It took me a long time to embrace a big chunk of Guided By Voices. Ranking high among a myriad of beefs I had to get over was my beef with their Look. I couldn’t get a handle on their Look, it was as if they didn’t care, and they weren’t blessed with the physical gifts that should allow rock musicians not to care. Last night I came across this video. Watch it and see, through my eyes, a cool version of GBV – complete with a Look – performing live on television!
What a difference a well-lit television set makes for live performances! The more I thought about this the more it became clear that my underlying lack of interest in the old late-night concert show, Midnight Special, ran deeper than the typically bloated ’70s rockers and that one-trick pony Wolfman Jack. Take a look at what I’m getting at.
OK, that wasn’t fair. Try these clips; they perfectly illustrate what I’m getting at. First, a band I briefly thought was great as a teenager, seconds after first hearing this, their greatest contribution to rock ‘n roll. Check it out! Continue reading »
