“And that is precisely what [musicians] are doing as a profession. That is the sentence that we hand out every day to the Access Limited. I’m not saying it’s conscious, or intentionally mean-spirited. I hope it’s not. But long ago, we musicians seem to have collectively judged them as not being worthy of professional consideration, and we have sentenced them since to life without music. Life without music’s developmental and therapeutic benefits. Millions of Americans. They came before us and built this great nation for us. You know, the ones who fought the wars and defended your freedoms and rights before you were even born. And now, we say to hell with them. Let them fend for themselves because they’re old and not hip. We don’t play their music.

Except at Christmas, of course. At Christmas, when Jesus and Santa Claus are watching, we’ll be sure to toss them a musical crumb or two — to make ourselves feel better, you know.

I stared at them, shaking my head slowly. “Dudes, that sucks.”…