I don't know why there is such negative feeling about one particular genre of music. I received a classical education, and that included training in classical music. I knew plenty of people who have nothing but contempt for any musical form that is not classical or so high brow that only a handful of critics can even pretend to enjoy it. And then I see people who dare to profess even to know anything about country music expressing their disdain for some other, equally non-canonical form of music. Kettle, please meet pot.

Anyway, this sort of snobbery I find insufferably foolish. Let music be. I personally have trouble identifying any musician who doesn't do classical music as "great." But I see that as my own limitation, and I wish I could appreciate country, rock, jazz, whatever, so much that I can feel there are great artists among them -- you know, the way you guys can. So maybe the first rapper was Bob Dylan, and that's a wonderful thing.

For my contribution: the incomparable Shostakovich.