Yoshie wrote:
> The most important question about culture and
> imperialism is probably not what masses consume (for
> masses, save under exceptionally turbulent
> circumstances, have a hard time exercising hegemony
> over the political economy of their respective
> nations under capitalism or state socialism) as what
> the power elite, and elite workers who culturally,
> politically, or administratively serve the power
> elite, consume, say, the top 20% of a nation in the
> South and the top 30-40% of a nation in the North.
This is only tangentially related (if at all) to the discussion at hand, but I am reminded of something one of my favorite living pianists, John Tilbury, member of the improvising ensemble AMM and known as a premier interpreter of the piano works of Morton Feldman, has to write in explanation of his decision to no longer give performances in the United States:
'Furthermore, I can imagine that during the (on-going) elimination of 'rogue states' Republic (and Democrat) intellectuals may well enjoy a quiet evening with the music of Morton Feldman. We know how deeply involved the CIA was in the promotion of American Modern Art during the Cold War. We may recall that the Nazis, too, found solace and inspiration in Beethoven's Ninth, that paean to universal brotherhood. Some members of the SS showed great tenderness and solicitude for their foreign (sometimes Jewish) mistresses. The love was mutual. Their taste in Art, Literature and Music was sophisticated. They were men of culture. Curiously, for them there was no contradiction between their appreciation of Art and their duties towards the Third Reich. I'm afraid Art cannot be trusted, can all too easily fall into the wrong hands. And I agree with W.G. Sebald: "Art is a way of laundering money." '
source: http://incalcando.com/tilbury/
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