Recently It’s been a bit of a rough patch for a few of us personally (family stuff), but this makes things a little better. I’m aware that this kid is an internet sensation, but barring a ukulele sweatshop scenario, everything about this is genuinely sweet.

This song (not necessarily this version) is one of the most beautiful of the last century and the sad thing about it is, if it were written today, no one would give a fuck about it.

I think that probably speaks volumes about the state of music affairs. It’s symptomatic of a multifaceted problem. If it were simply an issue of curating (i.e. the song choices of most radio stations whose “DJs” are megacorporations, deeply steeped in the tradition of payola) or an issue of limited exposure, there would at least be powers to fight and some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately this problem is a hydra, whose main head is an audience of people ages 0-40 who, if not prompted to look for sources of music outside of the mainstream have been bombarded with mostly weak songwriting and lowest-common-denominator sounds until they like it.

My only hope is that someone much more intelligent and focused than me is working on a practical solution. It’s hard not to let these things make me want to be a dentist. A few years ago I said that music has to be it’s own reward, and although sometimes it’s not that rewarding, it’s enough for now. 

If my Andy Rooney rant made you feel negative, watch the video again and everything will be ok.

Carlos