Richard Strauss is all bombast. Most people know him by that apocalyptic (in my view, of course) intro to 2001: A Space Odyssey. But if you dig deeper and check out his other stuff, it’s even more intense. Try out the tone poems. Now, for most music fans, this is a no-brainer. The classical music poobahs always like to denigrate laymen like me who don’t have the requisite training to notice counterpoint when it’s being used (Bach was a master), or recognize Baroque from Romanticism. Initially, that’s what kept me from enjoying classical music: the insuperable snob factor. But Strauss, while complex, is sheer rock and roll, if you crank it up.

I hated classical music for a long, long time. Said it was boring. Said it put me to sleep. Partially, this is our culture’s obsessive need to denigrate anything that has deep emotional resonance. This isn’t to say I don’t dig pop music. I still listen to Husker Du and the Jam. I dig punk rock. I’m even a big bluegrass fanatic. I know: makes no sense. Point is, it’s what grabs you that matters. We tend to place so much importance on what other people think about the music we like. Fuck that. Dig what you wanna dig! Hey, even Lady Gaga, as transparently phony as she is, has some catchy tunes.

Literature/writing/poetry are analogous. You shouldn’t trust some critic who says something is utter shit; if it moves you, there’s nothing wrong with that. Again, it took me years to see the light. We, as a species, seem to defer to higher authorities, “experts” ensconced in some rigid, illegitimate hierarchy. That’s why the world, and this country, are circling the drain. Best to free your mind; trust your instincts.