At 8:13 PM -0800 on 11/25/00, Elson Trinidad wrote:
>
>I know people will throw eggs and various garden vegetables at me for saying
>this, but in my experience, most people doing the studio production thing are
>doing it for the love of it, the art of it (hey, it's all underground anyway)
>and those playing in live bands are primarily in it for the money.
I will step out of my long silence to point everyone at a good
article about the above ... in the latest issue of the UK magazine
Uncut (with the Beatles on the cover, ironically) there is a Simon
Reynolds article on Radiohead that is less about that band and more
about this phenomenon that Elson speaks of.
The (somewhat generalizing) theory is that an artistic person is a
loner by nature and would rather not be in the social situation that
a band requires. In the past, this artistic person would have to
align him/herself with those more capable of social flag-waving -->
someone whose goal is fame rather than artistic expression. Thus,
rock bands are formed with (as example) Brian Wilson being the
creative force but in the background in public obligations.
Now, with new avenues of technology, we see the revolt of the
artistic loner, as he/she is able to fulfill his/her goals solitarily
without the annoyances of pesky bandmates. Thus, the only people left
in bands are the grandstanders and the fame-grabbers, while the
artists are staying home.
Reynolds believes that this is the reason for the downward spiral in
modern "band" music (really, where are the 'great' new bands?) while
electronic and solo production has flourished. This is mentioned in a
Radiohead article as Reynolds heralds the band as one brave enough to
move and work with this trend, by embracing electronic and solo
production wholeheartedly and compromising as a band to realize the
translation. (not to make a comparison, but it is safe to say that
the Beatles were studio/band innovators in a similar fashion ...)
Reynolds sees more bands working like this, more as 'collaborators'
towards a more artistic and possibly public end rather than as a
'band'.
I'm not sure if I agree 100% with Reynolds' points. However, it's
funny because I fall into this cycle I suppose ... I was someone who
has played in bands all my life, but gave all that the boot once I
amassed enough technology to go at it on my own. Bands are pesky
things to me, and I was never good at dealing with the personality
struggles. Being locked up in my studio and doing one-off DJ gigs is
actually much more fulfilling. Now I follow Reynolds' evolution as I
find myself stuck in a rut and need to go forward by going back to
bring my sound to more people. Thus, I'm working on the band thing
again, getting together a few others to add the emotional spark of
on-stage 'vibing' to the one-man studio productions. Interesting. And
even more interesting is where it may all go. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks for the thread. Got the noggin' throbbin' on a Sunday afternoon ...
love,
michael
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