THE MYSTERIES OF SUCCESS...

Current mood: ANNOYED
Category: ANNOYED Music

A number of months ago, I went to The Barfly to see and interview a couple of bands.

I was set to do some pieces for a webmag called Frinkmusic.com and that was my first job. It ended up being more or less my last.

To be frank, the whole set up at frink is straight out of school and I found the taste and agenda to be completely ruled by fashion and hype as opposed to any kind of quality and judgement based on musical knowledge and experience..

I don't hold it against them - the boss is 19 years old and at that age to be even running a website and be putting on nights is a success...

Anyway, the headline band that night were called The Natives..

Now this band is - in my book - complete and utter fucking crap. They play bad Indie rock. They want to be Oasis and the fucking front man is even called Gallagher. I shiffed them out after about 12 bars of the first friggin song.

DULL DULL DULL FUCKING DULL LADS INDIE SHITE ROCK DULL!!

Well, my boss at Frink thought they were fucking fantastic and so did the crowd. Ms Frink was so impressed, she wanted me to interview them and I said no I couldn't do it, because i'd end up ranting about how crap they were and i didn't think that was quite the piece she wanted....

So, a month or so later, i sent frink a review of the best band i could find they came from the stars i saw them

Now the stars are a fucking high quality and highly talented band both on record and particularly LIVE. But Frink didn't want to publish the piece - you may remember me ranting about it at the time...

I'm reminded of this because tonight i saw the stars play a stunning gig to about 10 people who gave a shit and a load of people who would - because they're easy - have loved The Natives, but who had no idea what to do with the stars.

It was crowd who don't like musical music, who don't like to be challenged, who wouldn't know quality in music if it ate their fucking thighs off...

The world is populated by such people and it would almost certainly be dead without them, and though i try not to let it bother me, there's some days this and their reality just does my fucking head in...

Currently listening : What Are We Doing Here? By They Came from the Stars I Saw Them Release date: By 01 July, 2003

02:43 - 8 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove

	Paloma Pirate	only 1% of the world population are considered to be geniuses. that explains it. it's not that the other 99% don't like music, they are just limited in their ability to like good music. This explanation works for me and I'm sticking with it. Superior intelligence is one of my few quality attributes. Posted by Paloma Pirate on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 04:16 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR	But genius gets recognised sooner or later by the mass of people even if they still don't get why... Thing is, if Miles Davis had come back from the dead and played that same show last night, the crowd would have been as unimpressed. At The Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, the bands are a sideshow and the crowd is interested in letting their hair down after a hard week in the office/on the tourist trail and that is about that... I'm sure there's a much, much bigger audience for the stars and the fact the two aren't well connected at present probably comes down to marketing and exposure as much as anything... It seems people have to be told something is good these days before it gets recognised - or maybe that's always been the case?? Posted by PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 12:21 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	John Clay	It seems people have to be told something is good these days before it gets recognised - or maybe that's always been the case??-Paul G Yup...The Beatles, Bowie, Hendrix...hell....where would Elvis be without THAT manager? People have to be told what to do till they understand why. Fucking shame. Posted by John Clay on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 17:10 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR	It's a very interesting area that challenges the myths we all hold dear - that they key to all big creative successes is as much or even MORE to do with the business figures involved than the creative genius of the artist... And the more i see of the music business, the less i believe the creative genius myth and the more important the roles of the business men and women behind the scenes become... I mean does anyone seriously think Ozzy would be anything except dead now without Sharon as his business and personal manager?? Brian Epstein, Colonel Tom, Andrew Loog Oldham, Chas Chandler, Peter Grant, displayed the talent that was there and they couldn't of made something great out of something shit, but none of the acts they represented would be anything other than bit part players without their management... From what I'm seeing day in day out, you can be as talented as 4 mozarts, but you'll remain under a stone unless the businessmen and women are behind you, pushing and pulling and working you to be something in the eys of the world... Posted by PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 17:31 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	MollyCoddle	It helps if you've fingered Jo Whiley as well... Posted by MollyCoddle on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 17:58 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR	I might have known you'd lower the tone.... Posted by PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 18:01 [Remove] [Reply to this]

	MollyCoddle	Well yes, but you know I'm right... Posted by MollyCoddle on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 18:08 [Remove] [Reply to this]

PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR

You're always right... Posted by PAUL GIOVANNI 3RD : AKA : PIOUS THE UNPOPULAR on Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 18:14 [Remove] [Reply to this]