Has Late Junction turned into Pseuds Corner?

[Guest]

Hello all and thanks for making me welcome on my first posting. I stumbled on Late Junction a couple of years ago and found it refreshing, diverse challenging...... but then quite recently I was boring a good friend with its virtues, but who turned out to be an occasional listener himself and he said "You know Most of the avant garde stuff is pretentious overrated rubbish, and half of it should be on Radio 2 folk programmes anyway". I was a bit stunned but have to confess the scales may have fallen from my eyes a little. Have I been guilty of seeing the emperor's clothes while listening patiently to someone from Hungary banging a spoon against a tin tray in an echo chamber? Have I been fooled into thinking someone droning on in a nasal whine about waiting for her Johhnie to come home frae' the sea is actually a vital piece of the folk genre when it just happens to be on a CD given to Fiona Talkington the other week?
I have made some wonderful finds thanks to Late JUnction especially since Andy Kershaw dropped from the radar, but now I wonder whether the effort of finding the occasional pearl amongst all the swine is worth it!
(I do still like Max Reinhardt's slightly more subversive take on the programme though).

[old khayyam]

"Most of the avant garde stuff is pretentious overrated rubbish"

The word 'pretentious' is often banded about by people attempting to cover for their lack of understanding. However, i usually try to get them to consider replacing it with the term 'aspirational', as in, not pretending to be something, but trying to be something. Self-improvement can never be referred to as a sin.

Have I been guilty of seeing the emperor's clothes while listening patiently to someone from Hungary banging a spoon against a tin tray in an echo chamber?

I personally find your humility very welcome. You see and hear what you want to see; no-one is (or shouldn't be) judging you for your tastes. If someone, wherever they are from, is banging a spoon on a tray with feeling and sincere intent, then it is valid as music to him at least. It then takes only 1 other person to like it for it to become twice as valid.

Have I been fooled into thinking someone droning on in a nasal whine about waiting for her Johhnie to come home frae' the sea is actually a vital piece of the folk genre when it just happens to be on a CD given to Fiona Talkington the other week?

It could be both. If it is, as it sounds, a 200yr old antiquity from the Napoleonic wars, then it is indeed a vital piece of the country's history; The fact that it has been recently recorded by a record label and plugged to their connection in the BBC is simply an unfortunate mechanism of today's music industry. The greatest tragedy of this is, in context, that any programme professing to 'cover' a genre, is offering a huge pretence, as it is, in fact, only exhibiting the wares it has been payed to display.

[eighthobstruction]

Speaking as someone who has banged a tin tray put it through echo and reverb and a phaser etc....and spent hours doing it....I simply say it is all a matter of 'context'....

....Mule traiiiiiin!!

[Paul Sherratt]

>>....Mule traiiiiiin!!

Clippety clop ?


A phaser he's going through ?

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xPVdoxTJYmo/TAPoc8LhILI/AAAAAAAADVc/3nwDeCbuMog/s1600/P1080276.JPG

[eighthobstruction]

I think my quest always was to find a grace note of some kind....

....perhaps along with Late Junct debate , I could re-introcuce the Mixing It debate.... a far better programme....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

...was it midnight before they scraped Verity off the table?

[Paul Sherratt]

>>Speaking as someone who has banged a tin tray
This just in, via Wold Music HOST, Globaltruth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-azpduB34WI

Perfect late night listenin.

[Domeyhead]

I thorougly enjoyed all those replies. Thank you one and all!

[Paul Sherratt]

Domeyhead,
Good Max Reinhardt pops in to the quiet corner of the world music forum from time to time under an Oliver Postgate cloak.
You'd be most welcome, too.



Hang on ... no it's just a coincidence

http://theshrine.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/max-2.jpg

[Globaltruth]

Yes, we do discuss Late Junction and its foibles on the World Music subforum.

Reasons are historic rather than logical...

Purposeful venting, wilfully obscure references and suggestions all have a place there.
I must apologise in advance though for the dreadful habit of posting odd pics which I try and textually justify.
they can cause the odd surprise

[Simon]

I've always defended Late Junkshop. I don't like all the stuff that's on it, and I'm sure that some of it is indeed pretentious, talentless rubbish. But there are also some gems, from some surprising places, and for them it's worthwhile, IMO.

bws Simon

[Domeyhead]

Yes, we do discuss Late Junction and its foibles on the World Music subforum.

Reasons are historic rather than logical...

Purposeful venting, wilfully obscure references and suggestions all have a place there.
I must apologise in advance though for the dreadful habit of posting odd pics which I try and textually justify.
they can cause the odd surprise

I feel I am among friends. The kind of course I cannot possibly discuss with my wife.