While I'm not much of a fan of John Cage myself I recognize he was a positive influence on a composer whose work I do like, Toru Takemitsu. I find Wagner repellent as a person and his music is generally insufferably bombastic but I can recognize Wagner was a formative and positive influence for other composers. I'll grant that John Cage's prepared piano inspired some music I have enjoyed over the years. Nikita Koshkin's The Prince's Toys wouldn't be what it is without some influence from Cage. I like Koshkin's music better than Cage's music. As a guitarist I get to have that opinion. :)
Just like I also get to have the opinion that every note Toru Takemitsu wrote for the classical guitar is a gem. Someone should have written or published a monograph on Takemitsu's music for guitar by now ... but then somebody should have published a monograph on Innervisions by now, too.
