London and the UK – center of the music world
While living overseas, you have a different view of the UK music scene. You see only those acts who made it through and became worldwide stars. So when staying abroad, you think that almost every band in the UK is equally genius, like those acts you knew before. At least, you hope that their way of seeing things is similar to yours. Something you have been missing while living back home, where most of the bands were heavy metal or Pink Floyd wannabes.
Before you came here, you have perceived UK as the Mecca of best music in the whole world. Your music. Not so much money driven like in the US, no village country, no macho hard rock or ‘gangsta’ rap. You love many bands who come from there, they are your idols and shaped you and your own music.
You think perception here must be unique. Only in the UK, the best song ever written: Queen’s ‘Innuendo’ reached number 1 in charts. Same thing happened with another personal Top 10: U2’s ‘The Fly’. And so what ?!
Once you come here and start living for a certain time, you find out things are not the way you were expecting. You find out that overall majority of UK scene is not like those few acts you adore. Most of the music here is not like The Cure, Depeche Mode or Queen. Mentally those three artists are exceptions, overseas bands with British personnel. This is not something which exists on every corner in Camden or Islington.
Of course being a musician and having too many local competitors is also not good. But at least you hoped that fans will be shaped in that sensibility. Unfortunately, you see that majority is mentally ‘locally first’. They see the world in narrow way and above it all they suffer from lack of true expression.
Real British artists
British perception of music has nothing to with seriousness of ‘Enjoy The Silence’ or ‘One Hundred Years’. Is much closer to Oasis rough and muddy ‘Supersonic’, Blur’s shallow rhyming (rhyme for rhyme for better rhyme) ‘Girls and Boys’ or The Smiths over-intellectualism like in ‘This Charming Man’. Even New Order sticks to that formula very well. That is why they are better understood locally not globally. Those acts perfectly represent British ’emotionalism’.
Above it all flies the spirit of grandfather of ‘poseurism’. His name is David Bowie. No – ‘Blackstar’ does not touch me. This is not ‘Innuendo’. It sad to see ‘Lazarus’ (sounding like The Cure’s ‘The Drowning Man’) – old man dying, hiding in the closet. But despite understanding message, I do not feel affected by that. I imagine people who will read that shouting at me. ‘How dare you’, ‘your’ Dave Gahan covered ‘Heroes’, Robert Smith played at DB’s 50th Birthday, Queen recorded with him ‘Under Pressure’. He is an icon !
Yes he is: like a picture in fashion magazine with lifeless models on the catwalk. Because of its shallowness until the very end, 90% of Bowie’s music is for me indigestible. He followed trends or at least own intellect, instead gut feeling. Now I can understand why he is so respected in the UK. He represents all what the British music stands for.
Successful artist on the UK market tends to trivialize everything and everyone and lyrics are full of idioms and not dominated by vowels. Problems shown in The Smiths songs cannot be understood in Brazil or China. Instead of that it emphasizes a perspective of the person who can rely on Birth Certificate for their entire life (no need for passport to travel across the seas, because sand is the best in Bournemouth or Blackpool, who needs to go to Spain then ?).
Love is cheesy
I remember when I was singing in the studio my old, heartfelt tune called-‘French Song’. The guys working there were looking at me like I am standing naked. Do you really mean what you say ? Oh common. Be more eloquent, intellectual, not so obvious. It is not cool.
While living overseas, you have a different view of the UK music scene. You see only those acts who made it through and became worldwide stars. So when staying abroad, you think that almost every band in the UK is equally genius, like those acts you knew before. At least, you hope that their way of seeing things is similar to yours. Something you have been missing while living back home, where most of the bands were heavy metal or Pink Floyd wannabes.
Before you came here, you have perceived UK as the Mecca of best music in the whole world. Your music. Not so much money driven like in the US, no village country, no macho hard rock or ‘gangsta’ rap. You love many bands who come from there, they are your idols and shaped you and your own music.
You think perception here must be unique. Only in the UK, the best song ever written: Queen’s ‘Innuendo’ reached number 1 in charts. Same thing happened with another personal Top 10: U2’s ‘The Fly’. And so what ?!
