Thursday, February 09, 2006

This is so sad and I have spoken about this degeneration of arts and literature in our country before.

What is worse than the poor choices offered is the lack of common sense from people to not patronize that crap.

It is a chicken and egg issue.

Is the lower standard in writing breeding a generation with lower standards, skills and tastes or are the lower standards enabling the rise/continued publishing of trash. And who has to start bettering itself first? Raising better students or scrutinizing a disintegrated publishing industry?

There is another facet of this and I am not sure how many people here listened to David Lee Roth yesterday and even if I haven't warmed up to his interviewing skills yet - See the Johnny Damon interview- I have to applaud him for yesterday's show, the preview of the Grammys.

He was phenomenal, with a lot more courage than many pandering radio hosts who worry about securing interviews and specials - remind you of ESPN anyone?

He was merciless and ran bits of new songs and showed the weaknesses and where they are either mediocre or banal or even copycats of other things. An interview with a newpaper reviewer who agreed with him was also encouraging.

We'll have to give him more time to develop some comfort and expertise level in handling guests, but I like how he is a confident accomplished artist who is more worried about seeing better art and artists cranked out than appeasing mediocracy.

Good for him!

So can we dismantle Reagan Books now as an obvious example?

Or what's the over-under on how soon will Houghton-Mifflin get sold again and who will buy it?

Bodice ripper. Now there's a term that ought to make a comeback.