Coming from a composer's point of view, what is the biggest change you've seen in the music industry in your time?


If you compose music and cannot find work in the motion picture industry, you need to be able to perform live to make any type of living. It is said that Steve Jobs  impoverished millions of musicians. Downloadable music took away the physical enjoyment of purchasing a CD/Album.






Did you like what the radio played as a kid, and how about now?




There was a communal aspect to radio in the "old days" However the sound quality was never perfect. But there was something wonderful about a "group listen" that became lost when Sony Walkmans came on the scene. Music became a much more personal experience, an isolating experience. Headphones were in many ways a hint at what was to come with smart phones and their small screens, designed for one pair of eyes. We listened to classical in the old days, but there was also great music being created by the Doors, Beatles, Stones, etc. Something in the way that music translated to transistor radio was pure magic to us.






Was there any kind of music you were not allowed to listen to?


No. My parents were open about it. My father was a composer himself, before becoming a doctor. My mother was earning her Masters in midieval lit So we would listen to old Norse music, Beethoven, and Herb Alpert.






How did you find out about classical music and your affinity to it?


It was always there. We had a piano in the living room. I would play thirds on it and then fourths. My father was very encouraging. I wrote my first piece before I turned 4. It was horrible, I am sure. But by 5 years old, I could construct a 3 minute melody, and by 6, I was remember composing 2-3 new pieces a day, usually short, simple pieces.






How do you think that music influenced the world around you?




I grew up in a world where change was represented by music. Understand that even early Beatles was mere entertainment, love songs. But when Dylan came along, and then the Vietnam protest movements merging with electric rock,it changed modern pop music from an endless variation of love songs into a palette of social rage and revolution.Think of how music changed between Kennedy's murder and MLK's murder. Its remarkable. This is where we began to rage against the machine, This is where music started to call out the so called "Deep State" In my mind, it's a singular modern facet of music, not seen since perhaps the revolutionary tomes of 1848 Europe.




What do you think of the media and music?


Musician became political balladeers in the 60s They tended to be poor, and full of righteous conviction.These days, pop stars are corporations. They are much more sophisticated about media, and have a slew of PR entities to craft and deliver their"brand" to the masses. Media is also corporate in its DNA, so when Beyonce performs at a sporting event, you can expect MSM to use it politically. When Beethoven composed the Eroica symphony, it was in praise of Napoleon, He withdrew the dedication after Napoleon declared himself emperor. If this had occurred in modern times, Beethoven would have been on MSM as a protestor much like Dylan, or Prince.






Should we promote high culture instead of pop culture?


I am not sure we have a choice.Its better that its not forced.






What is the general idea for our postmodernist society in terms of music? Do you see any bias or skewed natures in it?


Its become very political. I do not believe we can predict where music goes next. I think humanity has always had music and it evolves despite our attempts to chain it, define it, control it or set it free....




What is your personal ideology behind media and journalism?




Media and Journalism should seek to inspire, not control to make us ponder, not make us fear. I believe MSM to be the greatest collection of toxic liars since Tammany Hall.