Once you come here and start living for a certain time, you find out things are not the way you were expecting. You find out that overall majority of UK scene is not like those few acts you adore. Most of the music here is not like The Cure, Depeche Mode or Queen. Mentally those three artists are exceptions, overseas bands with British personnel. This is not something which exists on every corner in Camden or Islington.
Of course being a musician and having too many local competitors is also not good. But at least you hoped that fans will be shaped in that sensibility. Unfortunately, you see that majority is mentally ‘locally first’. They see the world in narrow way and above it all they suffer from lack of true expression.
Real British artists
British perception of music has nothing to with seriousness of ‘Enjoy The Silence’ or ‘One Hundred Years’. Is much closer to Oasis rough and muddy ‘Supersonic’, Blur’s shallow rhyming (rhyme for rhyme for better rhyme) ‘Girls and Boys’ or The Smiths over-intellectualism like in ‘This Charming Man’. Even New Order sticks to that formula very well. That is why they are better understood locally not globally. Those acts perfectly represent British ’emotionalism’.
Above it all flies the spirit of grandfather of ‘poseurism’. His name is David Bowie. No – ‘Blackstar’ does not touch me. This is not ‘Innuendo’. It sad to see ‘Lazarus’ (sounding like The Cure’s ‘The Drowning Man’) – old man dying, hiding in the closet. But despite understanding message, I do not feel affected by that. I imagine people who will read that shouting at me. ‘How dare you’, ‘your’ Dave Gahan covered ‘Heroes’, Robert Smith played at DB’s 50th Birthday, Queen recorded with him ‘Under Pressure’. He is an icon !
Yes he is: like a picture in fashion magazine with lifeless models on the catwalk. Because of its shallowness until the very end, 90% of Bowie’s music is for me indigestible. He followed trends or at least own intellect, instead gut feeling. Now I can understand why he is so respected in the UK. He represents all what the British music stands for.
Successful artist on the UK market tends to trivialize everything and everyone and lyrics are full of idioms and not dominated by vowels. Problems shown in The Smiths songs cannot be understood in Brazil or China. Instead of that it emphasizes a perspective of the person who can rely on Birth Certificate for their entire life (no need for passport to travel across the seas, because sand is the best in Bournemouth or Blackpool, who needs to go to Spain then ?).
Love is cheesy
I remember when I was singing in the studio my old, heartfelt tune called-‘French Song’. The guys working there were looking at me like I am standing naked. Do you really mean what you say ? Oh common. Be more eloquent, intellectual, not so obvious. It is not cool.
Openly expressing emotions (I am not talking about over-expressing),
honesty, telling the truth is not welcomed here. In art as well. I agree
on that with Dmochowski (book -‘Zmagania o Beksinskiego’ – ‘Struggles
For Beksinski’). He has observed similar trend in France. What a contrast between The Cure’s openness in ‘Lovesong’ and another
‘locally first’ band Franz Ferdinand with their shallow ‘Love
Illumination’.
Darkness ? – mate, hope this is not for real ?
You may find a dark mysticism in this land of fog (or rather humidity), with too many old buildings. That is so stereotypical like seeing typical Englishman as a gentleman looking like Sherlock Holmes.
Maybe the landscapes around can inspire you to write some more sinister material, but after finishing this you can hide it in your drawer. Oh no ! Wait ! Release your doom and gloom, but do not not perform it too seriously. If I can give example here. It should be much closer to ‘Dracula’ from Hammer horrors than to Werner Herzog’s ‘Nosferatu’. Something which relies on convention not romanticism. You have to control yourself. Stick to the rules, do not go mad or be too true.
All of this because of the lack of forests
Maybe this is caused by lack of forests, not much free wild areas. Almost everything green is someone’s private property. That means less of freedom and more control imposed on your behavior. You can watch it through the fence, but unless you will not buy it for yourself you cannot lose yourself there. How can you be tribal and primal, if you never gathered around the fire, hunted on animals (instead you buy overpriced meat in shops). You are not allowed even eat a fish you caught or pick up a mushroom ! Do not go to the forest, instead go to the pub with their greedy prices on beer and food.
Maybe this is because of ‘stiff upper lip’ ?
