Going it alone
- Thread starter sus
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I mean miles used to snort gak out of an airplane hostess's hand, god knows what sort of rumpy pumpy they got up to. top lad.
I mean tonally Bowie is the definition of turgid. I'm not even talking aesthetically. no experiments in quartertones, very basic major and minor substandard cord progressions.
sus
Moderator
I never liked coke; it's my best quality
Leo
Well-known member
flashing his semi-colon game.
sus
Moderator
Please—em-dashes are a head above semi's.
IdleRich
IdleRich
You should know.
hey no need for the snark all I'm saying is Bowie is not more or less turgid than any hip electronica today. why are his fans afraid to admit that? That's what interests me. It's like some musique concrete right, someone could say it's boring, you have to wait 15 minutes for something to happen, ignoring that that is part of the experience in the age of 'now-now-now'
Leo
Well-known member
cuz they don't think that. bowie fans think he's an innovator.
IdleRich
IdleRich
You're right, from now on gonna keep things civil like you do all the time.
I actually meant turgid as swollen and stiff rather than pompous although you're right it can mean that too. Certainly Bowie IS (or can be) pompous, I wouldn't argue on that.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
John Eden and I made that exact point 10 pages back (not that I blame you for not reading the entire thread, I usually don't myself)
and it's the crucial point of the original topic, not chemistry or band energy or whatever
the OP talks about checked vs unchecked expression - only a relative equal can apply a check
I also think line between band energy and ersatz band energy is much blurrier than you make it to be in that post
Led Zeppelin - the ultimate rock band qua rock band - was two session guys "consciously selecting" a frontman (and drummer)
going the other way, the history of disco and post-disco is largely one of partnerships of relative creative equals directing session players to produce ersatz band energy. I would argue the "band energy" of Chic (a "real" band - initially inspired by Roxy Music) is basically indistinguishable from other Edwards/Rodgers projects.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
boxed joy also brought Prince earlier
basically no one can what Prince did - write, produce, play every instrument at a high level, sing/front AND do the kind of image creation/management Bowie excelled at. everyone else has to contract some of that out to trusted collaborators and/or hired hands. and even Prince had to hire out for some things. a large part of pop stardom is personnel management and administration, which Bowie also seems to have excelled at, to credit where it's due.
basically no one can what Prince did - write, produce, play every instrument at a high level, sing/front AND do the kind of image creation/management Bowie excelled at. everyone else has to contract some of that out to trusted collaborators and/or hired hands. and even Prince had to hire out for some things. a large part of pop stardom is personnel management and administration, which Bowie also seems to have excelled at, to credit where it's due.
padraig (u.s.)
a monkey that will go ape
see, this is exactly what I can't countenance in re Bowie's actual music
when someone says he has really good hooks or melodies or whatever, I don't agree, but that's just down to taste so it's whatever
but this - he was the opposite of an innovator. his entire career was finding innovative things and making them palatable for a broad pop audience.
not that there's anything wrong with being a popularizer. just with getting undeserved credit for innovation.
what's the famous Jagger line? "Make sure you don't wear a new pair of shoes around David" (or he'll steal them) or whatever