From: mills_j@mscf.med.upenn.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Subject: "White" music (was Re: Maury Povich...)
Date: 15 Apr 92 00:31:02 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania, Med School Computer Facility


 clg1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Christopher L Gray) writes:
 
> To me, there is no *white* music per se, but the common netter understands
> what I mean..i.e..rock.. I don't want to argue semantics.
> Rock is a mutation of rock-n-roll, the real thing.
> 
      It's not semantics that I care about.  It's the fact that you seem to 
want to take a whole genre of music, decide it's not black enough, and then
ignore it.  Michael Carpenter made the point that rap is more than "just"
music.  Well, except for Muzak, *all* music is more than just notes and mel-
ody; it's communication.  Why do you want go on dissin' rock as some "white"
thing?  The best rock, like the best in any art form, speaks to us all,
puts perspective on the *human* condition.  U2's "Achtung Baby", for ex-
ample, is a fantastic rock album, with moving and eloquent songs on a whole
variety of topics.  Why should an AfAm have to defend him(her)self against
your charges of "whitism" just because s(he)'s curious about other cultures
and is willing to give, e.g., some Irish white boys a chance?  I don't
have to justify my love for reggae or rap to anyone.  Why do you seem to
want to force AfAms to defend liking rock?

Previously, I asked:
>>Is blues white music?
> 
You replied:
> NEVER EVER let those words pass again.
> If people here in the Delta heard that, they would hunt you down.
> Blues progressed from negro spirituals, which came from field hollers(slaves)
> which mutated from Afrika!
> 
      Right.  (credentials to follow :-)  I used to live in Mississippi, and 
I went to school in St. Louis.  I know at least a little about the history
of the blues which is why I can't ever imagine calling it "white" music.
But the fact is, if my brother tries to play his blues tapes in the mailroom
at UCLA, first thing somebody says is: "Hey, what the f**k is this shit.  Put
the Cube back on!"  And who goes to the blues concerts that my brother ar-
ranges?  White people.  And who backs the black blues greats?  White musi-
cians.  You're right, though.  None of that makes the music "white".  My
question is: What *does* make music white, and why's it such a bad thing?
     BTW, I can name at least one black country singer: Charlie Pride.

>>Why can't music just be music?  Can't we have at least
>>one thing in this country that people aren't always trying to bleach or
>>color?
> 
> Ok..question for you... when are we going to see this Utopia where nothing is
> judged or labelled?

      Alright.  We're never going to find this utopia, cuz then we'd all be bor-
ed, cuz we couldn't go 'round flamin' each other all the time.  BUT, just
because we will never build a utopia, doesn't mean we can't strive for one.
And letting people try to find something for them in all kinds of music is
a good start.

                                  JCM                      
             |---------------------------------------------|
             |--Mills_J@a1.mscf.upenn.edu (Jason Mills)----|
             |       2/3rds MD and 1/3rd PhD so far.       |
             -----------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american