{MUSIC} Evil Music?
Posted by: weeks <weeks@...>
Being that it is Halloween (one of my favorite holidays for better or
worse - great memories), I have in my CD player a CD called "Danse
Macabre", which is essentially a bunch of classical pieces that are
associated with Halloween. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Night on Bald
Mountain", "Pictures at an Exhibition", "Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in
Dm", "Mars" from Gustav Holst's "The Planets", etc...great stuff in my
opinion and certainly my favorite classical stuff. I played most of this
stuff growing up and in college and I still love the omnious music with
the big, big sounds, erie melodies, etc.
Anyway, a friend here at work who won't let his kids trick or treat got
upset at the music saying that at the very least I shouldn't play "Night
on Bald Mountain" because Mussorgsky was a witch. First of all, I don't
know if that is even true, but if it was, do you guys really think that
classical music can convey evil since there are no lyrics? This person
also has a problem with Wagner because he apparently had a cult who
thought he was God and because he was Hitler's favorite composer. Who
knows...
Part of what probably upset him is that on my desk lays the latest CD by
the Cramps, a seriously decidedly messed up band of heroin addicts who
dress like either zombies or vampires...not sure which. It's not my CD
and I didn't listen to it, but I am very familiar with them and get a
kick out of how far these idiots an take themselves and still be taken
serious. Another friend brought it by for me to check out the lyrics
(ghastly appalling) and the guitar playing by Poison Ivy (not the Batman
chick, but close)...but I never listened to it.
I'm not evil, I promise. I don't care for the Cramps, but I do like the
classical CD and actually have another one here called Fright Night:
Music that Goes Bump in the Night - another collection of classical music
associated with Halloween.
On a fun note, my 10 month old son, Ben, gets to go trick or treating for
the first time tonight! I probably won't take him to any houses but
instead let him walk around and look at everyone's costumes (we regularly
get over 300 at Halloween). I wanted to dress him up as a midget (cigar,
mustache, etc) but my wife bought a Pooh costume that is incredibly
cute. I'm excited for him...at daycare his teacher was wearing a cow
suit that udderly kept his attention (duh duh doom!).
- James
"I will always remember the day Rene Descartes died. We had just
finished a wonderful meal and were sitting around plotting our next move
over coffee. The waitress came up and asked, "More Coffee?" Descartes
replied, "I think not." And just disappeared right before my eyes."