to View - Griffith College Dublin

culture |
culture entertainment |
|
“laughing at the bad special effects,
dodgy afros, mullets and tight shiny trousers
that gave such life to the musical
movement”
26
We blew it..
So I’m standing in the O2 on a Sunday night, and I’m one of the
small minority that may get IDed at the bar. Fleetwood Mac
are headlining and the crowd are probably old enough to feel a
tinge of nostalgia while watching Jurassic Park.
“Rockstars have kidnapped my son.” The infamous words of Elaine
Miller in Cameron Crowe’s ‘Almost Famous.’ And they had. Real rockstars,
complete with long unwashed hair, magnum moustaches and
loose patterned-shirts. Of course, as evident in this movie, we’re not
the first generation to be told the music we listen to is shite. Bang out
a hit on the dance floor, I’ll probably like it. My Dad probably won’t.
Will my future children
Lets look at the topicality of songs today. Heartbreak is a huge theme,
as is ‘being an emo shit-head.’ But some people, well, they just go a
little deeper. Take Pitbull’s hit, it goes a little something like; “I know
you want me, you know I want you (x10).” Very presumptuous. A few
decades ago, we would have gotten a more delicate; “You may be
interested in me, so I’ll write some beautiful lyrics to try to convince
you.”
Is this a bad thing Or will that song be lashed out in a space-age
nightclub come 2030, a lá Wham! and Journey What is it about a
certain band or solo artist that defies all generation-boundaries in the
first place Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Beatles knocked that
shit down like the Berlin Wall. Only the other day I overheard a neighbour’s
thirteen-year-old son singing along to Led Zeppelin’s ‘Trampled
Underfoot.’ Is it just an illusion that our generation doesn’t appreciate
or listen to bands that could be found in our parents record-players at
our ages And will they continue to be found on our children’s iPods
Looking to popular opinion, it seems a modern day Mick Jagger is
pretty much Pete Wentz or Joe Jonas. Fashion changes, music has to
keep up. I know plenty of youthful Fleetwood Mac fans, but will our
children feel the same way about Girls Aloud when they’re grannies
Let’s be honest, I’d only go to their gig to envy their outfits. How many
solid, resilient artists is our generation actually producing Will the
magic still be there when looks have faded and the puppeteers have
packed it in
Only time will tell, as it has done to this very second. I mean, I’m familiar
with, and a fan of, many bands dating back until around 1960 at
the absolute furthest. Before that Aside from the giants, Bing, Cash,
Elvis and the like, I have images of a caveman banging a stick on some
stone drums. Not the case, I know. But they had an expiration date
in pop-culture. So why could I name three guys just there that you’ll
probably be familiar with, but not the others. They must have done
something different.
Singers churned out by reality programmes such as the X Factor now
dominate the charts come Christmas time, or in the weeks following
a debut album release. Fair enough, they can sing, stimulate millions
of pounds profit in phone-voting and lets not lie to ourselves, can be
very entertaining in a ‘lets get a takeaway and put our minds aside’
kinda way. But can the legacy really last as well as whole-hearty rock
bands of our parent’s time. Heard Eoghan Quigg’s new song No,
neither have I.
Being a young seed in the O2’s
garden of ‘matured foliage’,
I began to wonder about the
longevity of the likes of Stevie
Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Stevie doesn’t have the most
versatile vocal range by any
stretch of the imagination, but it
works. If she were on the X Factor
I’d shiver to think of the brass
“you suck” (or some variation)
Mr. Cowell would dismiss her
with. It’s all about pitch-perfect
vocals, correct lighting, styling
and ‘the right song’. When Simon
slams a fellow judge for a bad
song choice, what’s the point
It’s glamaraoke. This talented
songwriter didn’t intend for you
to sing this in order to obtain
votes. John and Edward, best act,
hands down. At least they can
be featured for decades to come
on Channel 4’s ‘Top 100 Novelty
Singles’ along with likeminded
peers, Bob the Builder and Crazy
Frog.
