I just puked

What's the difference between, 1) a middle-aged ex-rocker swinging a deal so that his grand kids never have to worry about money and 2) an equally middle-aged someone with substantially less talent and accomplishments in their lives complaining about what the ex-rocker just did?

The answer: at the end of the day the ex-rocker has a seven figure check in their hands and the complainer still has no talent and still hasn't written a memorable tune. What's the problem Fatparrot? Couldn't juggle three chords and a catchy lyric like "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" at the same time? Where I come from the talented are supposed to get rewarded for the fruits of their labor.

shubertmaniac, interesting summary of the last few hundred years. I would be hard pressed to argue any of the points you made. I would only say that artists don't create for the money. Money is a byproduct of their occasional success. We could all name hundreds of 'artists' who were unsuccessful during their lifetime, only to be lauded for having the foresight to die.

Art isn't defined by who recognizes it, but there remains the idea that if it has to be explained to a person of above average intelligence, is it really art or self promoting fluff?

Some people create what is in the depths of their being while other produce what will turn a fast and profitable buck.

I don't begrudge the creative whore their dollar, but I won't call it art either.

I don't know how much of the music created and then heard in the last six thousand years was art though. Most of it is self promotion. The radio has been and still is full of this promotion. Most art probably goes unheard.

I think art is more motivation than execution. And a lot of the musicians around now should be executed!

I agree with Onhyw61(love that Dylan reference)that the talented should receive the fruits of their labors but in our culture there is a disproportionate reward for talent.To parapharse Bono, "Three chords and the truth" It's more like three chords and millions of dollars.

I never thought it was the truth that Bono struggled with rather the three chords...............

The rewards (monetary and otherwise) for success can be enormous in American culture. To say it's disproportionate can start that slide down the proverbial slippery slope. 99.99% of the world's population would argue that the audio systems of Audiogon members are "disproportionate" and reflect the excesses of people with way too much money for their own good. Imagine if the majority of people in the world restricted us few audiophiles to Bose Waves and made us donate our disproportionate excess to some worthwhile charity like clean drinking water in the sub-Saharan or eliminating AIDs in southeast Asia? The world would be more proportionate (and healthier), but would it really be more fair. Free choice can be a double sided sword, but it's alternatives are far worst.