Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

It is interesting to me to note, as Tim said in response to Donny’s blog about being addicted to certain technologies, that “addicted” may not be the term we should use to describe our use of modern technology, but “dependent” would be more accurate.

Here in Nashville there seem to be constant discussions amongst working musicians about what is Country Music and what is not. Many of the musicians that I work with bemoan the loss of the “real” Country Music to the “New Country.” Or as some folks say, “it’s really just Pop Music with a steel guitar or a fiddle somewhere in the arrangement.”

Some of this I agree with. But the argument can go on forever, and invariably winds up in a circular bitch-session with no authoritative answers. After all, one man’s Country is another man’s hackneyed worn-out conventions.

Any creative endeavor, whether it be art or technology, evolves from one era to the next. Example: There was a time on the Grand Ole Opry when electric guitars were forbidden, looked down upon by the established musicians of the day as loud, rude, and gratingly un-country. We all know what happened with that idea. There was also a time when drums were not allowed. See what I mean?

I may not like Rascal Flats or Kenny Chesney, which, by the way, I do not. but the listening public gets used to these sounds after a while and they become the norm. People depend on these new conventions to comfort them and make them feel connected. Look what happened when the Beatles connected with their Mercy Beat, at the time a new strain of R&R. It was summarily lambasted by millions of musicians all over the place until the undeniable wave of popularity made it impossible to ignore. Now you can hear their tunes just about everywhere, and their popularity has hardly waned.

So let’s not be too hard on ourselves or others…I may be actually writing this to myself…for becoming enamored with, or “dependent” on the latest in technology or the arts. These are simply phases that our culture embraces, and then new things grow from that.

I’m certainly dependent on my cell phone. At one time I swore I’d never have one. “I got a phone at home, and there’s booths all over the place.” Now you can’t find a phone booth to save your life. What the hell is Superman supposed to do now? I have, many times, claimed that I’ll never have an iPhone. That may be written in stone today, but the stone could easily become talc tomorrow.