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It seems we have a difference in how we view the nature of bands and rock music.
I must admit, back when I was in high school I believed that a band should be a family. I felt that if one of the members of Motley Crue quit they shouldn't call it "Motley Crue" anymore. I thought that any band I played in should be like a gang. I remember my feelings of betrayal when Mike Patton didn't dedicate himself 100% to Faith No More, and stayed in Mr. Bungle as well.
Well, now I think Patton was right all along. He's got the right idea, playing in what?--four different bands? ...each pursuing a different type of musical feeling, no less. This is what we need more of--individuals coming together to push the bounds of what music can be. Stagnation will only kill creativity. I, for one, applaud Twiggy Ramirez joining up with A Perfect Circle. We need more inbreeding in rock. I'd like to see it go one step further, and see Manson do a duet with Britney Spears.
...oh, the humanity!!!
It all boils down to assumptions eating out the soul of rock n roll. That a band should survive with members intact (which hardly ever lasts in reality) is just the first assumption I'd like to see destroyed. How many bands can we name that has all its original members? Radiohead comes to mind (one of my personal favorites), as does U2. Rolling Stones? nope. Beatles? they changed drummers before hitting the big-time.
Then you have cases like the Melvins--King Buzzo and Dale have changed up their bass player every couple of years. I think in their case it keeps them fresh and interesting. Or Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, which changed entire line-ups frequently.
If it doesn't work in practice, why do people get so upset when a band breaks up? It seems inevitable, really.
Other assumptions I don't like in Rock:
1) the egocentric-songwriter. Before the Beatles every rock album had 10 or 15% covers (songs written and recorded by someone else previously). Sure, the Beatles deserved to do away with this on their albums--they wrote fantastic-fucking-songs. I don't think others are as justified on this issue...Limp Bizkit doesn't write very good songs. I'd like to see most bands include two or three covers on every album. It's fun to hear reinterpretations!!!
2) Radio/internet singles. The Beatles never included their singles (released as 45's) on their full length albums. Strawberry Fields Forever was not on Sgt. Pepper...Day Tripper wasn't on Rubber Soul or Revolver...the fast Revolution wasn't on the White Album. Now I realize that 45's are now a defunct medium...but now we have the internet. Too often an album comes out that has one or two songs ready for the video treatment and radio airplay, while the rest of the album sucks. I think albums need to be an artform unto itself. Examples of good album bands: Pink Floyd, Beatles, Radiohead. Can we really say the same with, say, Soundgarden? Or Stone Temple Pilots? Or Guns 'n Roses (post-Izzy)? Increasingly it seems that the album format should be saved for those groups that have something that big to say, while others should trim the fat and put out e.p.-length disks. The internet will change the way we buy music anyway (once the record companies stop with their death-spasms), reducing the need to ship incredible quantites of round pieces of plastic stored in square pieces of plastic across the country. 40 minutes of music? Unnecessary for most bands.
Now we could argue that the music industry has changed, and such things aren't profitable these days...but I think that's just side-stepping my arguement. Neophobes have taken over the music industry, and the mavericks aren't celebrated like they were in the past.
So I applaud your decision to kill the band, as it wasn't satisfying your creativity. I also urge you to consider producing more Zwan or Smashing Pumpkins material if you ever feel the urge...and in the mean-time continue to produce creative material no matter what you label it with--whether a bandname, or solo, or non-music. Whatever.
As a P.S. my co-workers at the tattoo shop are always surprised when I say "When my current band breaks up I want to do (this) next." Of course the band I'm in will dissolve eventually...but I'll enjoy each ride as long as it lasts. |
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