Degrading Music

By Bobby Chang

The degradation of music showed its colours earlier this month when Total Nonstop Action Wrestling had "Ric Flair" introduced during the a January episode (January 14 I believe) of "TNA Impact!" at NBC Universal Studios Florida, where the "professional wrestling sanctioning body" played what they said was the entrance music of the 60-year old Charlotte businessman. Knowing MTV holds rights to broadcast TNA Impact!, and the World Wrestling Entertainment's copyrights of their own entrance music, most wrestlers need new gimmicks, ring names, and music, although this is different because because none of Flair's was trademarked when he started in the 1970's, and his ring music ("Einleitung") is in the public domain.

When I graduated from college, the orchestra at the Frank McGuire Arena serenaded us with "Einleitung" from Also sprach Zarathustra, as has been the case for football teams since 1983 and for all sports teams in modern times. Hearing the full formal version of it has become a de facto standard, and while I've heard a "pep band" play a variant that doesn't sound proper during sporting events, it's one issue. When I hear the formal version of the song, I have learned to stand at attention, something that I learned during college and have picked up that cue for that song -- one of two non-National/Formal Anthem pieces that I have learned to stand at attention when they are played (HWV 56, No. 44, is the other).

However, knowing the degrading of MTV (the last MTV show I watched was the Long Beach round of the 2004 Champ Car season where MTV's Spike had broadcast rights for that season, the ridiculous programming that Bob Jenkins bolted MTV after just two shows; the last MTV-produced show I watched was the 2001 Dale Earnhardt Snr tribute hosted by Eli Gold, a remant of the former CBS and Ed Gaylord (yes, the family whose name is on the stadium for Oklahoma) TNN using their old film) and the degrading of music in general ran extremely course when Total Nonstop Action Wrestling had Ric Flair enter the Hexagon (as it was at the time) for his first appearance with the organisation.

How can you accept electric guitars playing for this piece? Sadly, in a rock-oriented society without respect for classical music, we've gone to this by allowing fundamental pieces in rock to be accepted? I don't believe so.