In some situations such approach is good, it makes you stronger (think Churchill and Blitz). But in life you may also experience moments of breakdowns happening one by one. In such extreme time is much better to bend a little than to stand still and then completely fall apart.
Also being too stiff can be ridiculed without any mercy, just like it is shown in Monty Python sketches.
At least Joy Division is respected
Surprisingly Joy Division is recognized here with their black and white,’salt and vinegar’ but honest music. But new local acts did not learn anything from Ian Curtis, Hook and the rest.
What we have now on the top ? White Lies, Editors, Interpol (US band but well-adopting here). All of them can be compared to boys-bands forced to play like Joy Division. They would not give their life or even little blood for their art. Do they believe in anything ? Do they reject everything like post-punk nihilists from late 70’s – early 80’s ? No, they balance safely to reach their paying and nostalgic target.
Conclusion
So my personal, almost 40-years old approach as an artist and music listener is: not to throw away my old idols and own songs. But when making new music I want to think differently. Follow the crowd and join the right party.
In many UK reviews my own music has been described as ‘heartfelt’. Initially, I enjoyed that euphorically. More recently, I have learn how to decode this. It is a nice gesture, but open heart = naive and will not sell you here.
Another word: ‘unique’ makes you feel even better. I worked for that since when I was teenager. Read it as: ‘stay away from the freaks’.
So at least for a while, I do not want to be freak and naive. Even if not in music, I am adapting such distanced approach to everything I do. Deep inside I can be true, but who needs truth nowadays ?
Darkness ? – mate, hope this is not for real ?
You may find a dark mysticism in this land of fog (or rather humidity), with too many old buildings. That is so stereotypical like seeing typical Englishman as a gentleman looking like Sherlock Holmes.
Maybe the landscapes around can inspire you to write some more sinister material, but after finishing this you can hide it in your drawer. Oh no ! Wait ! Release your doom and gloom, but do not not perform it too seriously. If I can give example here. It should be much closer to ‘Dracula’ from Hammer horrors than to Werner Herzog’s ‘Nosferatu’. Something which relies on convention not romanticism. You have to control yourself. Stick to the rules, do not go mad or be too true.
All of this because of the lack of forests
Maybe this is caused by lack of forests, not much free wild areas. Almost everything green is someone’s private property. That means less of freedom and more control imposed on your behavior. You can watch it through the fence, but unless you will not buy it for yourself you cannot lose yourself there. How can you be tribal and primal, if you never gathered around the fire, hunted on animals (instead you buy overpriced meat in shops). You are not allowed even eat a fish you caught or pick up a mushroom ! Do not go to the forest, instead go to the pub with their greedy prices on beer and food.
Maybe this is because of ‘stiff upper lip’ ?
In some situations such approach is good, it makes you stronger (think Churchill and Blitz). But in life you may also experience moments of breakdowns happening one by one. In such extreme time is much better to bend a little than to stand still and then completely fall apart.
Also being too stiff can be ridiculed without any mercy, just like it is shown in Monty Python sketches.
At least Joy Division is respected
Surprisingly Joy Division is recognized here with their black and white,’salt and vinegar’ but honest music. But new local acts did not learn anything from Ian Curtis, Hook and the rest.
What we have now on the top ? White Lies, Editors, Interpol (US band but well-adopting here). All of them can be compared to boys-bands forced to play like Joy Division. They would not give their life or even little blood for their art. Do they believe in anything ? Do they reject everything like post-punk nihilists from late 70’s – early 80’s ? No, they balance safely to reach their paying and nostalgic target.
Conclusion
So my personal, almost 40-years old approach as an artist and music listener is: not to throw away my old idols and own songs. But when making new music I want to think differently. Follow the crowd and join the right party.
In many UK reviews my own music has been described as ‘heartfelt’. Initially, I enjoyed that euphorically. More recently, I have learn how to decode this. It is a nice gesture, but open heart = naive and will not sell you here.
Another word: ‘unique’ makes you feel even better. I worked for that since when I was teenager. Read it as: ‘stay away from the freaks’.
So at least for a while, I do not want to be freak and naive. Even if not in music, I am adapting such distanced approach to everything I do. Deep inside I can be true, but who needs truth nowadays ?
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