instruments" comment in its most sophisticated form

[@glennbalkin8247]

Try out Ambient music

[@mrs5190]

Perhaps the cynical 14 year old is on to something.

[@nwoods1124]

People always ask me why I don’t like music. My response is always that I love music! I have never heard my thoughts on the matter so perfectly put into words.

[@frankg3rd1]

Our world is in a constant hypnotized trance. I admit...I cannot fall asleep in silence....