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The 60th edition of the music industry’s premier recorded music awards show, the “Grammys” is happening now. As a man, I will be watching the rock and roll categories the most carefully. Rock and roll is named after the movements commonly made by a couple having sex or if you are a popular rock and roll performer multiple people having sex.
While opera and country and western music may have an edge on reflecting the nuances of romance, rock and roll has the lust market pretty much to itself.
I was brought up to believe a man should keep his lust to himself. Rock and roll gave me the means to do that and express lustful feelings without anybody noticing.
Rock and roll also does angry better than other genres in my opinion. If you don’t agree with me there are many rock lyrics I could refer you to express my displeasure with your opinion.
Expressing lust and anger without hurting anybody is a good reason for a man to have a good number of safe expressive outlets.
I was 66 the day before Grammy turns 60, so I have lived much of rock’s history. I lived it a little by seeking it out, but mostly as a passive recipient. I went to some concerts, mostly without earplugs. I haven’t been to a big concert in years, but my ears still ring.
I don’t remember the day that Buddy Holly died, but I do remember Don McLean hearing sing about it in a tent at the college I attended where I got my degree in psychology. The song title was “American Pie”.
I lived not too far from the Woodstock Festival but didn’t attend. I lived closer to the 25th Woodstock Festival Anniversary Concert but still didn’t go. I went to the 30th Woodstock Festival Anniversary Concert with my son, who covered it as a freelance journalist. That was the concert that ended with some of fencing that had been erected to keep the concert goers captive, all to better get them to pay high prices for bottled water, was set on fire. I guess sometimes Rock music fails to express anger the way it should.
At that concert, I volunteered with a great organization, Family Of Woodstock, to help assist concert goers. I was not part of the heroic efforts to rescue women who were being raped in the crowds in front of the main stage. Another failure of Rock to tame lust and anger, I suppose.
For a long time now Rock music has been a means of expressing a fascination with Luciferian symbolism. I never had such a fascination. I thought that the Satanic stuff was just part of the safe expression of anger and lust thing. The hardcore Satanic stuff I viewed as being adolescent silliness and a sign of how far mainstream entertainment culture had come in embracing an anything is permissible, if someone thinks it is art philosophy. Today I am more concerned than ever about Satan laughing with delight, as the Grammy Awards show is airing.
These days my favorite music is no music. My picks for the Grammys is, none of the above. When I am driving in my car I keep the radio tuned to off. I get some unwanted music exposure when I go to the gym. I haven’t gotten around to getting noise cancelation earphones yet.
As I type this I am listening to the tap of the keys that send the electronic impulses that form the text. The background noises include the whirl of a washing machine and the furnace blower. The washing machine will play me a tune when the load is done. I don’t know how to disable that.
I still have “ear worms” that invade my thoughts when they feel like it, but I am protecting myself from having even more of them.
It would have been nice to have been born before the invention of recorded music. Nicer still before somebody thought they liked the sound of hitting an animal skin stretched around a hoop. A time when a soft growl expressed anger very well and inhibiting lust allowed for the reception of a lover’s sigh. A time when the wind through the trees made for no need for any man trying to do better than that.
Men, what are you listening to? Join the conversation at goodmenproject.com.
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