Where does Muzak come from, anyway?
Dear Cecil: I would like to get a little info about what’s involved in making the “music” that’s sold by Muzak, which is impossible to avoid if you go into any McDonald’s, elevator, etc. It’s all around us, but so mysterious. I’m told that it’s made in Japan, by heavily sedated Oriental musicians. — Bob F., Los Angeles Cecil replies: Muzak is recorded by studio musicians, so the smart aleck in us is inclined to agree that a lot of it is produced under the influence of drugs. (Although from what one hears about them, the Muzak musicians actually are a pretty clean living bunch.) At one time the company claimed it used recording facilities “all over the world,” so we might also wish to conjecture that some of it was made in Japan–although, again, the reality is that one of the main overseas suppliers was the Brno Radio Orchestra of Czechoslovakia. Today, however, much of the music is recorded in a studio in Seattle. The people who make Muzak are the same type of have-guitar-will-travel
