The Most Unwanted House Show

First of all, something about Pendulum Music: I’ve recently attended a house show here in Morgantown where several bands were playing music. Early in the evening, there was a “performance” of a musician which came to mind as I read the description of Reich’s piece. This artist would, seemingly at random, but who knows, play with the equipment around him (amp, different microphones, pieces of drum kits…) to create what I can only call incredibly loud and annoying – yet somehow entertaining - noises. Now, I have to admit that much of the entertainment value of this performance lay in the artists’ incredible drunkenness. But I have to say: if someone had done the exact same things (e.g. grunting into a microphone stuck into his mouth while cranking up the amp, all the while looking it via a feedback mic) on a large stage in front of an audience that had paid to be there, all with a straight face, it would have passed as art, on the level that Reich’s piece passes as art. Where, then, do we draw the line? Like with Cage’s silent piece, I feel like much of the value actually comes from not taking the art too seriously, to accept it for what it is, even if it makes you laugh. Because, as I said, I was entertained. And having to keep a straight face wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun.
The Most Unwanted Song kind of has the same effect: if you are allowed to poke fun at it, it becomes entertaining. If it didn’t announce itself as the most unwanted music, no one would ever want to listen to it. Sadly, most of the time art that is entertaining is labeled as cheap or low class. Which, I think is unfortunate. Shouldn’t all art entertain, to some extent? Isn’t it the combination of being entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time? Did we forget that along the way?
I do think that the Most Unwanted Song succeeds at what it’s trying to do, simply through its length. If it was one minute long, I could see it becoming an internet phenomenon that everyone found highly entertaining. Being as long as it is (and I sat through all of it, breaking into giggles every time the children came on), I doubt I ever want to listen to it ever again – however, I feel the intense desire to play this for everyone I know: Thankfully, we have facebook to bring music to people without having to listen to it again ourselves. Because that’s what facebook is for: spamming our friends with unwanted stuff. Thank God for online social networks.