No Music Day

Bill Drummond may have reached the end of his five year plan for No Music Day last year, but he graciously gives licence, as of today, for it to be "directed or performed by you in whatever way you see fit to interpret". I'm continuing to observe it on Music Arcades and in my life. One fallow day in 365 feels not just modest, but necessary.

Having said that, it was hard to observe the day's disciplines "religiously" today. At breakfast I managed to catch myself before my habitual turning on of this week's God's Jukebox on the iPlayer. In my personal listening time this morning, I played Disc 4 of John Cage's superb spoken word piece, How to Improve the World (You Will Only Make Matters Worse). "We are getting rid of ownership, substituting use," it begins. Let's hope so, but look at all the evidence here of how deeply rooted ownership is. More on that another time.

As last year, we had a family commitment, and now the Boy is sufficiently articulate and demanding that if he wants to hear the Thomas the Tank Engine song, you play the song. Then I was exposed to a playlist from drum & bass to Lord Kitchener on the family iPod while we waited for baby cousin to arrive. And finally, this evening, they were playing Moondance in The Magnolia this evening, to accompany our discussion of free will.

Failed again. Failed worse.