I'm not worldly!

nIs music worldly? Sounds obvious..."yes". But I wonder...other than the obvious syllabus we learned in "World Music 101" as the elective that required little homework, I don't claim to know much. I think true Zulu-bush African = drums. I think of Mexican and Polish =polka sounding( I know thats a hack assesment). Ireland is sad and folksy, Arabic is melodic and whiny...I will stop before I upset the no one reading.

Modern day music though...I really question. Are there entire other musical cultures? (of course!) Am I THAT naive? Do Bulgarian teen girls listen to their own version of Britney or Ani Difranco? They must. Yet, every movie, even foreign films, have some American musical reference. A pan-out shot shows two hipster Austrians in a record store that has vintage 45's hanging on string from the ceiling. One of those albums is always something like Frank Zappa or The Cars. Clapton had to be a rock and roll classic all over the world right? The Rolling stones!?

Do Italians really only listen to Eros Ramazotti or is that just what American restaurant/store owners think sounds really authentic? I loved him when I was in Denmark. His naughty rolling tongue made me want to throw off my over sized sweatshirt and pull out my scrunchies in 92. The year after that I remember hearing Jamiriquoi and Ace of Base for the first time booming through the Copenhagen radio. Only a year later, both were being played at a school dance at my US boarding school. Looking back, I realize it was born somewhere else.

I guess I just can't picture that somewhere, some group of cool people are listening to entire varieties of music that isn't in any way American? ( how ecocentric). Michael Jackson was big in Saudi. Seriously, do Japanese kids have their own Pearl Jam and The Killers? Is there a whole set of Chinese listening to their own version of Celine Dion of Taipei? Do the Canadians think Celine is a sell out? Why I am still talking about Celine?

So...I ask again..Is music worldly? Or is the question am I? Either in my age, or my life status has forced me to listen to what I am played. In the absolute interest of not letting go of my coolness...I better go get me some Finnish hard rock and Melbourne style feminist folk, or some of that crazy Persian pop.