Re: Sinister: random thoughts
All this talk about bands selling out and / or turning to crap -- I don't know... I think sometimes we fans forget that, in addition to being "artists," performers are also going about their "jobs." This is what they've chosen to make their living at and they have to pay for a home & food like the rest of us. Maybe they don't want to keep doing gigs at night and working all day at a crap job to keep body & soul together -- so they try to expand the fan base a bit (no matter how loyal and rabid a small group of fans may be, they're only able to purchase a small number of recordings and tickets). And let's not forget the "ego" of the artist. Not the "ego-mania" type of thing, but just the ability to do or create something that you believe people will want to see or hear. Certainly someone who gets up on a stage, or who records their music for sale, has a certain amount of "ego" or desire to be heard. Else they'd be sitting up in their attic like Emily Dickenson writing out lyrics on little pieces of paper and tying them up with ribbon. If you feel you have something to say it's natural that you want to say it to as large a number of people who will enjoy or understand it as possible. You can't fault an artist for trying to make a living out of something as fickle as catching the interest of the public for a time. It could all disappear in a moment. I believe some people "sell-out," but I think they meant to all along, and you can almost see it coming from the start. It wasn't about creation, but about marketing or whatever. Everyone has their favorite examples. But you can't accuse every talented band that hits big through that twist of fate or of being in the right place at the right time of "selling out." Or for trying to maximize their "profit" while they can. Some artists create crap from day one. Some create beautiful things for a time and then, sadly, just lose the spark that enabled them to create beauty. It's certainly sadder for the artist than for the fan, I would imagine. I say, give them all a break. Every one of them. Be glad for what they gave you when they did. And wish that B&S get their dream, -- fame, fortune, relative obscurity -- whatever it might be. (Sorry -- I just felt like defending the world tonight) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes. Aren't we? -----------------------------------------------------------------------
MWaggner@aol.com wrote:
I believe some people "sell-out," but I think they meant to all along, and you can almost see it coming from the start.
this kind of reminds me of something Lawrence of Felt (oh, and Denim if you insist, Peter) once said, i think actually in specific reference to Hurrah! after they (or Kitchenware) signed with the Big Record Company and released 'tell God I'm Here'. The music press were claiming ridiculous things like Hurrah! being the 'last great rock band' or someting, whilst all the 'original fans' were weeping into their beers about how Hurrah! shouldn't be about rock at all, and how they'd 'sold out'. Anyway, Lawrence simply said that when a band signs to a Major ('me and the major' might take on a new slant, perhaps?) they have the chance to sound 'how they always wanted to' but couldn't afford to on an 'indie'. I often wonder how much truth there is in this. I also remember talking about East Village with Peter Williams of 'Baby Honey' fanzine, and him saying, well yes, East Village are nice blokes and all that, but they DON'T feel any bonds of intent with the groups that we, as fanzine writers, were imagining. They were 'just' going their own way and making their own records. All that said, i think it's the 'job' of journalists, writers, other artists, 'fans' to observe, criticise, cast their own hopes and dreams onto a Pop group, to make the associations that may or may not be implied by the group itself. This is how Pop works... it doesn't work in that vacuum that some people have suggested. It's NOT about just music. I don't think it exists in the kind of way wee Chris seems to suggests either, like how you never pick up on a band or artist through written words in a paper or fanzine or whatever. Greatest respect and all that (cos Chris has a mean taste in the fashion stakes, after all), but i think that's bullshit. I know for a fact that some of my all time favourite bands i heard about first in words in fanzines, and sometimes in the Big Bad music press. And it was the effusive writing of the journalist or writer that made me want to hear the group. I mean, who can deny that Nik Cohn's 'Awopbopaloopbop...' is not infectious Pop writing that makes you want to go hear Little Richard?! Or that Lester Bangs going on about Astral Weeks doesn't make you want to go out and check it yourself (it did me!). Or Kevin Pearce's awesome and inspiring 'Something BEginning With O' makes you want to discover The Action, Creation, Godard and the mythic Dexys? I could go on... Matt Haynes 'Are You Scared To Get Happy' and Kevin's 'Hungry Beat' fanzines. Inspirational, thrillling fanzines that turned me onto some truly great Pop. Or Morley and McCulloch in Sounds and MM in the 80s. Biba Kopf even for a lot of people. i think if we start thinking about the artists as 'just' artists then we miss out on a lot. in fact i think maybe we miss out on some essence of what makes them mean something to us in the first place. You need to claim art for yourself. As soon as a piece of work for 'public consumption' is released, be it a Pop song, architecture or software or whatever, it's down to the individual 'consumer' or user, to interpret it, apply it, use and abuse it in whatever way they see fit. What Belle & Sebastian might do, it seems to me, is actually create a situation where much of this right to abuse and adapt their art to the needs of the user is left intact, is manipulated as little as possible by the intermediary delivery service (the Record Label and the Media). Okay, i wittered on too much as usual. Sorry if i bored you all. keep the faith, the duke -- Tangents On-Line http://www.virtual-pc.com/tangent/ Tangents On-Paper: PO Box 102, Exeter, EX2 4YL, UK tangent@mail.zynet.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . We're all happy bunnies humming happy bunny tunes. Aren't we? -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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MWaggner＠aol.com