In a recent Wall Street Journal article, U.S. Repels British Invasion [1], the travails of British musicians in getting United States visas are chronicled; essentially it boils down to the fact that performers must show that they are "internationally recognized,” which is not as easy as it sounds. It is an interesting read and I recommend giving it a look. However, there is another part of it that merits attention. Near the end of the article, a fangirl, whose favorite band cancels a tour, responds that "I've never experienced anything more heartbreaking or cruel in my life."
I would have assumed such melodrama and loss of proportion would mean that this fan is a teenybopper, or something similar. But no, she is 21 years old. Music can be enjoyable, inspiring, or properly depressing depending on your mood, but frankly, this is ridiculous. I can only hope that this one person's emotions are not symptomatic of some grand abdication of reason when it comes to the music world. I think we are not there (at least quite yet). Anyone feel that people have come to view music as the end-all of civilization? Please let me know in the comments.
Links:
[1] //news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118980966247828081.html?mod=googlenews_wsj&cid=1120810903&ei=kmbrRpvwG5eC0AGI8cDnCw”