You Gotta Love NPR

Grooving on NPR on my way to work the other day.

They advertised: "A lively coffee and pastry discussion on Mozart."

Sounds funny on the surface of it. Easy to make fun of.

But why not?

It's easy to stereotype NPR listeners as eggheads. Pseudo-intellectuals with their noses in the air.

However, I listen to the station. Carol is a devout follower. We are not eggheads. Right?

Truthfully, some of the news people do irritate me sometimes. Especially when they pronounce foreign words - names, places etc. - with precise inflection. A hint of the language the words originate from. Rolling their r's etc. A little precocious accent thrown in for authenticity.

You can look at this two ways. Maybe they are paying respect to that foreign language or culture. Or maybe they are obnoxious white people attempting to sound cultured.

I believe the latter. They annoy me. And I am willing to bet a native from that culture probably laughs at their precociousness.

Some of the "on air talent" sound soooooooooooo condescending to me when they introduce themselves.

Ever hear Audie Cornish and Robert Siegel introduce themselves on "All Things Considered", or various news pieces? Oh my God they sound so full of themselves, just in the way they say their names. I want to slap them in the face.

Still, I suppose there are people out there who could very well engage in a lively discussion on Mozart. In fact I think it's kind of cool.

Classical music is so complex it blows my mind anybody can even compose it. I want to love it, I want to incorporate it into my overall palette of musical experience (holy shit), but I haven't found the right composer dude yet.

I need to connect with classical music that touches my blues soul, my rock 'n roll sensibility. Need to find a maniac of a composer who does just that.

How much homework have I done?

Very little.

Got one button on the radio in The Big Ride tuned to a classical station but it is hit or miss. Every once in a while I'll dial up something that stirs me but more often than not, I do not. Many times a song will stimulate my soul until it segues into another movement and then suddenly I am bored.

I am much more motivated these days. Maybe I'll get up off my fat ass and do the research; put the work in.

No promises though; my brain is still pretty scrambled.

Anyway, go ahead and have a lively discussion of Mozart. I really do think that is cool. I am sure there is so much to discuss about the man and about the music that the conversation would be pretty damn interesting.

Passion is what life is all about, baby.