[grellis]

I think the "major downersville" that repels you is what draws most of their fans. A lot of people are drawn to somber music. Floyd's music wasn't all that somber, but the themes were.

Actually, their music wasn't always like that. The further Barrett travelled into insanity, the more depressing Floyd's themes became.

[Finny]

I often listen to Benny Goodman and Big Band swing music of the 40s. Also lately am indulging in long-beloved Bob Wills Texas cowboy stuff, Asleep at the Wheel and whatnot. That stuff infuses the spirit with goodness. I listen to Big Band and especially some hard-core boogie-woogie, and think to myself, "No wonder the U.S. won World War II."

Comparing it to my and the current American generation's music that is/was, with some exceptions, either whiny and self-aborbed, or angrily rebellious, I find myself thinking: Music for Grownups versus Music for Adolescents. Look at the pictures, for the past what, 30, 40 years -- the "serious" young rock band poses for the camera, nary a smile among the musicians. The setting is gritty, somber. "This is serious work that weighs heavily on us," they seem to be saying. Dopes.