OPINION
The human element, or “human nature” if you will, is of course present in everything we do, from the basic satisfying of physical needs to our pursuit of pleasure. It has been pondered, written about, lauded and condemned for centuries. How much is truly “human” never has and never may be agreed upon. All will agree, however, that it is present.
Art, and in this case, music, has undeniable ties to this to this basic human element as witnessed by the presence of music in even the most primitive cultures. So what does a savage with an animal skin drum have to do with music today, one may ask. Take away electricity, ad-men, and hypes, and he is “where it’s at.”
It seems that sometimes in music, we are faced with a rather unpleasant side of human nature, that of being greedy, and with it the desire of the greedy to change and manipulate others to their ends. There are those who would take the spontaneity and natural human joy from music purely for their own material gains.
