Today, I'm in the car hearing "I want your Sex" by George Michael on the radio. I recall how moritified the world was that there was so much T/A in the video, despite the fact the song and the video was some bizarre call for monogamy during the rise of the AIDS crisis.
It occurred to me that back then (1987), MTV was only 7 years old, hair metal was king, the Reagan/Bush era was still going strong, and people were still "shocked" by things they saw and heard.
Flash forward to 2004, now: Small wonder it's so hard to get noticed these days..."shocking" isn't in the vocabulary, Kylie, Lil Kim, Christine, and Britney are WAY more exaggerated than George Michael ever was, and we've experienced Nirvana, grunge, nu metal, the Macerena, a blue dress, and Eminem since then.
How wonderful and inspiring it is to know that MMJ, a real live honest to goodness rock band have risen above (or beside) all that background noise and have a website, a record label, and fans! I'm always amazed about this; but it just hit me all at once today...we've survived Creed, the Olsen Twins, American Idol, and Nickleback to get to this place.
Wow.
Quotewe've survived Creed, the Olsen Twins, American Idol, and Nickleback to get to this place.
Well put. But I believe "we" is unfortunately only a selct few when it comes right down to it. Most people in general are still lost out there...
Agreed. But, even the tasteless diehards out there who have overheard "Golden" being played for the 1000000th time here at work go "say, what's that?" To which I reply: "it's my smoking jacket!" (the code for MMJ here at work. No one can remember the whole name, just that there's a 'jacket' involved in there somewhere...)
I've sent some folks some mix CD's of live cuts of some of the more mellow tracks. (don't want to startle them immediately with "One big Holiday" or "Black Sabbath"....not yet, that is...) and I've gotten good responses. No one outright hates the music, a quality not shared with the likes of the aforementioned vomit merchants.
If you can't melt inside after hearing "Come Closer", you're either heartless, comatose, dead, or deaf. There, I said it!
Yeah everyone I have purchased the library (TF, AD, and ISM) for as gifts really dig the tunes and the burns I have distributed also get thumbs ups. Now if I can get thos folks to see them live they will either be cemented into the fan base or immolated where they stand by the fire and the fury of live MMJ
Everyone,I have turned on to the band likes them a lot.I even gave a CD to my mother and she likes them! Greatness like MMJ can only go unoticed for so long.
Ha ha, My Smoking Jacket. That's awesome. I was over at my friend's new house the other night, and she said "OH! Guess what! You'll be happy to hear that we went out and bought the new record of that band you like so much... You know, My Morning Sickness." heh.
I'm with you, JC. I'm forever surprised that good things (music, art, people) can surface out of the guck that is popular culture. And then, when something does come up, and it's so beautiful, I feel like we'll be all right.
BUT, as much as I want the band to be so successful, there's part of me that hopes they won't be too successful... Successful being defined (and possibly spelled wrong) as say mega platinum records, huge stadium play, their own roadies (well, maybe they should get those) and swarms of fans. The kind of fans that would like them for their hair over and beyond whatever they might be playing.
First of all, I truly think that might suck for them personally. Their privacy would be destroyed, they'd have to deal with PR people (maybe they already do, but they'd have to deal with them more) and suddenly, a whole new breed of leech would be after them.
As it stands, I really like the venues that they play, and the fact that they're able to put out the kind of music that they want to (sometimes when a band gets too big, there're too many people to deal with, and putting out a fun little EP because you played a magical show and you want to share that with everyone becomes a major hassle), and you know, if you see them on the street they're not swarmed with bodyguards, thereby completely destroying your chances of thanking them for making such wonderful music.
UNLESS, they infiltrate slowly, and by doing so, by example, change the way that the general population regards art and artistry, and are still able to do all of the fun things they want to do, and the public will leave them alone and they can still play small venues (or big ones, too), and Jim can still shake his hair at people without fear of someone trying to grab hold of it to sell it on ebay.
What I really hope for is that they're set up enough so that they can do what they want without having to worry about money or record labels, and they can still do their thing the way they want to do it. And that they get to sleep. And that they come to Toronto again very soon. (After they've slept.)
:DHow can you NOT remember the name My Morning Jacket? It's timeless and just rolls off the tongue so nicely!
