[jccuneo@mail.bellsouth.net]

Heidi,

Have some heart - the lead time for publishing is pretty long.  Maybe next 
month.

As far as your comment on the state of music, you hit the nail on the 
head.  Its amazing how the record companies bitch about falling revenue 
when all they put out now is pre-rehearsed, canned, synthesized, 
repetitive, soulless drivel aimed at the 8-13 year old set.  Perhaps people 
are tiring of it.

When an artist like Dave Matthews can't land a recording contract, you know 
the record companies are bleedin' clueless.  When you see some good music 
get recognition, like the soundtrack to "O Brother where Art Thou", and the 
record companies respond with shock - "What the hell is Bluegrass?" you 
know they are completely, utterly freakin' clueless.

I *do* believe, though, that there is a good bit of good music out there, 
it is just harder to get at.  I am listening to "Olympic Record" at present 
(Rob's official album for the Sydney Olympics) - it is excellent.

Don't know if you like them much, but the new Hootie and the Blowfish is 
coming out in March.  Decent band.  Hootie, in fact, rendered by far the 
best recording of the National Anthem I have ever heard (at a World Series 
game a couple years ago).  The man can flat out sing.

Take care.

Jacques


>Heidi,
>
>Thank you for your letter to Rolling Stone.
>
>We're interested in publishing it, but first we need to confirm the 
>spelling of your full name and adress.
>
>Example:
>
>John Taylor,
>Austin, Texas
>
>please write me back ASAP
>
>thanks,
>Evan Schlansky
>Rolling Stone
>
>
>I emailed Evan back immediately.  Well...I thought that finally I may have 
>been able to get the Oils some credit in some way, and that perhaps RS was 
>finally going to pay attention to what really mattered in the music world.
>Well sadly enough, I have checked the most recent issues of RS and still 
>no letter.  Instead there was an over abundance of letters having to do 
>with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.  I am saddened to see what the 
>world of music has come to.  And mostly I am saddened that the media 
>shamelessly glorifies untalented, commercialized, material shit that 
>cannot even be considered music, over musicians that in my own opinion are 
>pure geniuses.
>I'm only 19 now, and more and more am I scared to even wonder what music 
>will be like 30 years from now.  I mean seriously, am I going to have to 
>live with stuff that keeps getting worse and worse or is it ever going to 
>get any better?  I have had to resort to older music which slowly is dying 
>out because people are dying, or in the Oils case, bands are breaking up.
>The fact that RS didn't even recognize who the 'real' musicians are in 
>this world is completely ridiculous.  I don't know about you guys, but 
>personally I'm sick of the good music being replaced by shit.  Rolling 
>Stone is only hurting the music world even more by killing everything that 
>is good.  After what has happened, I am even more disgusted than I was 
>before and I think that I will have to listen to some Oils to wash my mind 
>clean of all those nasty, cliche pop tunes.  Please bring on the great 
>music that has meaning to it...something that actually means something and 
>makes an impact in my life.  Ok...sorry for the rant, but I did think that 
>all you Powderworkers would like to know that despite my efforts, still no 
>victory for the quality musicians.
>
>Heidi
>
>
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