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I think the problem is, modern concepts, music, etc are very complicated to explain and understand. So, when people don't bother, it does seem that on the surface it's nonsense when in reality it's really not the case. Attitudes against Cage come pretty much from ignorance to the entire time period, intellectual discussions and so on. I have yet to meet anyone who actually knows about Cage, or any given 20th century musicology problems with any degree of accuracy that don't find it fascinating. There's so much there to explore and look at that dismissing it based on ignorance is exactly what I think Robin is getting at with the respect comment.
Respect means informing your ass before you make a comment. Respect means saying "I have no idea about what I'm going to say, so forgive me for my ignorant-ass comment" and respect means at the very least acknowledging that people spent their entire lives trying to answer questions that are of fundamental importance for everyone involved in music what so ever.
And the reason anyone who actually HAS any idea about Cage gets angry when such sweeping, ignorant ass comments are made is not because a difference in opinion, but the fact that people making such comments show no interest, knowledge, or respect about what they're talking about. Before attacking Cage or modern music, it'd be wise to know that all of it is in function of trying to solve problems and give us a better understanding of what music and sound really are.
Not just writing "pretty notes" or conforming to a popular standard, or aesthetic/style/trend.
I don't know how ANYONE can be opposed to Cage, unless they enjoy ignoring an entire century of intellectual reasoning, questioning, and advances that ultimately help the composer. This seems to be the case here entirely out of ignorance.
That's why it makes me mad, that's why it pisses off Robin, and that's why QCC comes out in defense of Cage and modern music despite the fact that neither of us are hard-core modernists or have any sort of nonsense up our asses.
There's no excuse for ignorance, and there's no excuse for opinions built on such ignorance.
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