I can't wait till I get to see them in person! Ya'll better stand back or keep me from that stage! Depending on what and how much I've consumed... they might not be safe! ha ha ha... just kiddin'! :D
John, I totally agree what you're saying, but I do wanna point out that there is nothing wrong with some tits and ass every once in a while, is there? Or am I really being the macho asshole here? ;)
well, i think my point is that T/A have overtaken musical quality, and have since the mid 90's when the "machine" responded to artists like Liz Phair, Alanis, and Kim Deal with Britney, Christina, et al.
No, there's nothing wrong with it, but style over substance isn't my bag.
Yeah, you're right, absolutely. Well, what about this, then, tits and style....
(http://quimby.gnus.org/4ad-pics/Pixies.SurferRosa.lp.jpg)
Err, anyway, I'm ruining your good theory with childish blah, I'm sorry. :)
Still, you know, I like it when the both get together. Have real quality music, but also look at the style, look at the image. Just like a band like R.E.M. did, for instance, look at the music but also at the image. Dress cool, make good videos. MMJ does that too, even though they say they don't. I mean, you need something to look at as well. Five ugly sweaty guys playing music while looking really bored, that's no fun to watch.
In my year of obsessing over MMJ, there is one thing I have learned: My Morning Jacket, unfortunately, is not for everybody. While this use to burn me up inside and perplex the ever-living feces out of me, I have come to accept that MMJ has its own distinct sound, which will not transform all of its listeners in the same way. As Stuart Smalley said, "and that's O.K.". My only hope is that anyone with remotely good musical taste, will learn to appreciate the beauty and power behind the band. In which case, I think 99% of those that possess this extremely rare quality will agree that MMJ is going to be around for a long time, and their music will be around long after that.
OK I have a few things to say
First: if you looking for T&A go buy a Playboy.
Second: I don't think rockers need to look pretty to play some slammin' tunes. The more companies polish up a band or group the worse thier music seems to get. Video really did kill the radio star. I don't listen to rockers to get style tips or political preaching. I listen to music to hear and feel the emotion.
Third: Why is that we as a collective America allow major media lables to tell us how to everything. What ever happened to thinking on your own with your own brain... Oh wait maybe that is too hard. God forbid we use an ounce of effort to do anything.
Alright.. I think that's all. If not I'll just have to post again!
Ah, Grasshopper...that was the point I was trying to make. I think...
Say, is that your band on your website?
Actually it is my fiance' s band
QuoteEveryone,I have turned on to the band likes them a lot.I even gave a CD to my mother and she likes them! Greatness like MMJ can only go unoticed for so long.
Even mothers have good taste. Whaddyaknow? ;)
O, I agree, but today in the car "Losing My Religion" came on and reminded me about what a change in fashion R.E.M. made. I was thinking, specifically, of the Shiny Happy People video, with Michael wearing that, ah, hat. And then I think of him now, with his black toques, and... ah, I can't remember my point, but I think that R.E.M. got an image person involved somewhere in there maybe.
And then Monster came out which everybody hated, but I loved.
But image is interesting, and I think it has a lot to do with stage presence, too... For example, there is this great local band, and the music is amazing. They play western swing. Anyhow, their lead singer has ZERO presence on stage. I mean zero. But his voice is incredible. But I can't stand to watch them. I have to close my eyes. And I feel guilty about it, but he just kind of stands there and sings.
Whereas, say, with MMJ, I loved them before, but when I finally got to see them, with all of their head shaking and rocking out and Jim James' enthusiasm (well, everyone's enthusiasm), that's when I became a really, really, really, really, really big fan.
QuoteAnd then Monster came out which everybody hated, but I loved
YES! I never understood why this record was so hated. It's surely better than the pop music tripe out these days...
Funny story bout that band; stage presence is important. Didn't Jim Morrison supposedly start singing with his back to the crowd during shows?
Monster was a horrible album. However, still being a fan of the band becasue of their early great work....Fables, Life's Rich Pageant, Murmur, Reckoning....I went to the Monster tour show at the Gorge Ampitheater in eastern Washington. One of the worst shows ever...I think the played the entire album and Stipe was a freak and had pages of all of the lyrics and sang with them in hand. It was a joke....
