>>Is Raglin a later-day dadist? Your description triggered an old
>>memory of mine; I once had some friends deeply enamored with Dada.
>>The concert description certainly sounded like something the Dada
>>movement would have produced.
>
>If he is, it's a coincidence, because I have no idea what you're
>talking about.
>

Dada was a art movement in the 1920s, primarily in Europe, that rejected the conventions of the previous movements. It was generally a rebellion against the culture and conventions that its practitioners saw as the motives/causes of the First World War. Generally, Dada was poetry, consisting of nonsensical combinations of words and sounds. It was mirrored by a style of drama known as Theatre of the Absurd, known primarily through the works of Eugene Ionesco. Interesting stuff.

Regarding Ragulin, I have a feeling that he's more a stereotypical, self-centered, poser-boy than anything else. I would hazard a guess that he has no Dada-esque opinions, but merely has the opinion that if he didn't compose it, it isn't true music. And the school, recognizing the potential for avant-garde talent, has encouraged him to an extreme. Fortunately, Messrs. Chalfont and Statler (and, presumably, the latter's partner from vaudeville, the esteemed Mr. Waldorf) as well as young blood like our Ms. Hutchins will provide something for those who realize that art is a communal, and not a singular, expression to enjoy. Mind you, Ragulin has shown up once, and is only a minor character. I suspect he really isn't that important.

Ebony the Black Dragon
aka Draco Draconis Ebenium
known to the Newman Smith HS Theatre Arts Dept. as Aaron F. Johnson,
Senior Editor, Living Room Games
http://www.lrgames.com