Topic: Music

[EvB]

One of the last times I ever saw my dad was the weekend that Johnny Cash died and we played him constantly around a bon fire.  I, for one, definitely have an emotional tie. 

It's the same sort of thing that's kept me loyal to Ford no matter how "uncool" (though respect for him is rising again among people who know and love popular music.)

My Mother was a die-hard fan. I have her entire TEF collection on vinyl - and keep telling myself that one of these days I'm going to convert it to MP3.

[Usagi]

Okay, before this thread even has the chance to veer uncontrollably away from the topic of classic country, I just have to post my favorite country song of all time...

[The General]

I'm lovin this...  here's my 2 cents.

[Fly By Night]

Okay, before this thread even has the chance to veer uncontrollably away from the topic of classic country, I just have to post my favorite country song of all time...

The possum, no show Jones...let's just say it's a three way tie with Johnny, Waylon and Jones for the kings  of country

[Fly By Night]

HIM too

[Usagi]

Let's not forget the ladies.

[EvB]

[EvB]

OOPS!!!!

My bad, that was Reese Witherspoon.  Hey, she and Phoenix did a great job in that film.

This is Johnny Cash and June Carter (the real ones) 

[JustOneFix]

I like Johnny Cash as much as the next guy, but I really couldn't ever figure out his Cult Icon Status.  He's good, but he's just not that good.  He had a couple good songs, and a 'cool' voice, but seriously almost everybody on Sun records was better than him.  Seriously probably the most over rated country singer ever.  If we were to go by talent, Jerry Lee Lewis should have 10 times the cult icon status that Cash has.

Valid point. Same with Ramones, Nirvana, AC/DC (which absofuckinlutely fuckin sucks fucking ass), Iron Maiden, and Nine Inch Nails,etc etc. I have never understood what the big deal is with those bands. They all don't play shitty music, but none of it is really hard on worthy. Mass marketing! Just like that Von Dutch fad a few years back. He was one hell of a pinstriper, but he was an arrogant Nazi prick. The god damn sheep aka teeny boppers were wearing that Von Dutch brand like a Congressional Medal of honor.


A side story(ies) of classic country artists-

George Jones used to live here in my hometown and a friend of mine bought a '36 Ford off him, he still has all the paperwork documenting this.

I had the honor of doing a restoration on Conway Twitty's 1955 Ford Crown Victoria. I didn't meet him, but the car was well documented, if there's any Conway Twitty fans out there I can send you an A & W salt packet I found under the carpet.

Old Country beats the hell out of new country anyday of the week.

[EvB]

Old Country beats the hell out of new country anyday of the week.

AMEN to That!

[JustOneFix]

From the most excellent movie...........

[Fly By Night]

[Usagi]

My favorite Johnny Cash song.

[Usagi]

But, I for one, am definitely not one to say one type of music is better over another.  It's all a progression from one thing to the next and back again.  If anything is on a continuum, it's music.



Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys - In the Pines

[onan]

I like Johnny Cash as much as the next guy, but I really couldn't ever figure out his Cult Icon Status.  He's good, but he's just not that good.  He had a couple good songs, and a 'cool' voice, but seriously almost everybody on Sun records was better than him.  Seriously probably the most over rated country singer ever.  If we were to go by talent, Jerry Lee Lewis should have 10 times the cult icon status that Cash has.

Maybe it's just because I live in Seattle, and guys who are clamoring for vindication of their emasculated existence here seem to embrace Cash as some kind of messiah.  Flannel shirt over a CASH t-shirt, ironic mustache, and $5 coffee in hand.  I don't buy it.

I still do have a big soft spot in my heart for the guy though.  They played Cash's "Hurt" at my good friend Ron's funeral last year and it just put a damn knife through my heart.  Still can't listen to it without tearing up.

Cash was probably the first iconoclast in CW music. Lewis on the other hand was a loose cannon, talented but scary and not in a good way.
 
 

[Silent]

Valid point. Same with Ramones, Nirvana, AC/DC (which absofuckinlutely fuckin sucks fucking ass), Iron Maiden, and Nine Inch Nails,etc etc. I have never understood what the big deal is with those bands. They all don't play shitty music, but none of it is really hard on worthy. Mass marketing!

[Silent]

I agree with the whole Johnny Cash thing.  CW has never been my thing so I can't really criticize him or where he stands in the genre but I never noticed such a widespread love for him, outside the core CW audiance,  untill he died.  Suddenly it became cool to like him after that.  I bet when Willie Nelson dies I'll see the same thing.  All of a sudden people will be talking about him being a legend and icon but right now he's that guy who sings 'On the Road Again' to most people.

Kurt Cobain falls into this group also I think.  I was a little young when he died, 13 or 14 maybe?, but I never noticed much love for him or Nirvana outside grunge's core audiance untill his suicide.  Since then they've become a rock legend and a watershed moment in its history.  I think if Cobain were still alive he'd now be a has-been and footnote.

I get the same impression from people like Hendrix, Presley, and Lennon.  Since I wasn't there at the time I'll admit I can never know from experience but they all seem to be built up to be bigger and better than they really were.  Something about untimely deaths can elevate people to a pedestal they didn't earn I think.

That doesn't always happen though.  The first example of an exeption to this I can think of is Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I don't think his death did much to bolster his popularity despite the mountains of talent he had compared to the above mentioned people.  Almost any American can identify a photo of Elvis or Lennon but outside his core audiance most wouldn't recoginze Vaughan.

I think any status approaching Legend in the eyes of the main stream public is based more on coolness than talent or contributions.  Some legends deserve the title but probably earned it for the wrong reasons.

Of course this is all my opinion on what qualifies as good music and talent, and is purely a matter of taste.

[The General]

Cash was probably the first iconoclast in CW music. Lewis on the other hand was a loose cannon, talented but scary and not in a good way.

