Ask a stupid question

I think that maybe I included this in a perzine I did a little while ago -Optical Devices #1- but as I don't have have a copy myself, I see no harm in reproducing it here....

I do these stupid surveys online. They’re generally based around consumer products, but sometimes they’re about party politics. I generally just wade through zombie-like to pick up my 50p at the end. I’ve got over a tenner in the account now. Anyway, the majority of the questions are multiple choice, but the other day one asking about how often and how I buy music ended with..

“finally, what does music mean to you?”

I answered quickly and copied and pasted it onto my desktop. It’s a bit daft and unfocussed and contradictory. But I think I sort of got a bit of my point across, if only in a way I understand.

“Enjoyment of anything is essentially radical in and of itself. To know that the world is being destroyed by power-crazed politicians, cancerous corporations, and the militantly ignorant majority of the populace; to know that people will gladly kick away a ladder once they’ve reached the top and then shit on those struggling behind. To be aware of these things and be happy in SPITE of the facts is revolutionary.

Independent music strives to break chinks into walls of mundanity and the cynical world of corporately engineered (or influenced) entertainment.

A world filled with people who create, share, and enjoy. A world without rules, a world that exists purely for love and fun. A beautiful escape from skin creams and shiny cars, real-estate, foreign policy, hierarchy and competition for the sake of it.

This is for fun, and that’s really all anything should be for.”
Pop music strikes chinks into the wall and I bask in the light.