Following is my 2C on a recent FB discussion on the state of music: While Bono is right that today’s music is largely meaningless compared to its 60’ies heyday it was U2 who started at the time rock begun to disintegrate and have contributed their fair share to the tide of shite. I remember thinking “what’s the fuss about?” while listening to the tape of Boy, their first album, with friends on our way to the Dead Kennedy’s concert. While they did turn some really great songs, U2’s aimless yet pathetic rock exploration truly contributed to the fatal slide of rock, aided and abetted by MTV at the time. Electronic instruments also augmented the dilution of the original musical language of rock. Rock had a unique purpose of being a language for a generation that thought that world needs to be truly and fully changed. As this idea lasted from 1955 to about 1983 at the time that followed the music lost its edge. Along the way some musicians appeared that seemed to hold on to the original purpose of rock, such as some of the Grunge bands or Americana heroes, but it was all largely disconnected and blossomed only in niches. This fragmentation, enhanced by the multiplication of media outlets and increased consumerism of rock audiences turned downward spiral into true vortex of musical vomit in which we need to fish for the occasional jewels today.