Editor's Note: Don't Panic

Nov 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Kylee Swenson

The financial crisis is on everyone's mind. It may have already affected you directly, or maybe you haven't been hit by it yet. But whatever your beliefs, whether you're a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent, when a recession (or worse, a depression) hits, we circle the wagons and change priorities. And often the first thing to go when we're in the Bear-est of Bear markets is art and music. They say the alcohol industry is recession-proof. The porn industry used to be, but even that's suffering now. As for art and music? Buh-bye. They're the first line items to be slashed from school budgets.

We need music. Not just musicians. All people need music. My dad, who is a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch (believe me, I've heard an earful these past few months), needs music. He gets into his car to go meet a client, and he listens to music. It soothes him. It's his job to look after people's investments and keep circulating money into the economy, and he needs music to do that. Otherwise, he might very well lose his mind. He says he Rollerblades to my band's songs (even though my music isn't what he'd normally listen to). But whether he's listening just to be a supportive dad or he likes the music, every time I go home for the holidays, he's got CDs or XM radio going in the car. As a little kid, my parents opened my eyes to Motown, Brazilian jazz, Anita Baker, Michael Jackson (I remember asking my dad, “Is that a girl or a boy singing?”) and much more.

These days, my parents' musical taste falls more into the easy listening category. With such a high-pressure job, my dad needs something mellow, especially when he has to tell his clients, over and over, “Stay calm. Don't panic.” I recently turned my parents on to Joan as Police Woman. I like to share music with them; even though we like different genres, sometimes our taste in music intersects.

As we watch our savings (for those of us who even have savings) and retirement accounts dwindle with the financial crisis coming to a head, it's hard to stay motivated to make music. For many of us, there's no promise of money for our efforts. But we must remember how music affects people and stick with it. It would be nice if more musicians would be rewarded as well as CEOs of banks. Well, I don't think anyone should be rewarded that well for a job, but let's not get too far into politics; Remix is not a political forum. We just have to ride out the storm and use these tough times as inspiration. This month's cover story, Big Boi, certainly is. Check out his song with Mary J Blige, “Sumthin's Gotta Give.” If anything, these politically charged times are waking us up to our future and forcing us to get more involved in the global discussion.

Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus

Want to use this article? Click here for options!