Classical Music and the Algore Opera

RUSH: John in Houston, you’re up first today. Welcome to the EIB Network.

CALLER: Me? John? Hello?

RUSH: Yes, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Oh, okay. (clearing throat) Excuse me. I’m a first-time call, so I’m a little nervous. I’m 18, and I’m a conservative, of course. I just had a quick question and comment about your La Scala opera comment. Where did you hear that?

RUSH: Where did I hear it? I didn’t hear it; I read it.

CALLER: Where did you read it?

RUSH: Well, it’s on the Drudge Report. Let me print out the link here.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: Hang on a minute. Hang on. Let me print out the link.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: It’s AP, and it’s from Milan. ‘First it was the film and the book, now the next stop for Algore’s movie is opera. La Scala officials say that the composer, Giorgio Battistelli, has been commissioned to produce an opera on Gore’s [stupid, lying, sack-of-garbage] movie.’

CALLER: Right. Okay. Yeah. I understand where you’re coming from. I think it’s pretty hilarious myself. But I’m just a little worried that you have a bias against any sort of sophisticated music. I’m not much into opera because, you know, I’m a religious person, and a lot of opera is very immoral. But I love classical music, and I really think the old composers were far superior than anything nowadays, and I think society is —

RUSH: Well, wait, wait. Wait a second, John. I’d love to talk about this subject with you, because I am very familiar with and have a great appreciation for and love of classical music.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: So much so that over the course of my many years trodding the soil of the planet, I have wondered why we attached the term ‘classical’ to it. It was the music of its time. It was the music of its era. I don’t disagree with you that it is beautiful and it’s distinguished and unique and so forth. But do you think it’s possible…? I know you’re only 18, but do you think it’s possible a couple of centuries from now that the people who are alive then, if they’re still allowed to play music and record it, will look back at rap and hip-hop as classical?

CALLER: Uhhh, no. I really think it is very primitive. I think there’s so little sophistication in it that it’s not going to last. I mean, rap is… There’s a beat to it, you know? There’s not much more. But, you know —

RUSH: I’m going to tell you something. If you watch this stuff performed, if you separate yourself from the lyrics and if you separate yourself from some of the message and the anger and the rage, some of the stuff that these classical composers wrote is very, very dark. It’s very, very dark.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: And you know it as a classical fan, but the talent that these people have today, you can’t deny their talent. They all have just… You can’t deny The Beatles’ talent. Now, you might not like the output of their work, and I don’t, but you can’t deny that they have talent. It’s not something anybody could do. I’m not suggesting it’s going to be classical. I’m just discussing with you the notion that what we call ‘classical music,’ I think is time relevant in a sense.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: It comes from a specific age. You used the word ‘sophisticated’ to describe it. I totally understand what you mean.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: But, John, I even have a bumper rotation song that’s from Puccini.

CALLER: Oh, really?

RUSH: Have you heard it?

CALLER: No, I haven’t. I gotta listen to you more.

RUSH: Well, here. Here, listen up. Turn your radio on and listen to this.

CALLER: Okay.

RUSH: It’s starting right now. It’s Barbara Chenault Law from Dallas.

(playing We Love to Hear Rush Limbaugh)

RUSH: The EIB Network, El Rushbo.