Heh heh.
That what I like most about him!

[The General]

.........That doesn't always happen though.  The first example of an exeption to this I can think of is Stevie Ray Vaughan.  I don't think his death did much to bolster his popularity despite the mountains of talent he had compared to the above mentioned people.  Almost any American can identify a photo of Elvis or Lennon but outside his core audiance most wouldn't recoginze Vaughan.............

I have to disagree about Stevie Ray Vaughan on one aspect.  Guitar players!  As a guitar player myself who ran a blues jam here in Seattle for a while, and frequented many blues jams over the last many years, I can tell you that about half of the guitar players that came to jam idolized SRV to the point of making it laughable.  They'd show up with beat up strats, the big hat and everything, and just play note for note SRV stuff!  I always tell people, "Get your own identity!  You're a good player, you don't have to imitate somebody!"  It was ESPECIALLY bad in the years following his death.

[Usagi]

Heh heh.
That what I like most about him!

I'm liking you more and more all the time, General. 

[Silent]

I have to disagree about Stevie Ray Vaughan on one aspect.  Guitar players!  As a guitar player myself who ran a blues jam here in Seattle for a while, and frequented many blues jams over the last many years, I can tell you that about half of the guitar players that came to jam idolized SRV to the point of making it laughable.  They'd show up with beat up strats, the big hat and everything, and just play note for note SRV stuff!  I always tell people, "Get your own identity!  You're a good player, you don't have to imitate somebody!"  It was ESPECIALLY bad in the years following his death.

Oh yeah I can believe that.  From my experience musicians will have a much different view on what is good and what is not compared to your average listener.  The two more often than not don't intersect, I think because musicians often listen for different reasons.  SRV is held in very high esteem among the guitar players I know.

Do you still play in a band or anything these days or have any samples online to listen to?

Another player whose death didn't seem to help their popularity is Duane Allman.  I guess stuff like SRV and Allman just isn't something the mainstream can latch onto.  Neither is that far off from the style of Hendrix though.  Maybe it's a case of right place right time.  It's a topic I like to think about so I'm sorry if I get a little long winded or overly critical.

[Usagi]

Another player whose death didn't seem to help their popularity is Duane Allman.  I guess stuff like SRV and Allman just isn't something the mainstream can latch onto.  Neither is that far off from the style of Hendrix though.  Maybe it's a case of right place right time.  It's a topic I like to think about so I'm sorry if I get a little long winded or overly critical.

I hate when people make fun of the Allman Brothers, like you are instantly a redneck if you listen to them.  They had some awesome music.

[The General]

.....
Do you still play in a band or anything these days or have any samples online to listen to?
......

Yeah, I hate to plug it on coastgab tho.  I'll PM you.

[JustOneFix]

I hate when people make fun of the Allman Brothers, like you are instantly a redneck if you listen to them.  They had some awesome music.

Not a damn thing wrong with Allman Brothers, I have almost their complete catalog on my collection. I also like Molly Hatchet which is another one that gets you stereotyped. Even seen them a couple times in concert at various Bike Weeks in Daytona.

You go to Bike Week to catch free concerts, drink beer, and of course look at the women. They want you to look, that's for sure.

The General- what do you play?  I used to play bass in a small local band "Stigmata" back in my high school years, but now I don't do much of anything with it. No time!

[JustOneFix]

Kurt Cobain falls into this group also I think.  I was a little young when he died, 13 or 14 maybe?, but I never noticed much love for him or Nirvana outside grunge's core audiance untill his suicide.  Since then they've become a rock legend and a watershed moment in its history.  I think if Cobain were still alive he'd now be a has-been and footnote.

I was in High school when Cobain offed himself. Girls were crying in the hallways and Hot Topic must've made a mint on the "RIP Kurt Cobain" shirts as alot of people had them on.

This dude that sat next to me in History class asked me what I thought about Cobain dying. I told him "Well if he had got the lead singer role in Alice in Chains like he wanted then I'd say it's time to get someone else, but I really don't care either way as his music was pretty generic. After all he only started Nirvana out of spite."

I didn't wear a Cobain shirt, never had one. I think i had on a Slayer shirt that day.

[Silent]

I hate when people make fun of the Allman Brothers, like you are instantly a redneck if you listen to them.  They had some awesome music.

Haha I didn't realize they had a stigma to them.  They never caught my attention till a few years ago when I heard Statesboro Blues from Filmore East.  I'd never heard a slide guitar played like that and thought it was awesome.

On a related note I recommend anyone into the blues catch a BB King show before the old guy kicks off.  Not to be crude, but he is 85 now.  On a whim a few years ago I bought two tickets to see him.  It was in a smaller auditorium which I was excited about.  I don't like shows at huge stadiums anymore.  It started off with his band jamming for a while until finally old BB came hobling out, with an escort to help, and took a seat on a chair at the center stage.  He started talking about how he can barely see anymore.  He coulud hear the audiance but couldn't see them he said.  My heart started to sink thinking I just got ripped off for almost $200.  But from that point on it was pure awesomeness for the entire show.  Not only can he still jam and sing he's a hell of an entertainer through the stories he tells between songs.  Hands down the most enjoyable concert I've ever seen.

[Harmness]

I'll echo this.  I saw B.B. King a few years ago, mostly because I thought I'd like to be able to say I'd seen him, I honestly wasn't expecting too much, but the old man hobbled onto stage, sat down in a chair and played his ass off, told stories, flirted with the girls, the guy puts on a great show.

[Usagi]

No offense to B.B King (who you have tempted me to go see), and my apologies for steering into a new realm, but I have been on the most massive non-stop Gary Numan kick of all time today.  *swoon*

[Pirate King Atomsk]

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[Pirate King Atomsk]