Unpopular music opinions

[jamespowers]

Thank God no. They played a lot of Britney and dance pop, but what sucked worse was that electronic Beethoven instrumental disco thing

See? It could have been worse. There is nothing like cruising around a roller rink while people are spelling and nearly running into you making the letters with their bodies. *yucky*:kick:

 

[MissMittens]

HAHA!! You must be talking about YMCA

It's worse, because I can't/don't know how to skate

 

[LizzieMaine]

I agree and I also think a great many artists because of their mental issues are self medicating, as a great majority of addicts are. Comedians are a great example of this. It seems that most have had some horribleness in their lives and they use it to be funny, but also use drugs and alcohol to make themselves feel better. Can you imagine Belushi sober? Or for that matter any of the cast during the best years of SNL. Since they sobered up, that show just isn't the same.

Sorry for the off topic.

I think it's quite on-topic, actually -- because it ties right back into the whole discussion of "Bixing" -- the assumption that somehow a performer *is* his or her addictions, and without them they'd have somehow been lessened as performers. I don't know as I agree with that.

I can name any number of highly successful radio performers, for example, who never had a problem with booze or dope. *Most* radio entertainers, in fact, were clean -- some drank, certainly, but rarely did they drink to excess. Those who did tended to either give it up fairly soon, or they fell by the wayside and were forgotten. The pressures of broadcasting live, of coming up with fresh material on a regular all-consuming schedule, *required* sobriety. The performers who turned themselves over to the bottle or the needle didn't last -- because they *couldn't* last. I think that's true in most fields of show business -- but it doesn't seem so, because of the tendency to sensationalize and romanticise addictions.

 

[jamespowers]

HAHA!! You must be talking about YMCA

It's worse, because I can't/don't know how to skate

Yeah, YMCA was one of those. Saturday Night was another one though. Imagine how much harder it was to do Saturday. Then imagine some people coming dressed as their favorite Village Person---or maybe they dressed that way all the time. :eusa_doh::eeek:

 

[jamespowers]

I think it's quite on-topic, actually -- because it ties right back into the whole discussion of "Bixing" -- the assumption that somehow a performer *is* his or her addictions, and without them they'd have somehow been lessened as performers. I don't know as I agree with that.

I can name any number of highly successful radio performers, for example, who never had a problem with booze or dope. *Most* radio entertainers, in fact, were clean -- some drank, certainly, but rarely did they drink to excess. Those who did tended to either give it up fairly soon, or they fell by the wayside and were forgotten. The pressures of broadcasting live, of coming up with fresh material on a regular all-consuming schedule, *required* sobriety. The performers who turned themselves over to the bottle or the needle didn't last -- because they *couldn't* last. I think that's true in most fields of show business -- but it doesn't seem so, because of the tendency to sensationalize and romanticise addictions.

I think it is also perpetuated by modern artists in the sense that they have an excuse for being addicted to something or acting badly. "Its all part of my art man."
No, you are just a jackass acting badly.

 

[MissMittens]

Look at Clara Bow, for example. Gorgeous, talented....remembered most for her mental health issues now than her acting

 

[jamespowers]

Look at Clara Bow, for example. Gorgeous, talented....remembered most for her mental health issues now than her acting

Vivian Leigh was another one but it was covered up at the time. Her being bi-polar made her "difficult to work with." Add Tuberculosis and you have quite a mess.:eusa_doh:

 

[Widebrim]

You can dance to that?! I didn't see the guy in the fedora because I couldn't watch it all the way through. Talk about repetitive. The poor guy was probably trapped thinking it was a Dean Martin review. :eusa_doh:
You were probably grooving to YMCA too eh? lol lol lol
Ok, it might be better than the other genre you mentioned but the lesser of two evils is still evil.

I don't know about the "evil" stuff, but...yeah, I danced to a lot of it, but wouldn't to a lot of it now, especially the Village People. YMCA, In the Navy, Macho Man...(I was still pretty naive in those days.)

 

[Widebrim]

Look at Clara Bow, for example. Gorgeous, talented....remembered most for her mental health issues now than her acting

Not only did drugs blight Bela Lugosi's later years, many people remember him now primarily (1.) for being the actor who portryed Dracula and (2.) for being a drug addict. Much of his early, American movie career (not to mention his early stage work and European films), when he was pretty much on top, is overlooked.

