Spreading the good word

I thought that one last post before the weekend hit was in order. Unfortunately the news I have to share isn’t good. Durbanites – or at least the small subset that I’ve had the opportunity to meet over the past few weeks – have terrible taste in music. Last night I went to a small dinner party at the flat of a friend I’ve made through the family I’m staying with. And just so you can get a sense of the demographics of the situation – almost all of the 20 or so attendees of this party were university students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UK[ZED]N) , and most of them are parishioners at the local Glenridge Church.

They had absolutely no knowledge of my favorite genres; my increasingly exasperated questions inquiring about any knowledge of Motown, soul, Al Green, Otis Redding, STEVIE WONDER, REALLY NOT EVEN SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE??? were met with vacant stares. At this point I could barely restrain myself from running back to my house that very instant to go get my ipod. And to make matters even worse, they didn’t know anything about contemporary Hip Hop or Indie Rock. In the parlance of South Africa: Shame, man.

I was absolutely devastated. I don’t think I need to tell you all this, but six-month-old American pop music mixed with a smattering House and Trance beats does not a music collection make. Actually, I am fairly confident that their sonic diets are deficient in essential acoustic vitamins and sonic minerals, leaving them in a malnourished malaise. Upon further consideration, I have decided to revise my list of Roles and Responsibilities for my time in SA; I will rise to the challenge to as a Good Music Evangelist (Bringing Beats to the Masses™), charged with the crucial responsibility of spreading the Gospel of Good Music. I refuse to stand idly by as a generation wastes its most valuable music-listening years.

Even before learning of their poor aural hygiene, I had promised to bring a playlist to the next get-together – but now the pressure is on to make sure that this compilation of songs transcends Good. My new mission (should I choose to accept it) is to craft a playlist that is Eye Opening and Horizon Expanding.

Now, this isn’t to say that the music coming out of South Africa is bad. I actually don’t think that this is the case at all. South Africa has a long history of producing great music, including such incredible artists as Johnny Clegg and Ladysmith Black Mambazo (some clips, including a hilarious parody of LBM, can be found below) as well as more contemporary artists – which I’ve been working hard to try and find some mp3s or streaming files of to share with you guys. However, the existence of such good music only serves to further indict poor taste on the behalf of these poor souls.

Alright, enough of my ranting! I will certainly let you know how things turn out. But if I don’t return to the US at the end of this trip, don’t worry; it will be because I have found my calling as a Good Music Evangelist, and there is little rest for sonic missionaries.