Entertainment For Lively Minds
Counterpoint
Posted by woodface on 17 May 2011 - 10:43pm.
I often catch this quiz and am amazed at the contestants wilful lack of knowledge relating to pop or jazz. It seems to be a badge of honour to know nothing beyond classical & opera. Some of the answers given are wince inducing.
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well...
the answer's always easy when you know it
here's one for you (and no Googling):
which band was Alan Gill (guitar) in, prior to The Teardrop Explodes?
Dalek I
love you?
I met my first Uni girlfriend because she was carrying their album (her ex had been a mate of the band, and I was just the usual Peel listening kid).
new
Is this the quiz on radio 4 on at dinnertime or lunch time if you're a bit posh.?
That's the one.
On the occasions I've caught it, some of the more successful contestants do seem to take advantage of that particular blind spot.
Surely it's no different to the way that people will post here
along the lines of "Well, of course, I've managed to avoid hearing any progressive rock/hip-hop/folk-rock/jazz-fusion/whatever as I know I won't like it." said with a self-deprecating giggle.
I'm sure most of us carry our ignorance of certain things as a badge of honour - whether it's musical, literary, scientific, religious, philosophical, sporting or RT.
True nuff.
It drives Mrs Bob absolutely to distraction that some people seem to think that being functionally innumerate is something to be proud of (she's a mathematician). The number of times she gets asked what she does, and when she tells them, the answer comes back "Oooh, I HATED maths, I can barely count," said in a tone not a million miles from pride.
Sorry, that was largely irrelevant. But it gets on her nerves, and after 13 years of boyfriend/husband training, mine too.
As for Counterpoint, I can't listen to that programme without being jaw-droppingly impressed. My knowledge of "classical" (horrible term) isn't bad at all, but as Mr. J. McNulty, a recent contestant, was heard to opine, "those motherfuckers don't play".
The thing is that if you
The thing is that if you have a radio or television you will pick up a cursory knowledge of pop that would see off some of the more obvious questions. Wilful ignorance is never a good thing.
Why would you?
I have several radio sets, all tuned permanently to Radio 4 (we can't get much else up here). I can't remember the last time I heard any pop music on them.
TV? Well yes, I have one of those and use it to watch the programmes I want to watch - I heart the Sky+ box - but why would that, in itself, necessarily lead me to pick up a cursory knowledge of pop music?
You would obviously be a
You would obviously be a perfect contestant then. There are also these things called newspapers, even the qualities contain snippets about popular culture.
I'm not sure I get your point
There's 'stuff' out there in which I'm simply not interested - soccer, for example, - it's very easy to tune-out any references to it in whatever media I use. The media type itself is irrelevant. I'm certainly not sure I have adsorbed sufficient knowledge of soccer to answer any questions on it.
Maybe, but is there anyone
Maybe, but is there anyone out there who would not recognise the hateful Lady Ga Ga or the ubiquitous David Beckham?
I didn't realise...
...there was a picture round.
I've no idea
But I wouldn't recognise anyone from Coronation Street, so I don't see why not.
I might just about recognise David Beckham from a picture
but I could honestly say I wouldn't have a clue what Lady Gaga looks, or sounds like.
I certainly couldn't name any members of (say) the England soccer team - it's just information I'd never come across.
I'll tell you what Lady Gaga sounds like.
ABSOLUTELY FRICKIN' GLORIOUS.
Just some important info I felt needed injecting into the conversation.
I really dont get her at
I really dont get her at all. An unattractive girl, who cannot really sing or dance but can wear really silly clothes.
OK, I wouldn't know about the dancing...
...but seriously. Listen to the records. Check out some live performances on YouTube. She can sing.
But to be honest, neither is as important as the quality of the songs, which are about as quality as songs get, IMO.
I love the style,
the attitude, the lyrics and I bet her live show is amazing to witness but for someone who really pushes the envelope, I find the actual music quite ordinary. So much so, in fact, that I can only bear one tune at a time.
Much as I enjoy classical music
There does seem to be a degree of inherent snobbery that doesn't appear (at least to my eyes) to quite the same extent for other styles of music. For example, whilst classical music was pioneering for its time, there has been such a tidal wave of inspired music thinking over the past hundred years or so that to ignore it is drastically flawed.
I would argue that all genres, however much you "like" them or not, are at least worthy of critical acceptance. But I rather suspect that for the panel on Counterpoint, trying to analyse a track by Aphex Twin, Distance, or DMX may be met with a blank stare. I doubt that the same would be true in reverse. Especially of hip hop, examples of which sample a number of other genres (see Nas & Jay-Z's "Black Republican" for a superb use of the Prague City Philharmonic). But for some reason it doesn't work the same way. Why? A level of snobbery because the music is more sophisticated, because as I'm sure you're all aware, the epithet of some being more equal than others is, if not dangerous, then at least a little misguided.
"for it's time"?
There's still fantastic classical music being written today, I'd argue it's as 'relevant' and vital now as it has ever been whereas you seem to be suggesting that it's been moribund for the last 100 years.
Relevant / Vital yes
Boundary pushing? Probably not so much...
Well, not the modern classical stuff I listen to anyway, although I suspect that Olafur Arnalds, Max Richter, Andrei Machado and Johann Johannsson probably fit as much into ambient as classical. They're not overblown symphonies, but they are beautiful.
I'm ashamed to say..
I think all heavy metal is pants.
Spandex ones?
I've been on it!
I was a contestant back in 2009.
I managed to win my heat, partially due to a perfect score in my 'specialist' round on Death Discs. The semi-final was somewhat tougher.
Brain of Britain parallel
In the days when Robert Robinson was the chair, the abililty to answer a question about "popular" music would be met with mockery mixed with surprise that anyone who would want to appear on the programme could possibly be prepared to acknowledge association with anything quite so vulgar.
But
Surely if you have heard the show, as I have, you would know that there are going to be at least one or two questions about pop/rock/jazz etc. As has already been pointed out, the contestants who can answer those questions can take an advantage. It is a quiz about all forms of music so a specialised knowledge of some and a basic knowledge of other forms of music will certainly help. If it was a literary quiz and the contestants took pride in not knowing (for example) about crime fiction would they be praised for their fine discrimination or not?