music during world crisis

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I've listened to almost no music in the past week, all spare time is reserved for news. I feel so shitty that I haven't enjoyed it when I've tried, but I can see it being a comfort to some. The choir during the services today sounded pretty good, though.

Assuming you feel some grief over what is going on in the world, do you continue to listen to music during such times?

If you do listen, how do the events inform what you choose?

― Mark, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If you took that attitude you wouldn't listen to any music at all!

"Fact: On September 11, 2001, as many as 10,000 Americans were killed by unknown persons in symbolic attacks on US military and economic power.The world morns and expresses outrage. US activists respond likewise. Fact: Between 1991 and 2001 an average of 3,800 Iraquis were killed *EACH WEEK* by US military action and economic sanctions. The world yawns, and US activists largely do likewise. "
source

― Anas FK, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To Mark -- well, refer to my "Cantus" article if you'd like. But when writing it I was actually listening to the Goo Goo Dolls, Depeche Mode and the Go-Betweens.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sympathetic as parts of me are, that should probably go over to ILE.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I couldn't listen to Nine Inch Nails or Jack Off Jill, except for one fairly happy song, because they made me feel self-absorbed and cruel. I have been listening to happy music as escapism instead.

― Maria, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have not been able to listen to music at all this week. I feel like an emotional open wound which is only numb through the cut being so recent I haven't felt it yet. Any music at all would only bring the pain to the surface.

― kate, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

With reference to the above -- you have of course considered that rather than making people nod sagely in reaction (and I happen to think that the US Iraqi policy has been a disaster from before, during and after the Gulf War), your abrupt and stupid comment will make people want to slug you in your smug gut, then yawn casually at you when you whimper. I suggest an element missing from your approach called 'tact.'

Mmmmm, just making the point that the current disaster were as distant to me as other massacres and genocides funded and fully supported by the US government have been , for example the ongoing repression of the Palestinian people. What do you mean about tact, tact when the president of US, the biggest terrorist in the world ignores all the massacres his govt has participated in (most likely the reason for the attacks) when he takes the moral highground ? Just cause (mainly) white people, americans have been killed makes this massacre sacrosanct? I don't get this tact. After aid workers have pulled out of afganistan 5 million people are in danger of dying of starvation, the israeli government has used the recent attacks as a reason to step up the ethnic cleansing of palestinians, 1 million dead as a result of needless iraqi sanctions that strengthen hussein . This is the real world, mate. No one gives a fuck about tact. OK, perhaps it is a little close to the bombings, and I do think this was a terrible massacre and needless loss of innocent lives , but it has to be put in context. And how was my comment stupid? Maybe you didn't *get* the quoted part.

― AnasFK, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yo -- I think the issue here is that we've been working through this over on I Love Everything, and thus this might not be the appropriate forum to get too strident about it. Feel free to move on over to the other board and join the discussion there -- sometimes "tact" means finding the right place for your statements, not the right time. Start a thread, and we can argue about whether or not you're dramatically overstating and oversimplifying the case, which is doing your fundamentally-valid argument more harm than good.

― Nitsuh, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Seconded. You're arguing with the wrong person here, Anas, if you think I'm some sort of ignorant flag-waver for America's governmental blindness trying to beat you down, *very* wrong. I'll take Nitsuh's advice and leave it at that, but you might want to consider that just because somebody thinks you come across too harshly doesn't automatically make them your enemy. I might not be your friend either, but I'm certainly not somebody you need to convince about a fucked-up situation -- remember that next time you feel the need to lecture.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 14 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Who can listen to music right now? I don't want to end up mentally associating these events with any particular music. Why would you?

― alex in nyc, Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"....perhaps it is a little close to the bombings, and I do think this was a terrible massacre and needless loss of innocent lives , but..."

Too late now, but perhaps you should have started off your zealous diatribe with this statement, instead of half-assedly tacking it on a the end.

― alex in nyc, Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hi all. Just settling in in my new home, got a stereo, have been listening to Spacemen 3 and Mekons. Journey To The End of The Night is perfect.

― Sterling Clover., Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've been listening to mostly mind-emptying drone music, although I just bought Kid 606's 'Down With the Scene' today and I'm really digging it. I always listen to music, no matter what, it's just that I REALLY don't want to hear anything overtly lyrical right now (just seems so trite, etc...). Anyway, I heard a HORRIFIC thing on the radio: "Stuck in a Momen"' by U2 with patriotic Dubya quotes from the last few days laid awkwardly on top. I shuddered.

