Doxologist ContentConfessions of a Washed Up Music Snob part IV
How the Auto Didacticism of the Italian Rock Intelligentsia Helped me Connect the Dots
A couple years ago I was privileged to interview Joe Carducci-an author of a fantastic book titled Rock and the Pop Narcotic -for a local Seattle magazine where I had the privilege of serving as associate editor for about a year and a half. It’s been a few years since our initial conversation but Carducci made a few simple cultural observations that challenged me to think about music in a much different way and I’ve been beating that Carducci drum ever since.
Carducci recalled a story about a recent visit to the Philippines. The gist of the story being that he was struck by the Filipino experience of music in day to day life-that common people sang all the time, in a community context with songs rooted in deep folk tradition. (Read a full transcription of the interview here)
Amidst our professionalized music entertainment saturated culture, Carducci’s story seemed like a report from another planet. I’m no musicologist but I’d like to think that music in America was more integrated into day to day life before the days of the consumerism of MTV’s TRL, SoundScan and MP3 swapping. I’m not a guy really given to nostalgia but Carducci’s observation of music as a way of life appealed to me.
What if, in our churches, we were able to capture the aesthetic of culturally relevant music forms while simultaneously experiencing this music in a non-consumerist more integrated lifestyle kind of way?
I love the sound of the congregation singing.
I think many of the modern songs are melodically boring.
Songs with ‘I’ and ‘me’ in them do not bring a sense of worshiping in fellowship with fellow believers ( like in the upper room on Pentecost Day)
I have a dream: start “the Christmas Church” where
new inspiring words are put to christmas carols and other singable tunes and people are encouraged to sing, sing, sing.
Great idea Joan!