America’s ‘Only Real Art’

I couldn’t agree more with Fleming on the pomposity and narcissism of the so-called art snobs. Right on! But let’s not use their snobbism as an excuse to dismiss the huge and inspiring pool of classics and blindly embrace modern American pop culture--which in most cases can be filed under “mediocre” (Cindy Lauper, “Rambo,” “Jeopardy,” etc.).

Instead, we must learn to fully understand and appreciate Da Vinci, Bach and Dostoevsky as mirrors of past achievements and certainly as guides for new expressions in intellect and aesthetics.

Fleming’s suggestion to recognize the merits of Dylan and John Lennon is most commendable. Actually, there are dozens of other talented auteur-songwriters in their league, whose voices are doomed to oblivion because of the pomposity of some apathetic record executive. In the final analysis, however, even Dylan and Lennon might’ve been like helpless children without the guiding light of our “dead” artistic giants.

ISHKHAN JINBASHIAN

Pasadena