Lectures For Lifelong Learners!

Ranking artists…is it a science, a skill or utter silliness? In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the 250 greatest guitar players. It was a nice try but it resembled a popularity contest rather than truly judging artistic merit. Granted, art can never be akin to a quantitative comparison process like athletics. However, it is obvious that some musicians have more talent than others. But what is the best way to rate and rank a musician? Let’s dig deep in this lecture, get all opinionated and try to come up with an empirical formula for how musical greatness should be evaluated.

Should a hardcore music fan embrace or shun the annual Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductions? When it started, the true icons of the genre were inducted but now…has too much mediocrity been enshrined? If The Zombies are in the same corridor as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, does that sit well with you? In this lecture we’ll look at the pros and cons of the Rock n’ Roll Hall Of Fame. This lecture will honor those who’ve undeniably earned their way into the Hall, and also cast doubt about some questionable entries.

Are the 1960’s and ‘70s the zenith of pop music creativity? If so, why? Surely, the majority of music is derivative. However, while today’s artists get to learn from 70 years of rock n’ roll history, the elite artists from the past seemed to be much more creative and innovative…or am I imagining things? Have there been significant innovations since the classic era? The classic rock artists’ songs are timeless – are today’s stars also creating timeless songs? This lecture is a fascinating look at how the pop music of then compares to the pop music of now.

There is an adage, “be careful when meeting your heroes,” and it can be an accurate truism. Many entertainers are tortured artists. To be able to make a living in the arts may be akin to winning the lottery. I have had casual encounters with some rock stars and can tell you some may not be what you expected or hoped for. In this lecture we’ll look at what contributes to a performer’s attitude and personality, and share good – and not so good – about encounters with famous rock stars.

Sometimes it is impossible to separate an artist’s creative output from who they are in real life. Woody Allen, Roger Waters, Ted Nugent, Roseanne Barr…all artists that can be incredibly divisive, but should they be “canceled,” i.e., exiled from showbusiness because of their personal life behavior? This question naturally leads to another: Should you evaluate an artist by their body of work…or who they are in real life, even if you don’t know them personally? This lecture will attempt to answer those highly subjective, unanswerable questions with a thoughtful discussion of the pros and cons of each.

We all have a favorite films. Is that based upon technical achievements, tugging your heartstrings, visceral entertainment or something else? What is the most important ingredient that makes something … your favorite movie? Is it the direction, actors and actresses, subject matter? Let’s discuss historically “great” movies, your own favorite movies and try to decipher what actually makes the film so great. This is an interactive topic since audience participation is vital to the presentation