Rebels without a clue

Weblog:
I’m in the mood for ranting, so watch out. (Re-reading this, I realize I’ve been really negative lately, so make sure you read on with a huge grain of salt. I promise to be less negative and more empathetic/fair in the future.)

Rant #1
Why is it that in the 21st century, when just about every person living in a modern society has used computers in one way or another, still think that any creative work that uses the computer as a tool is “done by the computer?” Does their computer write the content of their emails for them? Does their computer type out their homework/research paper/memo on its own? Does their computer take their photos for them? Does their computer hum a tune by itself and then turn it into a fully orchestrated/arranged masterpiece? Does the hundreds of animators, artists, writers, directors, artists, programmers..etc at animation studios and effect houses like Pixar and ILM sit on their asses and stare at the ceiling all day while their super duper computers go to work, then a couple of years later a finished feature film is spit out somewhere, ready to be sent to the movie theaters around the country?

The people who say things like “it’s all done by the computer”–they must own shockingly advanced computers, because my computer doesn’t do jack shit for me. I have to draw and paint my pictures one line and one brushstroke at a time. I have to compose and arrange and record my music one note at a time. I have to dial in the aperture and shutter speed of my camera, focus the shot, and press the shutter to get my photos.

Next time someone makes a comment about something “done by the computer,” ask if he owns a super awesome computer from the future–he probably does.

Rant#2
Why is it that people wear their singular and close-minded preference for one genre of music proudly on their sleeve? Does it make them seem more rebellious? More unique? More hip? To me, anyone who goes around proudly proclaiming that they only listen to punk/rap/metal/R&B/goth/trance/drum n’ bass/industrial/classical/jazz sounds about as ridiculous as someone who goes around proclaiming that they only watch 70’s cop movies and nothing else. Our civilization has produced a mind-boggling range of creative works that span thousands of years, dozens of major cultures, and in various mediums. Just in the last couple of centuries alone we’ve reached the pinnacle of achievement in just about every single creative endeavor, and it would take several lifetimes to be exposed to all of them. Yet, these singular-minded rebels without a clue would intentionally bury their heads in one tiny sandpit, instead of enjoying what the entire world has to offer.

Rant #3
Why is it that in every single musician’s forum I go to, the newbies who ask about how to make hip-hop/rap music are always glaringly dim-witted, uninformed, unresourceful, uneducated, full of hubris, and have the manners of a sulking thirteen-year old boy? It happens so often it’s almost like clockwork how these threads play out–whether it’s at KVR Audio, Future Producers, or any other popular musician’s forum. It’s always some guy who claims to be a hip-hop producer, but asks a question so basic about music-making that other members can’t help but point out the descrepancy. Then, the clockwork starts ticking–the guy gets offended and claims that his “beats” are “dope” and he could crush every single “muthafucka” on the forum–but first he just needs to know how to make a simple beat in Fruityloops, or whether he should get an Akai MPC1000 or a Korg Triton Extreme–because he’s not sure what each does and he’s heard that famous hip-hop producers use them. Oh, and he wants to know how to get that sound from that song Dr. Dre produced. Reading any one of those threads just a single time could possibly cause the forum to implode from the sheer unbelievable stupidity, ignorance, and rudeness displayed.