13.4.05

illusion, coma, pimp and a circumstance

Not. Actually that was just a cheap trick to grab your attention by the (urm) balls. Shockvertising they call it. That, is also the name of a song from the latest album (Musicology) by TAFKAP, or Symbol. Or simply good ole’ Prince. The title of the song made me wonder what kind of a story could weave together elements as diverse as illusion, coma, pimp and a circumstance. Maybe one where David Copperfield, the pre-David Blaine, Criss Angel, king of illusion meets with an accident while performing one of his death-defying tricks, falls into a coma, wakes up only to be tricked by a pimp while wandering in his total amnesia, and the pimp takes undue advantage of a circumstance such as this by making David sign off his vast fortune on a blank cheque in-lieu of a sleazy rendezvous with a Paris Hilton look-alike. Lame. I really gotta look up the lyrics of that song to check what the immensely talented androgynous icon of times-gone-by came up with.

Which brings me back to the post I have been carrying around tucked in my armpit for a while now. It was to be titled-


are there any more real cowboys?

In music I mean. Now maybe I’m just turning into an old whiny geezer who is so last century, so out of da groove, so part of the very establishment I imagined rallying up against when I was younger. That, or there really is a dearth of musicians who used to harbour the delightful notion that they could change the world with their music. And yep, they did end up nudging it a little (to borrow a phrase from the quote- "Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little." by someone called Tom Stoppard, a quote brought to my attention by my dear dear friend who resides here). Seems to me, that today we have these clowns, these salespeople for musicians, who are just intent on cracking a soda-water formula that they may, well, sell the most. If you don’t quite get what I'm saying, go listen to BBC sessions by Led Zeppelin. Or why go that far, you can even listen to ‘Use your Illusion’ by Gn'R released around 15 years ago. Or Rage Against The Machine. Now THOSE were musicians who lived it up. THOSE were sea-changers, madmen and revolutionaries. THOSE were real cowboys, real musicians, who lived for, and every once in a while, died for their sound.

On second thoughts, maybe it’s just me getting old after all.

2 comments:

Roger Stevens said...

My wife comes back in two days now, Looking forward to it. And yours?

Pink Floyd eh? Loved their first two albums. Music up to Dark Side is good but after that not so keen. I loved Syd Barret!

Check out Steve Earle - who also believes that music can change the world.

Russell CJ Duffy said...

getting old huh? you and me both then.time was, and i am talking early 60's through to early 90's when music wasn't a tradition. it was an explosion. an icendiary device that would rid the world of prejudice and bigotry and was fueled by the then young generations ideas of individuality. my music, for i am the perfect age of rock 'n roll being born in '54, was writen by the young for the young. it is still being played today which, although nice enough, is NOT the music of the young. and lets face it apart from groups like massive attack and radiohead who are producing (still) inovative and challenging stuff and a small handful of others, most of the other music is stale like an old fart.
like an old fart like me.
however, all that to one side have a listen to The Kaiser Chiefs as they are pretty good and of course The White Stripes.
Roger is right by the way, Syd was a diamond albeit a crazy one.