Sinister: Sacre Bleu

[Knightowl]

> It's obviously true then that death is the best career move for a musician
> if you genuinely believe this. Surely it's only cos Lennon has been dead
for
> 20 years and has like so many other dead musicians been idolised, that
> people think like that.

Not at all. As someone weened on the Beatles, I can tell you me and people
like me knew John was the man long before he was shot.

> People tend to remember musicians who die young in a
> positive light (how likely is it that if Kurt Cobain hadn't died that
today
> Nirvana would be anything other than another Pearl Jam

If only Pearl Jam had died young instead ;-)

If this were true, why can't I even remember how to spell Shannon Hoon?

While its true that there are always Johnny come latelies and the media
grasps ahold of these things, its far from a universal truth.

although the public perception of
> Lennon is of a humourous, peace loving hippy he was also self confessed
wife
> beater, adulterer and drug abuser.

Actually, my perception was always of a troubled and alienated genius with a
wicked sarcastic wit.

Wife beater? Where's that "fact" from?

As for adulterer and drug abuser, well which rock star from that era (or
most any era) isn't/wasn't?

> Lennon was if anything the least productive member of the Beatles during
the
> last 2 or 3 years of the band (arguably their most inventive period),

???? I'm amazed that you can say this. Is the legacy of the era contained
within the legacy of the Let It Be movie perhaps?  The movie made by Paul,
for Paul, starring Paul, and loathed by the rest of them - even Ringo.

John's stamp is clear everywhere, but as this isn't a Beatles list I'd best
not go into it too deeply.

> spending too much time with Yoko Ono and dabbling increasingly in drugs,
and

Some would say this brought out a lot of the "inventiveness" you mention
above.

> had become less of an influence than Harrison by the time of Abbey Road

Prove it.

> (much of which was recorded in Lennon's absence).

News to me. Where's this info from? I'd guess then you don't think She's So
Heavy is the best thing on that album?

 It's widely regarded that
> Lennon lost the 'control' he had had over the other 3 Beatles when Brian
> Epstein died and McCartney became the most influential member.

What exactly does "widely regarded" mean?

Its nonsense.

> We'll never know if Lennon would have made the equivalent of the Frog
Chorus
> but how many artists of his generation make music of any note or
credibility
> these days? For every Imagine or Jealous Guy there is a Revolution 9 or
> Across the Universe: Lennon was not infallible.

No he wasn't, but the statement was that he was more important than Paul,
not that he was infallible.
And by way of obvious comparison I'd take the Plastic Ono Band album over
McCartney (was that the title? the debut one with the bowl of cherries) any
day. Thats each of them coming fresh off the Beatles solo. Go song by song
and see who is the better writer 30 years later.

No contest.

Well, sorry if the tone of that got harsh. I just get the old ire up when
people present "facts" from Goldman books or wherever as "facts". Bunch of
journalistic shite........aargh.

Ok, I feel better now.

Besides, Noel from Oasis worships John and not Paul right? That says
something doesn't it............
 (damn, did I just disprove my whole argument?? :-))

Lightness,
Ed



+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
    +---+  Brought to you by the undead Sinister mailing list  +---+
    To send to the list mail sinister at missprint.org. To unsubscribe
    send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to
    majordomo at missprint.org.  WWW: http://www.missprint.org/sinister
 +-+  "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" "tech-heads and students"  +-+
 +-+  "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list"  +-+
 +-+       "sinsietr is a bit freaky" - stuart david, looper        +-+
 +-+   "pasty-faced vegan geeks... and we LOST!" - NME April 2000   +-+
 +-+       "peculiarly deranged fanbase" "frighteningly named       +-+
 +-+           Sinister List organisation" - NME May 2000           +-+
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+