Eugene David<br>...The One-Minute Pundit

Posted 3:05 PM by Gene

Another reason to cheer that our culture, popular and classical, is BETTER THAN EVER (this from an article about tired symphonic pops concerts in Milwaukee):

Pops grew up when crossover stars of recording, Broadway and Hollywood worked in musical idioms not that distant from Western classical tradition. That was a long time ago; several generations of folk and rock and now a generation of rap stand between 2003 and the good old days. Ethel Merman could sing in front of an orchestra without looking preposterous. Rod ("Do You Think I'm 60") Stewart could not. Art Garfunkel, a Pops guest last season, could not. The venue will be even less promising for washed-up rap stars 25 years from now.

That leaves orchestras forever rehashing under-rehearsed Lerner and Loewe tributes and Gershwin medleys. Or, worse, playing whole-note chords behind, say, Toni Tennille's rhythm section. Audiences yawn and don't come back, and the orchestra's musicians would escape if they could.

You're wrong! As Ty "I'm Not a Beanie Baby" Burr would certainly say, we'll be quoting rap geniuses in 25 years just as we quote Lincoln! Or as one of their number, um, I can't recall his name, said in one of his raps, um, uh, errrrr....