It was all crystal clear when we
were treated to a hint of repulsion
in the voice of Clive Davis
and Whitney Houston upon
hearing that little Scottish Rikki
Looney was about to perform
Otis Redding’s ‘Respect.’ It was
a joke. Singer’s are exactly that;
singers. Artists get that one
step deeper, to write a melody,
personalise their lyrics, have
a helping hand in production.
Some of the best artists are the
ones who are not afraid to say
what’s on their mind or release
their inner demons. Possibly why
Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little
Pill” album was so successful.
Feeling shit and have no hope
Turn them into hits.
The loss of Michael Jackson was
met with genuine sorrow from all
ages and all corners of the world.
A true legend, his songs touched
the lives of millions and have no
evident expiry date. Watch his
videos in a row and it’s as entertaining
as a movie. How many of
you remember Aha’s ‘Take on me
video’, Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’,
or a personal favourite of mine,
Go West’s ‘We Close Our Eyes’
What about the Sugababes’ last
one I fear the flash and blatant
emphasis on glamour will fail to
make an impact on the children
of 2040.
Part of the fun of discovering
music of the past decades, is
watching old concerts or music
videos, and laughing at the bad
special effects, dodgy afros,
mullets and tight shiny trousers
that gave such life to the musical
movement of that particular
time. The Woodstock stoners,
Live Aid’s baggy shirts and manperms,
the immaculate suits
of mow town, the fedora hats
and adidas shell-toes of 1980’s
hip-hop. What will our identity
be It’s one of those questions.
Like you can’t ever imagine your
Mum thinking her patchwork
man-shirt and baggy leggings
with the foot-elastic was ever
fashionable. But she did. Just like
how we think everything we are
wearing right now can never possibly
be considered ‘ugly’.
Although, one thing that stands
out for me the most when it
comes to, lets be politically correct
here, ‘old bands’, is the lack
of spectaculars on stage. This, by
no means, manages to take away
from the allure of the band, yet
is something most pop bands
require these days. Your concertgoing
experience is not complete
until a studly-looking man comes
falling from the sky in a harness
while serenading those below
him.
Fleetwood Mac didn’t even try.
No flashy stage, no flashy outfits.
I think Nicks changed her witchy
enigmatic-robe once, from the
colour black to a sangria. The
lads wore flat-caps, almost begging
for reference to their age.
Mick Fleetwood wouldn’t look
out of place if you replaced his
drum kit with a sensible orthopaedic
chair and shoved a pipe in
his mouth. Lindsey Buckingham
hit a guitar in ways only matched
these days by the likes of Matt
Belamy of Muse. I was exhausted
just looking at him. It was clear
for even the freshest of eyes that
this man has talent and a passion
for music; his music. No lighting
in the world could portray that.
Which leads me to a teen
favourite, ‘male vocal groups.’
The Begees were considered a
boy-band of their time, and now
have a place in the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. Can the Jonas
Brothers match this fate Take
That, Westlife, or even, East 17
I caught them at NUI Maynooth’s
Christmas Ball a couple of years
back. I adore the fact that they
considered a reunion to be both
necessary and relevant. The
crowd hovered around the bar
until ‘Stay Another Day.’ Ask
anyone, and they had ‘won’ or
‘found’ their tickets. Highlights
included the release of foam
snowflakes during ‘Stay Another
Day’ and subsequently catching
said snowflakes in empty beer
glasses. “I’m not nearly drunk
enough to find this good yet!”
exclaimed one reveller.
OK they had an enjoyable song,
but my kids are not going to
want to see them live. Springsteen,
Madonna and The Eagles,
amongst many others, all
recently toured again to great
critical acclaim. The Spice Girls,
well, at least they toured.
So what CD’s will my children be
stealing from me in the future
Hopefully still the likes of Fleetwood
Mac, The Who, Elton John,
Jacko, the Beatles, and I’ll stretch
to Radiohead. From our generation
though Well definitely not
U2, I wouldn’t dare leave one of
their CD’s lying around.
As for my lovely Saturday night
pop-songs, well why not. Morrissey
said, “hang the DJ because
the music that he constantly
plays, says nothing to me about
my life.” Or you could just, you
know, dance.
By Nicola Byrne