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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2006 : 17:30:58
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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) |
Edited by - Carl on 06/09/2006 17:37:13 |
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lonely persuader
= Cult of Ray =
Ireland
488 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 03:15:47
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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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danjersey
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
2792 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2006 : 20:23:19
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gorillas cry too. i'm inspired to be here. start a band make a racket. |
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