Catpaw - diary of an angry cat

For some reason I can see this comment but it doesn’t seem to be appearing for anyone but me. Perhaps it was meant to be private. I hope whoever wrote it doesn’t mind that I’m putting it in a post so I can comment on it. He/she has raised some interesting points and I think people should be able to read it:

“Catpaw”, I respect your comments, but please appreciate that a world in silence would be a rather boring place. Right?

Go to NYC for a while, and try and complain about the noise there. I think that once you travel more, you will realize that Toronto is a very frigid, sterile city where its inhabitants tend to isolate themselves in their “quiet”, as you put it.

I am a jazz musician, that was playing the TD Downtown Festival, and the sound levels were pretty tame compared to say…New Years eve?

Also, I think your comment about rap music is rather ignorant and uneducated. Very few people in the world these days (especially in Toronto) understand that there are two basic types of music. Composed (meaning everything is written before), and improvised (meaning that there are components that are made up on the spot). There is a very strong connection with rap and jazz, based on rap’s roots (jazz/blues/funk) combined with the frequently improvised lyrics.

Anyone that has any knowledge with spoken word, and improvised poetry, understands the validity of rap. Not all rap is about “bitches and hoes”, and ignorance is what spreads that stereotype.

You are obviously entitled to your “quiet”, but the rest of the world is also entitled to hold events (such as the TD Downtown Festival, and New Years at NPS) that cause many people joy and appreciation. And I don’t think anybody in the audience wanted us to turn down.

Thank you

I don’t think this person understands that when I say quiet I don’t mean silence. There is a world of difference between the two words. I enjoy the various events and enjoy the ambiance of some neighbourhoods - and yes I’ve been to NYC and many other places including Hong Kong, London UK, Barcelona, Germany, Netherlands, across Canada, United States, Mexico, Cuba and more. My complaint still holds. Simply because I object to the rising noise levels does not mean I’m a person with little or no experience in the world. I want the sound levels turned DOWN, not OFF. In the past 20 years the levels have risen steadily. I’ve been in some places where the music is so loud, everyone felt the need to shout at each other. I want to sit and enjoy myself without being deafened by the sounds around me.

Music is everywhere, whether we like the tunes or not. Music is a very personal taste. I don’t enjoy having it thrown at me from every store front, every car, every Walkman, every cafe. Go to the grocery store and listen to the rehashed music screaming from the ceiling speakers. And yes, some music I genuinely don’t like. It feels like I’m having dental surgery without the pain reliever. It is silly to expect everyone in the world to have the same tastes in music - now that would make for a “rather boring place” indeed. Does everything have to be ratched up so loud? Our hearing is at risk in some of these places.

Before you say anything further, understand this - I worked in an alternative rock radio station for about 10 years. During that time, I realised the sound systems were gradually going up louder and louder as the hearing of the sound men deteriorated. I started taking ear plugs with me to events after leaving some concerts and events with a ringing in my ears. On one occasion (in NYC) the buzzing lasted for 3 days.

I like jazz, I especially enjoy improvisational jazz. Have listened to it for years. I enjoy it more when the amps and sound systems are left out of the mix and I can actually hear every sound and cheer coming from the musicians themselves. Amps drown out the warmth. Makes everything ’sterile’. Quiet doesn’t mean cold and sterile. It just means I don’t have to listen to your music or shout to hear myself. Cities are busy and filled with their own rhythms and sounds. We don’t need a soundtrack to follow us around all the time. I was in the audience of some of the TD concerts and found the sound levels disturbingly high in a few of the events. Lowering the sound does not mean turning it off.

People are afraid to ask for the volume to be turned down. We are treated as though we are party poopers. As though we don’t enjoy music. No, we just treasure our hearing. Civilization survived for many millennium without amps and speakers - the music was no less enjoyable, society no less sterile.

I stand by my call for a quieter world. Enjoy your music unplugged for a change. Hear the lyrics, hear the sounds, enjoy, but don’t force me to hear 6 competing songs at a time. This extends far beyond music - it extends to the increasing noise pollution that surrounds us and is making it difficult to maintain sanity.

Thanks for sending in your comment. Again, I hope you don’t mind that I posted it. It was too well written to ignore.

Stumble it!