What Part of "Eno" Didn't You Understand?

Well, at least Eno and other famous non-classical musicians have no critical standing with respect to contemporary classical music. Nor, as a result, do they have any kind of professional obligations to assure that their critical judgments are objective, well-informed and backed by relevant experience. So I (for one) would not get too upset about anything they say.
Don't you think it is far more upsetting that such categorical, misinformed and poorly considered judgments also have been voiced in print by professional critics of classical music? Harold Schonberg's longtime and wholesale vendetta against serialism on the pages of NY Times is probably the best example. But I still encounter this kind of critical attitude toward contemporary classical music today.

Don't tattoo any lyrics on your body without first fact-checking them.

KG replies: Especially with Eno. Is it, "King's Lead Hat was a poker to the fire, / It will come, come, surely it come"? Who knows?

I always wondered where that Eno quote about microtonal music came from...thanks.

I hate speaking for other people, but I'm under the impression that Eno--and by some extension Byrne--work with such high-profile pop acts these days for such exorbitant amounts of money that they perhaps lose sight of various areas of classical/avant-garde music. When Eno was producing the new Coldplay album, I'm sure it was difficult for him to hear microtonal music over the "Kaching!" of cash registers.

And, as an aside, I took a class with Kyle just a shade under four years ago in which he played us Eno's "1/1" from Music for Airports on piano--and expressed to us how meaningful that was to him (I'm paraphrasing slightly on the last part).

Oh, and, hi Kyle!

KG replies: Hi Tal, thanks for weighing in. I think you tried to get in touch with me a couple of years ago while I was traveling, and I'm sorry I failed to get back to you. Let me know when you're in town again.

I just thought that adding this rather remarkable example of mean, vitriolic and scornfully dismissive criticism of a well-known and much respected contemporary classical composer would be relevant to your discussion.
The link is to Richard Taruskin's infamous New York Times attack on Donald Martino. I'm sure you know this article well, and I think it makes Eno and Byrne sound rather gentle and innocent in their negative remarks about contemporary classical music.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E5D61F39F933A25750C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

KG replies: I've always loved that article, thought it was brilliant. Thanks for the link. But the difference is, Taruskin's comments are extremely nuanced and entirely focused on a specified number of works. Eno's and Byrne's comments are directed in a scattershot way at a wide range of composers, referring by implication to hundreds of works that the commenters had never listened to.

I've noticed that recently Eno & Byrne have both made comments like "Who would listen to that?" or "Why would anyone do that?" when discussing or writing about certain musical procedures. Given Eno's documented notion that one of art's functions is to increase one's empathy towards situations, people and things that are unfamiliar, I find their comments amusing.

These two quotes from John Cage seem apt: "If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, then eight. Then sixteen. Then thirty-two. Eventually one discovers that it is not boring at all." and: "The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason."

Something strange happens to people who only dress in black Armani and know nothing about culture beyond BAM. Shame on them and their high-priced ghetto. They really should know better.

Kyle, just tell them this:

Some of them are old
But it would help if you could smile,
To earn a crooked sixpence you'll walk many a crooked mile,
And when you do, remember me, remember me.

Those who get it, will. Those who don't, oh well.