[Dixielandjazz] Dadaism and early jazz

[Charlie Hooks]

on 5/30/03 12:37 AM, Rob McCallum at rakmccallum at hotmail.com wrote:

> I think that we suspect that people who are
> continually challenging themselves and are more in a state of flux and who
> embrace and encourage change lead more interesting lives, but 99% of people
> aren't willing to push out past the point where their comfortable notions
> will be challenged and perhaps jeopardized.

Rob, please:

    You are one of my favorite younger people.  So stop this and distinguish
more clearly: 

    There are most (I'll use your 99%) of the people who want to venerate an
image of the Virgin (or of Buddha, or of whomever) and about 1 % ("artists")
who want to piss on this icon.  Usually that 1 % (or whatever percent you
choose) is comprised of the young turks who know relatively little but have
enormous urgings to save the world and to assuage every grievance.  Knowing
next to nothing about history and interested in even less, they love
rhetoric and the sound of words.  They've seen movies.  They love posturing,
imitating photographs of adulated poor folk, hands raised and hungry mouths
open like birds.

    Rob, there are reasons for our "comfortable notions."  Quite often they
are good reasons.  Its having been around for centuries is not a reason for
peeing on any idea; on the contrary, age may suggest fundamental truth.

    Many young folk are growing old every day; that's how it works.  Why
should we older folk, having passed through all the years and learned many
of the lessons only now being presented to you younger folk, be fair game
targets for your urine?  Why should we not be regarded as assets?

    We've been through a lot; we've come out on this side; maybe--just
maybe--we've learned something valuable and are willing to tell you about
it. You should ask us.  You should listen and consider.  We may be, all of
us, entirely full of shit.  But unless you listen to us and consider what we
are saying, then how the hell do you know?

your fan, 

Charlie