D.
aye carumba! i knew that would provoke a response...
sure, Monster ain't as good as the earlier work...but I just don't see why it is so hated. it is entertaining, esp. if you skip the radio singles.
Clearly, it is not a good as the others, but I think because Stipe didn't even know the bleeping lyrics to the songs, that made it go down one more notch. Buck plays the guitar, Berry plays the drums, Mills plays the bass and your job is singing the lyrics. Lazy ass....
D.
Stipe's famous for not knowing the words to his own songs. On every concert, there's a laptop in the corner of the stage with the words and often he sings entire verses just reading them from the laptop. Yep, it's stupid, but hey, he sings so much weird lyrics, I can imagine it being hard to remember them... ;D
And about Monster: it's a rock record, it's meant to be a rock record and rock records are always a little less interesting than crafty, layered, mysterious pop records. Well, maybe that's a bit of a huge statement to make, but here's how I see it: they had just made their magnum opus, Automatic for the people, wich is like the improved, enhanced version of their previous masterpiece Fables of the reconstruction of the fables, or something like that, they were huge, speaking in terms of succes and critical praise, and yet in their private lives they were totally messed up, people dying all around, Buck divorced and depressed... So what to do? Just go on following the same path they had been following for 10 years, after they just did that in a way they could never do again (Automatic), or just change dramatically and experiment with some rock 'n roll? Sure, the album has its flaws. I especially think they should have dumped the last 2 tracks and maybe something in the middle as well, but I do think it was a brave thing to do. And the experiments with their image, Stipe's crush with eyeliner, I always appreciate when a band tries something like that, even when they fail. Oh, and John, my favourite tracks of that album are 'Let me in' and 'Strange currencies', the latter being a radio hit single... ;D
Anyways... ;)
O, my indie cred shrinks by the hour. I play Monster in regular rotation...it may be the only REM record that has that distinction. Now, Mrs. C has just about all of the REM one could wish for in her regular rotation, so perhaps she's cooler than I.
(I already knew that, actually)
Ballsy to have that in regular rotation but I respect the fact that you are willing to admit it. Let's see....I have Tesla's greatest hits in my regular rotation. That may be close in comparison....and yeah "O"....he did have the black eyeliner on which sent it another notch down. I do appreciate a change in style but dudes wearing eyeliner doesn't do for me.
D.
aw hell, you should see some of the embarrassing crap I've got in regular rotation...see the "canadian metal" thread from a few weeks back, for example. :-/
I am right there with you....I was giving you one that I could get away with because there are certainly others that would be ridiculed. I can promise you that. But, by the same token, I grew listening to some of these artists and hate to say it, I still like them and will for the rest of my life.
D.
Quoteaw hell, you should see some of the embarrassing crap I've got in regular rotation...see the "canadian metal" thread from a few weeks back, for example. :-/
jc--I meant to ask before, you remember Y & T? I always loved the tune "Summertime Girls"
Quote
jc--I meant to ask before, you remember Y & T? I always loved the tune "Summertime Girls"
Coney Hatch's "Monkey Bars" is the finest example of Canadian metal, ever...with Y&T right behind. God, am I gonna have weird dreams tonight!
Mwuhahaha!
Wasn't Aldo Nova from Canada....wouldn't call it metal but somewhat of a metal twinge.
D.
Aldo Nova rocked my world in the early 80s...so did Fastway, Rush, the aforementioned Coney Hatch (who is played in near constant rotation on the Conaway Geek-O-Player :))...Saga, Loverboy (that "Standin' in the Strike Zone" is awesome when baked), Helix, Honeymoon Suite, etc. etc.
You can't call all of it "metal" per se, but you can say it was cheesy. I had a fucking blast listening to this shit, not knowing squat about REM, or X, or the Jayhawks, or anyone else making cool music at the time. Livin' in the sticks pre internet days was hell, you were at the mercy of all your stoner friends and the record stores within a short drive's distance from you to discover music.
I get shit all of the time about this, but I didn't know any better at the time. Can't know what champagne tastes like if you've only known Stoney's...
Oh man, I remember Saga they had this one song I used to love it was their big hit, right at the tip of my tongue :P help me jc.......
hnmmmm..."the flyer"?
Naw but thanks to that page you dropped me I was sble to jog my memory:
"ON THE LOOSE"! I love that song :D