It's a fundamental, social attitude that the 1% supports symphonies and operas and doesn't support Johnny learning to program hip-hop beats. When I put it like that, it sounds like, 'Well, yeah,' but you start to think, 'Why not, though?' What makes one more valuable than another?
Interpretation
The quote questions societal values that prioritize certain forms of art over others.
David Byrne's quote reflects on the inequitable support artists receive based on societal perceptions of value. He challenges the idea that traditional forms of art, like symphonies and operas, deserve more funding and appreciation than contemporary art forms such as hip-hop, prompting us to reconsider our biases about artistic worth.
In practice
In a panel discussion about funding arts programs, this quote highlights the importance of supporting all forms of music equally.
Forces that you might think are utterly unrelated to creativity can have a big impact. Technology, obviously, but environment, too. Even financial structures can affect the actual content of a song. The making of music is profoundly affected by the market.
When things get so absurd and so stupid and so ridiculous that you just can't bear it, you cannot help but turn everything into a joke.
I certainly agree that putting everything into little genres is counterproductive. You're not going to get too many surprises if you only focus on the stuff that fits inside the box that you know.
You create a community with music, not just at concerts but by talking about it with your friends.
Real sadness is such an all-encompassing intense thing that it takes you out of your humdrum existence. If you can still function, you want to show it while it's peaking. So when people tell you to cheer up, it's not always the best thing.
I find rebellion packaged by a major corporation a little hard to take seriously.
And music has always been incredibly cathartic for me, whether it's writing my own stuff or singing other people's music; it's very freeing.
It's the imperfections that make something beautiful, that's what makes it different and unique from everything else.
Entertainment provides relief. Art provokes engagement.
It takes time to get a dance right, to create something memorable.
My position is that serious and good art has always existed to help, to serve, humanity. Not to indict. I don't see how art can be called art if its purpose is to frustrate humanity.
The Difference Between Art and Life is that Art is More Bearable
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