It's great that Dylan invented the electric guitar and songs with lyrics and ascended to heaven on the wings of angels and all, but can anybody actually listen to his so-called music without visibly wincing?

Not me, for sure. The Times They Are A Changing was a kind of song of the epoch, but I revisited Hwy 61 recently and was appalled by how pathetic it all was.

Of course my musical tastes have not yet arrived at the sixties, but I am getting there. Today I am listening to the Count Basie band of 1957.

.....of the dope I was dating at the time of their success.

He loved them.

I tolerated them.

He dumped me.

I was saved.

Mary Beth wrote in the comments section:

"I had meant to mention the influence and impact ABBA has on contemporary artists, and dance and techno today. Oopsie."

I would enjoy reading something like that. I have always noticed a similarity between the choruses in ABBA's songs and the choruses even in songs by rock groups such as Boston, Van Halen, and Journey. I'm just an ignorant yokel, but would the critics agree?

, after reading these letters. Abba is for little white princesses, and anyone, of any age, sex or gender, who wants to recapture (or just capture) that feeling.

You seem to THINK you have an intellect, but most of it seems to be railing against anything you perceive as impure, a totalitarian tendency of some sort, but then I am no expert on extreme political distress and its attendants.

I had no idea that all of this denunciation of deferring from ABBA would so quickly, seamlessly, and self-importantly sound the notes of the hatred of "elites" that the Republican Party has fostered. It's amazing.

You seem to equate things that do not need equating. Republicans do not equal anti elite. Democrats do not equal elite for that matter. Slow down, take a breath, quit your foaming.

From the letters so far, I learn that:

Intellect is bad.

Liking ABBA for being popular is good.

People who dislike ABBA are snobs.

People who like ABBA are fun.

Intellect is not bad, indeed, one can argue, ABBA is more intellectual and brilliant than the impotent rage your punk bands exhibit, thinking it somehow makes their music better.

You are the anti intellectual. You think the only way to be significant or intelligent is to be a nihilist with an attitude.

It's rather like a McCain caucus all of a sudden. The truth is that we in the punk movement (I was one of them, and my Elvis was Costello), and all of the supposedly "unlistenable" "College rock" bands since, have been united by one thing: desiring to put the person above the corporation, mistrust of for-profit entities, and a belief that believing in one's music is better than designing it. ABBA was the negative of all of those beliefs, and their revival is, too.

I am against evil corporations too. But not all corporations are evil.

Many college rock bands ARE listenable. I am partial to Pearl Jam myself.

Mistrust of for profit entities? You make me laugh. Hate to have to tell you, but you'd be smarter to become as rich as possible so that you have a chance to improve the world from within.

Believing in one's music does not make good music. REPEAT, does NOT make good music.

The cute thing is that many of your fave bands ALSO design their music quite self consciously, yet their main focus is to design it to look like they did not design it.

Everything that is not a verbal ejaculation is designed, is it not? Who wants to hear verbal ejaculations all day? How is any of it musical?

If people want to praise the Big Mac for its popularity, that is fine, but if they want to claim that it is haut cuisine because it is popular, then they are misguided. If they want to have reminiscences of their first Whopper with Cheese, that's fine, too, but that has nothing to do with its culinary value.

Many top chefs praise the Big Mac, some even enjoy one regularly. It actually has a good flavor, though it is not a classic hamburger, but more a sauce laden meat sandwich of a sort. Their fries really ARE good. You should try them sometime. Once in a while won't kill you.

Since I was a punk, I have gone on to be other things, and one of these is an analyst of culture. Saying that something is pleasurable is rather like saying that something has mass: it is meaningless by itself except to the one getting the pleasure. Ask why ABBA and ask how ABBA came to be the Chicken McNugget of the 1970's. You're not a fool for enjoying it, but you would be one if you let that convince you that it was good for you or the nation or the world.

I judge thing that way a six year old judges them. Does the six year old sway to it? Does it please the ear?

Not everything that pleases the ear is worthwhile for an adult. I would quickly tire of a lot of it. But ABBA does happen to be pleasing AND have some meat on its bones. This is what we are discussing.

ABBA is richer than the King of Sweden. Is this not the most supreme example of individualism thwarting the anti-people forces ? (though you can argue how anti human the Swedish King is)

Get yourself straight. You are not Jesus. Get off the cross. Enjoy something that sounds nice and easy on the ears. Don't just judge it, at least at first.

Okay, maybe three: Melody, hooks, and theatricality. Three things that are completely MIA in today's popular music. Using these ideas as pop music standards and noting the way ABBA used them, its pretty hard to get worked up over something like Rhianna's "Umbrella" much less Daughtry, Matchbox 20, or Leona Lewis.

Oh, and funny you should mention the Sex Pistols...Johnny Rotten has gone on record as "loving ABBA".