Music Bonding with “Normal” People

 Posted by
May 062008
 

You find yourself with a fine “normal” person – be it at a family dinner, a work event, or what have you – who discovers that you’re a knowledgeable and passionate music fan. That person wants to talk turkey with you, excitedly asking what you think of Dave Matthews Band‘s latest CD or whether you’ve got tickets for the upcoming Eagles reunion tour. You swallow hard, take a deep breath, and begin to respond to their questions regarding your tastes in music. With what do you lead? Which bands and albums do you talk about loving first, so that they can make some sense of what you’re into? Where do you draw the line in your record collection, what records are off-limits for discussion with a “normal” person?

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Songs That Could Perform Superhuman Deeds Under Life-Threatening Circumstances

 Posted by
May 052008
 


In our recent Three Songs Most Likely to Run At the First Sign of Trouble, Townsman Cherguevera suggested yet another offshoot of our original thread. As a service to the Halls of Rock, and the rock community overall, we’re bringing his thoughts to The Main Stage:

Is this yet another variant of this whole concept? Songs that could perform superhuman deeds under life-threatening circumstances? For example, when I was in 8th grade, the average-built Adam K decided to pick at fight with ultra-scrawny Phil P. It all seemed like a given, until Phil utterly pummeled Adam, who, for two weeks, walked around school with a pair of stupid sunglasses to cover up his black eyes. So, I’m talking about a band you might think of as lightweight that somehow pulls some brass knuckles out of a back pocket.

You heard the man. Now answer the question.

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Ferry Interesting

 Posted by
May 042008
 

What is it that allows me to like Bryan Ferry‘s unleashed solo side almost as much as I do Roxy Music? And that would be a lot. Compared with my general anti-camp stance on rock, my longtime enjoyment of Roxy Music and solo Bryan Ferry (up to a point – his solo albums past the band’s breakup circa 1982 are of no interest to me – and maybe this is significant) surprises me and makes me question myself.

Here’s a song and performance that encapsulates much of what I love about Roxy Music: The Power and Glory of Rock, the introspection, the self-effacing humor, the strong rhythm section…

The clip also features Ferry wearing clothes and a mustache that I have found off putting on artists like Bowie and that Sparks guy. Why don’t I simply want to give this guy a wedgie and possibly turn my ears off to his supposedly great music, as I’ve done with some of his contemporaries?

  • Did the work of early Roxy Music buy him (and what the band would become) a free pass?
  • Is it the fact that he seems to have a sense of humor about his persona?
  • Is it the fact that the rhythm section is both tough and fluid?

In short, why do I dig Ferry but recoil at similar impulses in the music and performance of David Bowie and other ’70s camp-rockers?

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3 Songs You’d Want on Your Side in an Alley Fight

 Posted by
May 022008
 

About 5 years ago I decided to put together a mix CD of “tough” songs so that I could play it on RANDOM in my car stereo and determine which of the dozen or so songs was the most kick-ass of my selections. The mix included some usual suspects among my preferred kick-ass listening habits, but to my surprise a song I don’t play too often was declared the winner:
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