Why does most new music suck?

Different dynamic way back when. Music was full of politics; industrial revolution in fruition, birth of rock n' roll, beatniks, long hair, hippie movement. It was 1963 when I saw two guys walking down our street with hair way down past their shoulders(serious pioneers). The 'Beatle' hair cut and boots were in vogue. As they walked by, my father commented "Look at those degenerate apes. From behind you can't tell if they're women or men". His tone was literally murderous. His ignorance was the catalyst for his hatred of the new music. He was 38. To a kid, definitely an old codger. Once his and even older generations got used to the hair, there was lots of toe-tapping and humming then current music going on. It took about 5-6 years. Maybe not hard-rock but there was lots going on besides that. 'Yesterday' became my dad's fav in 1967. Longer hair covering the ears became fashionable for older men, 'Beatlemania' having taken root to the farthest reaches of society. So kids and old codgers always agreed on which music is good and which sucks whether they admitted it or not.

Nonoise: an "illogical obsession wtih stereo gear" would most likely fit under impulse control disorder, NOS in the DSM- but it would need to be related to clinically significant impairment or distress.

Jazdoc nailed it, I think. There has ALWAYS been a mix of "good" and "bad" music, but the bad fades away and the good is how we define music in that era.

Conservatism, by its very nature, resists change, for any reason. Your "long haired" story brings back memories for me as well. Don't think though, for a moment, that it has died down even with the changes in hairstyle and acceptance of some music. "Hippy Punching" is alive and well in all manner from discourse to open action and still influences decision making on many levels.

The time frame you mention is only a few decades ago and has a very long way to go. Look at the "Wars of Northern Aggression" attitudes of today. Old habits, beliefs, mores and folkways die hard if not linger on in some illogically resistant form, impervious to facts coupled with an inability to move onto the next evolutionary step.

It's no wonder music can suffer as a result. Thank goodness that there will always be artists who stand out against the norm, the bland, the lower denominators that are marketed by the majors with their tried and trued, market driven formulas. They always say that they only give the people what they want. To that I call "B.S." People can be accepting of a lot more than what they're given. First thing I'd do is stop all the focus groups which serves nothing more than to dilute artistic expression and keep things in their comfort zones. Show me any decent artist who stayed within the lines and I'll show you a crass opportunist.

All the best,
Nonoise

Ionmoon,

Missed your post while writing my rant, but thanks for the clarification. I don't think it would apply to anyone here, yet. :-)

All the best,
Nonoise

I couldn't agree more. But keep in mind that within conservatism live the checks and balances, the anchor to the future. Without which there is no new starting point. Without market driven formulas there is no dissent. This is the earmark of the artist, is it not? However when it comes to music, there is only so much gold in the mine. As it is depleted, so also is the karat value of the alloy.