― Clarke B., Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

patti smith somehow seems appropriate; also bjork, japanoise - melody fractured i think is what i'm getting at.

― Geoff, Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

have just started listening to music, in the attempt to hear something new (to me) picked up some cheapo CDs in Tower last night: a Cherry Red comp (best of) and listened to it in bed, some old Pulp and EBTG, etc and Monochrome Set that I was familiar with, all OK, but 'It's a Fine Day' by Jane, which I haven't heard for years is pretty compelling, oddity of Ben Watt and Robert Wyatt (the greatest voice in the world) collaboration and Momus's 'Nicky' rework of Brel's 'Jacky' is a laugh. The best is the fantastic King of Luxembourg who's Royal Bastard and Sir I'd been relistening to recently. This is the best stuff Simon Turner ever did. So that's the comp, now listening to Tony Conrad and Faust's 'Outside the Dream Syndicate', which I'd never heard. Like the VU without Reed and songwriting would have sounded if they'd been German. It's GOOD! Looking forward to putting on an MX-80 compilaition and a thing called 'Beauty and the Beast' by Cassiber, who are Christoph Anders, Chris Cutler, Heiner Goebbels and Alfred Harth.

4 CDs for $15!

― Loop Dandy, Saturday, 15 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blokish, lyrical early-80s British pop (XTC, Squeeze, Madness) - which was kind of what I was listening to before the incidents and is now what I'm listening to almost exclusively after. And Erasure's greatest hits.

― Tom, Sunday, 16 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'Sheriff's got his problems too/ Probably take them out on you' - Warren Zevon, 'Mohammed's Radio'

― dave q, Sunday, 16 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Talking Heads! It appears that in terms of predicting the zeitgeist David Byrne has been vindicated as another JG Ballard. I noticed Momus used 'Life During Wartime' on HIS site, but one could equally cite 'Listening Wind', 'Air' if it goes chem-bio, 'Psycho Killer', 'Warning Sign', 'Cities', 'Burning Down the House' ("I'm an ordinary guy, fighting fire with fire"), 'The Big Country', and most poignantly, 'Love-->Building on Fire'

― dave q, Monday, 17 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

After four days of no music at all, I woke with the phrase "it's dark, it's dark in the daytime" running through my head. Since then I have played Fear of Music a lot more than anything else. When I was young and in full-on emotional lock-down, it was my favourite record: it doesn't make sense of events, obviously, but it helps me make sense of me at the moment.

― mark s, Monday, 17 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What have I been listening to? Alot of Daniel Johnston. If he was president, things would have been very very different.

― porch monkey, Monday, 17 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like both Mark S and Tom E's comments.

That U2 + Bush thing sounds horrific. Say what you like about U2, I can hardly believe they would have OKd it. (I actually think that their last LP, in its lumbering global ambition and world-weary search for some kind of peace, happened to hit the right note last week.)

― the pinefox, Monday, 17 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pulled out Radio KAOS by Roger Waters which had been mostly collecting dust since the wall fell.

Though I did feel really bad for wondering what I Am The World Trade Center are going to do. I almost thought it was funny for a second, until I realized what a sick freak I would be for laughing at that. Its the only time I can recal instantly feeling bad for something I said.

― Mr Noodles, Monday, 17 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I actually don't mind "Stuck in a Moment ...".

The evening of the tragedy I listened to Boards of Canada's "Music Has The Right To Children", which fitted, somehow.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

On the evening of the tragedy I listened to the only thing I've really been listening to all year: Cannibal Ox's "The Cold Vein". In the opening song, Vast Aire raps: 'New York is evil at it's core, so those who have more than them, prepare to be victims.'

― Ralan, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Def Leppard! "Armageddon it", "Rocket", and remember the cover to 'Pyromania'? (gasp)

― dave q, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sorry, that was supposed to go on the other thread.

― dave q, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Funkadelic. "Wars of Armageddon", "March to the Witch's Castle", You and Your Folks". I find P-Funk a useful corrective to all the 'America's loss of innocence' headlines, as G. Clinton was addressing all the body bags coming back from Vietnam to the ghetto - where most of those bags went. No innocence lost there.

― dave q, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What I find offensive is going to Art Of The Mix and finding people making mix tapes as a way of dealing with events and picking songs like The Show Must Go On by Queen - another one had Burning Airlines Give You So Much More by Eno.I respect people's need to deal with what has happened,but come on.I'm listening to Eno of late,instrumental Eno at that.

― Damian, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.