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Post by Reactionary Rage on Sept 29, 2020 9:24:56 GMT
This reminds me of a story from the internet's early days, guitarist from a UK postpunk band wound up as Asst. Mgr Sam Ash/Guitar Center in Alabama (where his wife was from). He went in looking his Bowie best all coiffed and slicked back, thinking he was bringing civilization to the underprivileged. "Hey Memaw, let me help you with that guitar, would you like me to plug it in and tune it for you?" "Oh sure... you sure are purty" He blushes, yes he has graced these dingleberries with both beauty and culture. Well, meemaw rips into some serious chicken picking, and pawpaw comes duckwalking round the corner with the store's best violin, and their granddaughter commences to belting it out high and clear. Day after day he would witness some stunning musical display. In some cases they would be up and coming blues, country, bluegrass artists or former members of Marshall Tucker, Skynyrd, Grinderswitch, stopping by, etc., all low key. He was humbled to the point he lost his refined "Bowie" airs and just came in to work in a simple shirt and pants, never assumed his customers were beginners or dumb or nobodies. It made him question his music with its dependence on synths and electricity, when he was constantly moved by displays of simple deep musicality just matter of factly. Yeah, those damn uncultured nonBowie fans, or maybe it was Bowie who was providing his own fans to the culture they needed. What the fuck is that horseshit about? Gav is quoting a story he read on the interwebz back in 1997
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 9:42:41 GMT
This reminds me of a story from the internet's early days, guitarist from a UK postpunk band wound up as Asst. Mgr Sam Ash/Guitar Center in Alabama (where his wife was from). He went in looking his Bowie best all coiffed and slicked back, thinking he was bringing civilization to the underprivileged. "Hey Memaw, let me help you with that guitar, would you like me to plug it in and tune it for you?" "Oh sure... you sure are purty" He blushes, yes he has graced these dingleberries with both beauty and culture. Well, meemaw rips into some serious chicken picking, and pawpaw comes duckwalking round the corner with the store's best violin, and their granddaughter commences to belting it out high and clear. Day after day he would witness some stunning musical display. In some cases they would be up and coming blues, country, bluegrass artists or former members of Marshall Tucker, Skynyrd, Grinderswitch, stopping by, etc., all low key. He was humbled to the point he lost his refined "Bowie" airs and just came in to work in a simple shirt and pants, never assumed his customers were beginners or dumb or nobodies. It made him question his music with its dependence on synths and electricity, when he was constantly moved by displays of simple deep musicality just matter of factly. Yeah, those damn uncultured nonBowie fans, or maybe it was Bowie who was providing his own fans to the culture they needed. What the fuck is that horseshit about? To be fair it was one of the more entertaining episodes of The Waltons.
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Post by tory on Sept 29, 2020 9:43:51 GMT
Well, it's authenticity versus theatre isn't it.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Sept 29, 2020 9:52:41 GMT
We appear to be experiencing an outbreak of Wilsonitis.
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Post by Mr. FOLLARD on Sept 29, 2020 10:08:25 GMT
Someone post a picture of someone SHREDDING quick!
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Sept 29, 2020 10:11:13 GMT
Someone mention Hendrix!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 10:17:09 GMT
Why does wearing face paint and hairspray make you less authentic? It's all just creativity isn't it?
Some people really feel their geetars I guess.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 12:08:45 GMT
To be serious for a second (not that I was totally unserious with my glib answer), I think Bowie has a unique place in the pantheon because he came along at a perfect time, and played very much to the notion of the 'other.' If you felt yourself to be in an alien world (as in Sloop's Barone example), it's understandable that he would be your world/and artist that seems to understand you. I think, similarly to the Beatles, he's such a benchmark that it's hard for him to be rated just right, because those who love him think of him as part of the family, or a best friend or something. Those that don't like him see him as something they have to knock down a peg, simply because they're tired of hearing how wonderful he is when it has no relevance in their lives. I think certain albums by him are overrated - I've always thought of Scary Monsters as the beginning of the end rather than the end of the beginning, and find a lot of wishful thinking in the love of his 90s stuff, but for January 1970 through December 1979? He holds a unique place, and I'm not comfortable telling people who want to live in that world that they're seeing or hearing something that's not really there. I'm not part of that cult, but I get why someone would want to be. This is fair and I think you're right about SM, although its peaks are very high.
