SHOOTING THE DUCKS....

Current mood: SELL IT TO THE PEOPLE
Category: SELL IT TO THE PEOPLE Music

I've been vexing with the BIG issues these last few days...

Specifically: Why do people insist on riding around in Volkswagen Golfs when they can ride Bentley convertibles???

YOU'RE TALKING BOLLOCKS AGAIN GIOVANNI!!!!!!???? I hear you shout. EVERYONE WOULD HAVE A BENTLEY IF THEY COULD AFFORD IT!!

NO I'M NOT!!!! I yell back. Musically speaking, most people love small reliable modern hatchbacks, ahead of proper classics of any age...


Here's the maths:


As we were in the park loading up to see George Clinton the other day, Robyn was telling me about the previous time he'd been to see Mr Clinton play...

Primal Scream were basically putting the thing on, and out of due and right deverence, they went on first and left George Clinton to headline.

Well, for Primal Scream, the place was packed out, but by the time George Clinton came on to headline, half the crowd had fucked off home?!?

Now, I'm not against Primal Scream, they're alright, in fact I'm off to see them tonight, but they're not in anything like the same league as Clinton.


I saw the same thing happen the first time I saw Lee 'Scratch' Perry in Kentish Town.

First on was this average and ordinary, though hard gigging and loyally followed band Zion Train.

The place was packed out. I was standing back thinking:

'FUCK ME!! How am I going to get anywhere close without getting the elbows out, because this is gonna double come Perry time?!?'

But in the interval, the place cleared, and by the time Lee bounced on, you could stroll to the front without impediment.


This kind of thing happens all the time...

Why do The Fall play to small audiences whilst The Arctic Monkeys sell out arena?!? It's obvious which band has got the staying power and the greater legacy.

Why does Grandmaster Flash play small gigs, whilst 50 Cent sells out???

Records and concert tickets are all more or less the same price - or at least the variation is often pretty small, and nowadays you can get recorded music for free without too very much effort...

What's more, to go and see a legend like Clinton or Lee Perry is easy: You generally get a more intimate venue, a much better show, and a memory to savour of having seen someone who'll go down as a TRUE LEGEND...


The only conclusion I've come to is that it comes down to a combination of marketing and the crowd mentality.

Yes boss, because there are more posters advertising the journeymen pretty boys and because they're on the radio and get the big displays in the shops, and because 'everyones talking about them', time and time again, people are persuaded to walk right past the Bentley, and to get into the VW Golf (NO DEPOSIT!!! 29% APR)....


It's black magic....