| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Carl |
Posted - 06/09/2006 : 17:30:58
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_3910965#
Article Launched: 06/08/2006 01:00:00 AM MDT
music
Where bands look for
inspiration
By Ricardo Baca
Denver Post Pop Music Critic
Musicians give props to those who pave the way.
When Charles Thompson and Joey Santiago were
looking to form a band in 1986, they placed an ad
in a Boston newspaper for a bassist who liked
"Husker Du and Peter, Paul & Mary."
Kim Deal responded, and The Pixies were born. A
year later they released "Come on Pilgrim," which
was both a legendary debut and an obvious
homage to their heroes, the Velvet Underground
and the Stooges.
Two decades later, The Pixies are one of the most
revered groups in rock, having influenced everyone
from Nirvana to Radiohead. Kurt Cobain famously
said his breakthrough song, "Smells Like Teen
Spirit," was "basically trying to rip off The Pixies."
Inspiration is an essential starting point for anyone
who straps on a guitar and starts a band. And it's
a high compliment when an artist cites another
musician as an inspiration, even if it has been
downgraded into a rock journalism cliche over the
past 30 years.
"It's one of the greatest compliments you could
possibly get," said
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
guitarist Nick
Zinner, who counts
Blixa Bargeld, The
Pixies and Sonic
Youth among his
main influences. "I
owe my life to the
people who
inspired me. And
any hope of me being able to reciprocate that
sentiment is a pretty incredible thing."
It's simple for a band to namedrop The Pixies or
Nirvana as an influence - but there's a reason it's
so easy. They were two of the most influential
bands of the '80s and '90s, not only through their
music but also the way they lived their lives as
musicians. But while compliments are great, hero
worship isn't necessary.
"It's always a thrill, especially when somebody
really famous drops your name," Pixies frontman
Frank Black (a.k.a. Charles Thompson) told The
Denver Post in 2004. "But you have to get real. It's
not that big a deal to be a celebrated rock
musician. It's a great gig, don't get me wrong, but
out of respect for other people in the universe, you
can't take it all too seriously."
The Shins started as a covers band with singer
James Mercer belting out his favorite hits from My
Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr. and, yes, The Pixies.
But what's especially telling is when a band
respects its peers.
"Deerhoof has been doing their own thing for a
decade," said Honus Honus, the singer and synth
player for innovative indie-rock troupe Man Man,
which plays the Walnut Room on Saturday. "And
they manage to stay their own course and still
stay out there and not really become a cookie-
cutter band, because they're not that at all. That's
a truly inspirational band."
Bands doing their own thing inspiring other bands
to do their own thing can only be a good trend,
and Dinosaur Jr. certainly started its own wave of
creativity with its work in the late '80s.
"People have always told me they loved Dinosaur,
even after I was kicked out of the band," Dinosaur
Jr. bassist Lou Barlow said recently. "It feels good,
in that I was influenced by bands, too, so I know
what it means to be influenced by something or
someone. It's not something you take lightly."
Inspiration comes in a lot of forms. Sometimes, for
example, inspiration crosses over into imitation.
Talking about his heartbreaking acoustic ballad "No
Rainbows," Deadboy & the Elephantmen frontman
Dax Riggs said it "was me trying to write a Nick
Lowe song or a Lucinda Williams song."
Sometimes inspiration comes from working with
another artist.
Referring to her work with über-producer Jazze
Pha, hip-hop queen Ciara said the creative
relationship inspires her. "He's just an outstanding
producer," Ciara said.
Sometimes it's simple and quick.
"When somebody tells you that," Aerosmith
guitarist Joe Perry said, "it's the ultimate
compliment."
Sometimes it's not completely a good thing.
Revealing his inner struggle over The Pixies of old
versus The Pixies of reunited new, Arcade Fire
frontman Win Butler said, "I was torn. I love their
songs, so it was so great to hear them live, even if
it wasn't the most exciting thing to watch. But
they wrote the book, so it was great."
And sometimes it's just weird.
"I used to look up to Paula Abdul and Debbie
Gibson, and I wanted to be them," said Pussycat
Doll Jessica Sutta. "There are tons of teenagers (at
our shows), but there are little girls, too, who love
us - 4 and up. It's so amazing, because when little
girls can look up to you, you know you're doing
something right."
Another band name-dropped in situations like this
(almost as much as The Pixies) is the seminal post-
punk band Gang of Four. The band's singer, Jon
King, said one of the highest compliments he's ever
received came recently on the band's reunion tour.
A DJ was compiling some of today's most
interesting indie-rock bands, and on top of Franz
Ferdinand and Bloc Party was a 25-year-old Gang
of Four track.
"As musicians, you want to be noticed and have
people look at you and see what you do," King
said. "And if you can create a new type of music,
which thrills and inspires people, that's great and
truly special."
Man Man
INDIE ROCK|The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St.; 9
p.m. Saturday with Mannequin Makeout|$8|
thewalnutroom.com, larimerlounge.com,
bigmarkstickets.com
Honus Honus, the singer and synth player for innovative indie-rock
troupe Man Man (which plays the Walnut Room on Saturday night),
looks up to Deerhoof. They manage to stay their own course and still
stay out there and not really become a cookie- cutter band, because
they re not that at all. That s a truly inspirational band.
(Denver Post / Jeff Neumann) |
| 2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| danjersey |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 20:23:19
gorillas cry too. i'm inspired to be here. start a band make a racket. |
| lonely persuader |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 03:15:47
I like when they say a movie is inspired by a true story. That's kind of silly. "Hey, Mitch, did you hear that story about that lady who drove her car into the lake with her kids and they all drowned?" "Yeah, I did, and you know what - that inspires me to write a movie about a gorilla!"
-
Mitch Hedberg |
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