[NewMusic] More anti-carbon floop-print poopoganda (and my bug)

[Phillip Greenlief]

  Michael Henry thus spake:


> P.S. I want to be clear that I'm not picking on any particular folks here.
> I just wanted to know what reasoning you MySpacers could offer to justify
> your presence there. I'm sorry, but I have yet to hear any convincing
> reasons.


PG:
Well, I wasn't going to join this discussion. It started out a bit too wavy gravy for me. I mean, really....
   
  But since I have a few MySpace pages, I'll chime in. 

  Along with Matthew's points, I'll echo that I don't pay for my MS pages. I also don't read the ads, or support those companies that place ads there. Whenever I do glance at them, they look absolutely ridiculous. I doubt I'll be signing up on Sugar Daddy anytime soon...
   
  MS has allowed me to connect with a lot of musicians I would not have discovered otherwise. I mean LOTS. Since it's also a search engine, you can find lots of links to interests. I wanted to check out more Japanese Noise bands and breakcore bands, so I searched on MS and founds quite a few interesting groups. It's a research tool that's easy to use....
   
  A publisher "met" me through a friend's MS page who is a poet. She recommended he read some of my work. Consequently, he published some of my poems. That wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there. I also have met quite a few genuinely nice people that I have developed friendships with...oh yeah, the "Friend" thing actually works sometimes! Yes, there are a lot of idiots out there, but you take the same chance walking out your front door. Gino's comment on isolation seems apt here.
   
  I have also seen people at my shows that I didn't know. I asked them how they found out about the show. They said, (and I quote...): "I read your MySpace bulletin". Well, well, what do you know about that? I have set up gigs in Europe, Los Angeles and the east coast by connecting with venues and musicians on MS. Gino and I have both arranged gigs in Paris through David Fenech, who we met on MS.
   
  To acheive existential wholeness, you have to be aware that all actions are the result of choice. I choose to use MS for the reasons stated above. I choose to promote my music there. It's not the only way I promote my music. I'm surely not conflicted about it. So Rupert Murdoch is making money. Given the current system, he has the right to do that. As I explore existentialism more and more, I find that I can no longer judge others by their actions. I ask for complete freedom to be who I am and do what I do. If I ask for that freedom, does it not make sense that I have to allow every other human being out there the same freedom? This takes a lot of letting go. Otherwise, how could I live in a world with that lying,ignorant murderous son of a bitch that lives in the white house? I have to let go of the expectation that I'm going to change him. He lives in his own private Idaho and appears to be unavailable for direct discussion or artistic exchange.
   
  Yes, people break laws and do horrible things. I can't change that by removing myself from MySpace or by buying less gasoline. The only way I can live in this crazy world and not go insane is to make music. I believe that in some small way I am raising consciousness by doing what I do. I hope that is not a pretentious statement. I am totally humble when it comes to music and my abilities. I do not pretend to be a "master" of music - it's impossible to master music, it's too broad, too vast, too complex. But I can try to contribute to the world of artistic expression by playing my horn and exploring it again and again and trying to find new ways to coax some beauty from it. If I'm lucky, maybe one person will learn to be a better listener due to something I may have created, or have been a part of. That's good enough for me. Maybe one of my students will grow up and embrace a life of artistic expression (poor sap!). Who knows. it's a crap shoot. But I like the odds and I
 like the game. I would much rather be teaching and playing music than driving a tank into someone's house in Beirut or Bagdhad. I would much rather teach kids about the overtone series than sell life insurance. It's a choice...and I'm cool with my choices. I don't need to prove myself to you...so, I'll get back to what I like to do best: writing music.
   
  Good night kids,
  PG