 

[MissMittens]

Apparently, the Village People themselves weren't aware at the time what Jacques Morali and Cassablanca Records were writing for them. Allegedly, the entire band was unaware at the time of the connotations within the lyrics. At least that's what was said on VH1.

Personally, I can't believe that

 

[jamespowers]

I don't know about the "evil" stuff, but...yeah, I danced to a lot of it, but wouldn't to a lot of it now, especially the Village People. YMCA, In the Navy, Macho Man...(I was still pretty naive in those days.)

I could just see you busting a move to Macho Man. lol lol lol

 

[jamespowers]

Apparently, the Village People themselves weren't aware at the time what Jacques Morali and Cassablanca Records were writing for them. Allegedly, the entire band was unaware at the time of the connotations within the lyrics. At least that's what was said on VH1.

Personally, I can't believe that

They are kidding right? They had to know. I mean---In the Navy? Come on! Add their outfits and we definitely have that scene on them.lol
We all knew at the time.

 

[Widebrim]

I could just see you busting a move to Macho Man. lol lol lol

Please. That was a younger, more foolish Widebrim...

 

[jamespowers]

Please. That was a younger, more foolish Widebrim...

It wasn't that long ago you know. I bet you could still do it.
Ok, I was kidding. lol lol

 

[Widebrim]

It wasn't that long ago you know. I bet you could still do it.
Ok, I was kidding. lol lol

Thank you...

 

[Lady Day]

The problem is when we hear someone putting down some artists because they DIDN'T get any trouble. From Bernard Shaw (and supreme offense, he had so much sucess with his comedies!) to Ella Fitzgerald.

As I recall Ella had quite a stint with the bottle during the middle of her career.

I think the idea of a substance/mental issue is romanticized post life, sure, but I would also argue that those good performances, etc, came from most of these attempting to cover up said ailments. They preformed that much harder to make up the difference. A strange circle, that is.

LD

 

[martinsantos]

Never knew about this in Ella's life... Sad.

But her life was without great tragedies or something like that, I suppose. (never readed any biography)

It was around the 50s?

Martin

As I recall Ella had quite a stint with the bottle during the middle of her career.

I think the idea of a substance/mental issue is romanticized post life, sure, but I would also argue that those good performances, etc, came from most of these attempting to cover up said ailments. They preformed that much harder to make up the difference. A strange circle, that is.

LD

 

[Fletch]

"Bixing" a performer by exaggerating and overemphasising the tragedies of their personal life for the sake of magnifiying their accomplishments never does that performer a service.

Not to be your own personal Devil's Advocate (much as I relish the picture of mini-me sitting on your calico-clad shoulder, resplendent in horns, goatee and red satin cape, carrying a lawyer's briefcase and hissing see-here-now's in your ear ), but there is one service that, after some time has gone by, probably only "Bixing" can perform - the dumb-simple one of keeping that memory alive.

 

[Fletch]

The problem is when we hear someone putting down some artists because they DIDN'T get any trouble. From Bernard Shaw (and supreme offense, he had so much sucess with his comedies!) to Ella Fitzgerald.

I'm remembering some texts by Theodor Adorno. OK, he is recognized as a great philosopher, etc, etc, etc - but when he starts writing about music... His "great artist" must be someone that the society doesn't acept. Ansd do not acept his art. And all popular music is just junk to him.

Damn that Adorno and his stringent - maybe the word is astringent - modernism. Maybe he should've had fewer lessons with Schönberg and taken a few club date gigs instead (Sigurd Rascher did - didn't hurt him none).

The trouble with Adorno's idea of the Culture Industry is that it's too efficient of a closed system to exist in reality. It eats everything it touches and spits out perfect pablum. For the artist to be a truly separate and superior being, he has to suppose this.

Maybe he was just guilty of bad timing, writing in the great era of jazz's commingling and cross-fertilizing with pop music. A little earlier or later and he'd have been, well not right on the money, but somewhat closer to the state of things.

 

[HepKitty]

Surprised no one mentioned Richard Cheese yet. He takes modern songs and shows just how bad some of them are (or good) by arranging them and singing them like the Standards.

lol Richard Cheese is hilarious!