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Post by cousinlou on Sept 29, 2020 12:23:22 GMT
To be serious for a second (not that I was totally unserious with my glib answer), I think Bowie has a unique place in the pantheon because he came along at a perfect time, and played very much to the notion of the 'other.' If you felt yourself to be in an alien world (as in Sloop's Barone example), it's understandable that he would be your world/and artist that seems to understand you. I think, similarly to the Beatles, he's such a benchmark that it's hard for him to be rated just right, because those who love him think of him as part of the family, or a best friend or something. Those that don't like him see him as something they have to knock down a peg, simply because they're tired of hearing how wonderful he is when it has no relevance in their lives. I think certain albums by him are overrated - I've always thought of Scary Monsters as the beginning of the end rather than the end of the beginning, and find a lot of wishful thinking in the love of his 90s stuff, but for January 1970 through December 1979? He holds a unique place, and I'm not comfortable telling people who want to live in that world that they're seeing or hearing something that's not really there. I'm not part of that cult, but I get why someone would want to be. This is fair and I think you're right about SM, although its peaks are very high. Yes, somehow I had missed Hatz's post. Well said although I would insist on SM being the end rather than the start.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Sept 29, 2020 12:46:37 GMT
It's about transformation and escape though. The alien world can be the suburban sterility of 70s Britain or some inner city American hellhole but with Bowie it's that desire to escape and transform oneself, to self actualise ultimately that drove him and its a significant part of his appeal to his fans. We are the invention of ourselves but not everybody wants to do those things. Some are happy where they are and with who they are so an artist like Bowie is gonna have less appeal and might feel gimmicky. The authenticity thing is a cultural factor here - and, yes, Bowie is very English, very European - but we are all actors and we all play different parts and if you recognise that Bowie's "actor" schtick is therefore an extension of this, an exploration, and therefore the actors are Bowie to some degree you can understand Bowie a whole lot more.
Thinking about Bowie now he seems like an extension of 60s individualism up to the point where he has the freedom to become other people. This was the me decade after all. In this way Bowie feels modern and relevant, prescient even. I suspect this aspect is partly why he has crossed over in ways that other major artists of that period perhaps haven't.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 12:47:48 GMT
It really peters out on the second side. In that sense there is the feeling of the well beginning to run dry.
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Post by ~ / % ? * on Sept 29, 2020 12:49:54 GMT
Bowie's US fans were primarily white working and middle class. White flight during the 50s and 60s pretty much ensured there were no whites in "American inner city hellholes".
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2020 12:52:30 GMT
It's about transformation and escape though. The alien world can be the suburban sterility of 70s Britain or some inner city American hellhole but with Bowie it's that desire to escape and transform oneself, to self actualise ultimately that drove him and its a significant part of his appeal to his fans. We are the invention of ourselves but not everybody wants to do those things. Some are happy where they are and with who they are so an artist like Bowie is gonna have less appeal and might feel gimmicky. The authenticity thing is a cultural factor here - and, yes, Bowie is very English, very European - but we are all actors and we all play different parts and if you recognise that Bowie's "actor" schtick is therefore an extension of this, an exploration, and therefore the actors are Bowie to some degree you can understand Bowie a whole lot more. Thinking about Bowie now he seems like an extension of 60s individualism up to the point where he has the freedom to become other people. This was the me decade after all. In this way Bowie feels modern and relevant, prescient even. I suspect this aspect is partly why he has crossed over in ways that other major artists of that period perhaps haven't. I would agree with all of this, but would add that with Bowie we talk about the cultural aspects so much that the fact he was a bloody great songwriter and singer can get overlooked.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Sept 29, 2020 13:06:44 GMT
Overrated as a songwriter, apparently.
You know my thoughts, G. No other artist post the Beatles has managed to combine weirdness and restless experimentation with such great songs and so many of them, you know? It's that sweet spot where commerce and Art collide and produce spectacular results. The milkman could whistle Starman and the weird boy at school who wore makeup had his life changed. It's easy to forget how weird Bowie was but he still managed to be hugely successful and make the audience come to him which is some achievement.
And, yes, a great vocalist too.
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Post by ~ / % ? * on Sept 29, 2020 13:07:22 GMT
Thanks, to Alomar, Ronson, Slick, Rodgers, Eno, etc.,
Cultural appropriation?
Nile Rodgers Tells the Story of David Bowie's "Let's Dance"
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