Feature / One Question Interviews
Modest Midget

Words: Andy Armageddon • September 10, 2015

Modest Midget
Modest Midget

Lionel Ziblat (Modest Midget)

SPB: Which music by classical composers do you think has held up the best into the 21st century? 

Lionel: Great question! Since it's also a great passion of mine to write for Classical instances (choirs, orchestras and chamber), I try to keep in touch with contemporary Classical music as well. You'll be amazed how much good music was written since Purcell (17th Century) ‘til Ligeti (end of 20th Century).

I think that Classical music plays a much bigger role in our lives than many people realize. There are the few very famous tunes that everybody knows like the theme from Beethoven's 9th, which is one of the most popular tunes out there still(!) although most people don't even realize it. But there are also other influences that more modern composers like Stravinsky & Ravel have had on Hollywood film scoring throughout the 20th Century.

Still, I feel that nowadays well-crafted music, whether it's classical, jazz or anything else, is too often overlooked and neglected. Because we are enslaved to some amazing technology now in a way that our focus on details and on spiritual quality is getting very poor.

 

Modest Midget
Modest Midget

Related features

Fest 24 – The Wrap-Up

Music / Fest 24 • November 5, 2026

For those who follow the site, I've been to Fest a lot -- like, I lost count of how many times but it all started at FEST 6, which I think was in 2007. It's certainly about the music first, and I saw approximately 61 bands over 4 days, 3 … Read more

The World Needs To Hear Us: Twenty One Children

Interviews • November 5, 2026

On After The Storm, Twenty One Children strip away every slick, sanitized modern production trick imaginable. The Soweto trio -- vocalist Abdula Skink, guitarist Thulasizwe Nkosi, and drummer Biko -- play fast, heavy, lo-fi punk rock that welds the raw speed of mid-'80s U.S. skatepunk to the thick rhythm of … Read more

Freaks On Parade: Kepi Ghoulie

Regular Columns / Shrapnel Pop • November 5, 2026

A look back at Kepi Ghoulie’s September 2026 residency at MySpace PhoenixWelcome to Kepiland! Kepi Ghoulie did a month-long residency in Phoenix, AZ for September 2026, joined by friends and locals. So, I ventured out into the triple digit heat, to check it out. If you are not familiar with … Read more

Florida Men

One Question Interviews • November 4, 2026

Jouke (Florida Men – guitar)SPB: We all know Florida Man from hilarious headlines, what is the headline about the band Florida Men?Jouke: Florida Men Actually Not From Florida Read more

Deady

One Question Interviews • November 3, 2026

Chyppe Crosby (Deady)SPB: Louisville has had an incredibly deep underground music history, but what does the current Louisville punk scene give Deady that you don't think the band would have gotten growing up somewhere else?Crosby: I think the scene here is more familial. Most genres of music kind of coalesce … Read more

Related news

Related reviews

Modest Midget

Crysis
Multi-Polar Music (2014)

Following the group’s ambitious 2010 debut The Great Prophecy of a Small Man, Dutch group Modest Midget returns with 2014’s Crysis, an album that’s equally as sprawling, eclectic, and generally cheerful as its predecessor. Admittedly, it took me a few listens to really get into what Modest Midget had to offer on their first album, and this second effort is … Read more

More from this section

Florida Men

One Question Interviews • November 4, 2026

Jouke (Florida Men – guitar)SPB: We all know Florida Man from hilarious headlines, what is the headline about the band Florida Men?Jouke: Florida Men Actually Not From Florida Read more

Deady

One Question Interviews • November 3, 2026

Chyppe Crosby (Deady)SPB: Louisville has had an incredibly deep underground music history, but what does the current Louisville punk scene give Deady that you don't think the band would have gotten growing up somewhere else?Crosby: I think the scene here is more familial. Most genres of music kind of coalesce … Read more

Plastic Meat

One Question Interviews • November 2, 2026

Nerina (Plastic Meat – vocals)SPB: Is there a hyped band (or even TV show/movie) that you just can’t get into?Nerina: My bandmates are gonna kill me for this, but I think that Zeke is a super overrated band. I know everybody loves them and many people tell us that they … Read more