When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.
Pete SeegerRead
Noise has taken the place of punk rock. People who play noise have no real aspirations to being part of the mainstream culture. Punk has been co-opted, and this subterranean noise music and the avant-garde folk scene have replaced it
Interpretation
The quote compares the current state of music to punk rock, suggesting that true punk has been overshadowed by noise music and other underground genres.
Thurston Moore reflects on the evolution of music, arguing that punk rock, originally a form of rebellion and cultural commentary, has been 'co-opted' by mainstream culture. He suggests that in its place, noise music and avant-garde styles have emerged, representing a shift towards more experimental and underground sounds that reject mainstream acceptance and aim for artistic integrity instead.
In practice
During a music lecture discussing the evolution of punk rock.
When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.
Why should the devil have all the best tunes?
You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail.
I don't care where the Cure is placed in the pantheon of rock. I don't care if we're perceived as relevant. We're never worried how we fit in. I don't even want to fit in.
Minneapolis just embraced me. There are a lot of weirdos here. It's awesome, because I'm a weirdo. Thankfully, the city embraced me with open arms. A lot about Minneapolis helped carve my musicality and open my eyes. The whole town is so open-minded compared to like, you know, Texas.
Without the Fender bass, there'd be no rock n' roll or no Motown. The electric guitar had been waiting 'round since 1939 for a nice partner to come along. It became an electric rhythm section, and that changed everything.
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