In discussing the legendary Beatles hanger-on and rock fraud Magic Alex last night, Townsman Oats wondered what other rock frauds must have weasled their way into the inner workings of successful rock bands and become part of the “creative process.” For purposes of this discussion, let’s leave out band managers and other “suits.” That lot tends to be, if at all competent, full of hot air. We’re looking for people who’ve worked their way into recording sessions, songwriting credits, and the like while displaying no actual talent. Also for purposes of this discussion, we will not allow the inclusion of spouses, like Yoko Ono and Linda McCartney.
You may recall a recent comment by E. Pluribus Gergely regarding his belief that the music and packaging of Led Zeppelin promise way more than the band can deliver lyrically:
…regarding Plant’s ramblings, one can always count on a “you don’t need to be a Dylan to make it work” defense. True, but the music behind the rambling is presented in such a majestic fashion that the listener is expecting some sort of wisdom, or at the very least something that makes some sort of sense period. All one ever gets is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
And that’s my real beef with Zeppelin. No one expects any insights from on high when electric piano keys are pounded on the “Louie, Louie” intro because nothing overly complicated is going on in the first place.
This isn’t a bad or untrue point, but the question this raised for me is, Has any band made anywhere near as majestic, bombastic music AND been able to support it with lyrics that aren’t pretty stupid? I asked Plurbs to compare the lyrics of Led Zeppelin to those of Yes, Rush, Black Sabbath, and other bands working this territory. In comparison, Plant’s lyrics don’t sound half as bad, do they? But that’s not my question – what I really want to know is, what band making majestic, bombastic, mountain-scaling music delivers lyrics that come close to delivering on the promise of the music? Is Pink Floyd the best rock can offer?
You know you want to tell us about the musically relevant gifts you received over the holidays! Why wait for some thread to arise that allows you the opportunity to share and stay slightly on topic? So, whatcha get?
There was plenty of Beatles product to go around this holiday season, but I betcha didn’t get this. I did, however, get a McCartney biography and a Joey Ramone biography that my wife thought I would find amusing and enlightening for my Rock Town Hall activities. So far I Slept With Joey Ramone is meeting that goal. Haven’t cracked McCartney yet, but I’m hopeful that will tell me all the things Paul could have done before John.
We hope those of you in the Philadelphia area can make it out. We’ve got the small room on the second floor to ourselves. There’s no admission. This should be a casual, if sometimes heated, event.
I’m reading The Nasty Bits, a collection of writings by chef and food essayist Anthony Bourdain. I’ve gotten into his local foods travel show No Reservations in a big way over the last month, and my insightful wife presented me with this book for Christmas. I knew nothing about this guy prior to getting into his show last month, and I’m enjoying the book, although it leans a bit more on his “Bad Boy” image than his tv show, which never fails to show the soft, sentimentalist behind the host’s attitude. The Bad Boy thing quickly runs out of gas with me, but he doesn’t push it in this book.
As part of expressing his Bad Boy side, he does make a lot of references to punk rock. I like when he drops a punk rock reference on his tv show. It’s good to know that “regular” people watching are forced to scratch their heads – or more likely that “we” are now among the regulars. In print, he drops even more punk references, and for some reason print references to music are more likely to bring out my highly judgmental side. Every reference to his love for The Ramones causes me to think, Yeah, of course. References to The Dead Boys help his credibility, but then I think, Man, those guys sucked! At one point he mentions playing Depeche Mode while setting up in the kitchen, and I begin to lose my appetite. Continue reading »
Rolling Stone online has a look back at Top 10 lists from the 2000s.
This one has to be the one that will haunt them:
Year 2001,
#3 Mick Jagger
GODDESS IN THE DOORWAY Virgin
“There’s not a weak track on Goddess in the Doorway…”
That beats my 1995 statement that Techno/Jungle will be the new direction for classic Rock ‘n Roll artists in the 1990s (only David Bowie took me up on this).
Anyone have any words that have come back to haunt them?
That Secret Santa practice that’s popular in the workplace and in some families always confuses me. I can’t keep track of how it works, and when I find myself unable to get out of one of these things, I get a bad feeling in my stomach. I’m cool with gift giving being out in the open. The guessing game thing and the ability to trade in a gift don’t sit right with me. Hit me with your best shot!
In that spirit I’d like to suggest Rock Town Hall’s Not-So-Secret Santa Celebration. Choose a Townsperson – one Townsperson – and wish a musically relevant gift upon that person. Try to spread the wealth: pick someone who has not yet received a gift, and don’t hog a half dozen Townspeople for yourself.
This “gift” doesn’t have to be a specific thing, like a particular record. In fact, I think it could be more fun it was more like wishing a musical value or insight for a fellow Townsperson. For instance, I might wish that my close personal friend E. Pluribus Gergely would finally feel the brilliance of the s/t album by The Band, one of my favorite albums since childhood and a constant point of disagreement between the two of us. It’s not just that we disagree aesthetically. I think a little less of him for not getting that album, and he takes pity on me for being so tied to the emotional and historical involvement that I have placed in the album since it was given to me by my uncle when I was about 5 years old. Wouldn’t this be a wonderful world if Rock Town Hall’s Not-So-Secret Santa simply granted him the ability to find a place for that album in his heart?
