Art For Art's Sake

What is it about the U.K. that allows so much good music to be created? Seriously, there has been more good music from that geographic/cultural part of the world than from anywhere else. Why is this?


A couple of years ago, I read that people in the U.K. buy more music per capita than in any other country in the world. It might not continue to be the case, what with Spotify so readily available, but it certainly says something about how they like to spend their time and money.  I can't imagine the U.S. ever being number one in music purchases. 


Which leads me to my next question: why aren't the arts more valued in the U.S.? I guess it would help if we had consistent arts education in our public schools. But, that lack of arts education is just another symptom of our society's lack of appreciation of the arts. Is this another unfortunate legacy of our Puritan beginnings? We don't visit museums, we don't demand arts education for our children, and we don't look for beauty, in general. The older I get, the more I want to be surrounded by beauty, so I'm noticing that there's a serious lack of beauty in most of my day-to-day experiences.


This really saddens me. I've raised 2 children in the U.S. and they've attended regular public schools. I can honestly say that they did not get much in the way of arts education, which doesn't bode well for the future of beauty in America. I have a rather sentimental attitude toward the U.S. and I love the ideals that the U.S. has traditionally represented: freedom, democracy, individualism. This is not to say that we have ever completely lived up to these ideals. We fall short again and again. But this country was founded with a purpose and I, mostly, like that purpose.


Sadly, I don't always agree with other people's interpretations of that purpose. I don't see that capitalism and public funding of the arts can't co-exist. I don't think that freedom and well-funded public schools are opposites. I don't believe that a social safety net turns us into a socialist society.


So, I'm impressed by countries that value beauty and aren't afraid to put some money behind it. I've never really been an Anglophile. If anything, I've been quick to point out how superior America is to the U.K. But their love of music is something I think they got right. 


Here is some music I'm listening to lately by non-Americans:

• "Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung
• "Seen the Light" and "Pumping On Your Stereo" by Supergrass
• "In the Morning" by The Coral
• "Time and Space" by The Accidental
• "Hoppipolla" by Sigur Ros
• "Ageless Beauty" by Stars
• "Can't Stand Me Now" by The Libertines