ROCK ‘N’ SPIRITUALITY

Thank you, Mr. Hilburn.

This perverse trend of late, led by U2 and other of the “New Spiritualists,” has not passed by us without notice. Many bands lead listeners astray from the true spirit of music toward a puerile and grotesque fascination with the otherworldly.

Artists seem dissatisfied with themselves and the world round them; as a result, they dream, sing and direct our hopes toward an image of the world that includes a small, supernatural oasis (a Joshua tree) amid an entirely huge wasteland. And for their commitment to this absurd image they are applauded!In the world of rock ‘n’ roll, the most interesting artists are those who divorce their lyrics of hackneyed diction and imagery, providing instead a pure articulation, without contortion, of their life experience.

Fortunately, we feel, rock ‘n’ roll can persevere through this arresting phase and continue on a path of mature and serious development.

ERIK EISEL

ANDREW STUART

Huntington Beach