Sinister: a question in french and the trouble with pop-music and Belle & Sebastian on stage

[Julien Boeldieu]

Hi everyone !

1. A question in french

Une question aux listies parisiens : qui va au concert de Nada Surf 
ce jeudi (demain) à la Locomotive ?


2. The trouble with pop music and Belle & Sebastian on stage

Yesterday I saw the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. That was... an
explosion 
(OK, it was easy, I'm sorry) ! I still can't believe what I saw and 
heard on stage. They're certainly the best performers I've ever seen. I 
think sometimes the trouble with pop-music is that it is not a good 
music to be played and to listen to live. I went to so many concert 
where I was just listening to a band playing songs, and that's all ! I
don't 
mean that that kind of concert is boring, not at all. It's often a 
pleasant moment to spend. The miracle with Belle & Sebastian is that 
they can reproduce on stage the same fragility and sensitivity they 
give on their records, which was not obvious and is always magical 
actually. But that is not enough to me. In such concerts you can easily 
close your eyes and let you take by the music, making abstraction 
of the band who is playing... and the trouble is here. I don't want 
to make silly comparisons, because Belle & Sebastian and the Jon
Spencer 
Blues Explosion have nothing in common. But the fact is that I always 
had a feeling of frustration, not while (because you are charmed and 
delighted) but after seeing Belle & Sebastian live (and that happened 
4 times). Of course, it is not necessary to be dressed like Elvis, 
to play the guitar on your knee, to roll on the floor and to jump 
from your amp screaming things like "blues is number one but I play 
rock'n'roll" to give great concerts. The difference is that the three 
musicians of the Blues Explosion are all quite sexy and glamour, and 
that they give anything they have on stage. Not only their songs, 
but themselves as well. The show was blazing. They seemed burnt and 
*haunted* by their music. They were not only playing, but they were
*living* 
their music and they gave to it more soul than it has on their
records. And
that is what I want to hear and to see when I'm going to a concert,
and that's not what I saw with Belle & Sebastian. In the
early 
70's, Bowie showed that you could play pop music and give 
blazing
concerts. But I don't blame anyone. I love to see Belle & Sebastian 
on stage actually - and the fact is that in spite of anything I can 
say it is very addictive. I think finally that Belle & Sebastian
have 
nothing more to give than their songs, and that's just fine as
long 
as they touch me. And I don't know why I care actually. 12 homeless 
died in one week in France because of the cold and the coldness of 
this society which is not able to give a home to everyone. That makes 
me very angry. I'm sorry, I'm in my Hate and War mood today. I have
love only for all of you.

Love,
Julien
_________________________________________________________

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
      +---+  Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list  +---+
 To send to the list please mail "sinister at majordomo.net". To unsubscribe
   send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to
 "majordomo at majordomo.net".  For list archives and searching, list rules,
   FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister
          +---+   "legion of bedroom saddo devotees"  +---+
 +-+  "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list"  +-+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+