Pushing the creative envelope is becoming more difficult as reunion and album-in-full tours grow in popularity. Let’s dive into the debate – and don’t forget Lucky Dragons play Dundee July 1st.
With experimental group LUCKY DRAGONS playing Dundee in two weeks time and the fuss surrounding LOW’s recent one song festival performance, let’s throw ourselves headfirst into the whole art vs. the hits debate. If only to wind up those on either side who should reserve their wrath for those who deserve it. Y’know bankers, politicians, postmen who bend my copy of Well Red magazine.
Internet rage is a just a teeny weeny bit sad when financial institutions are fucking everyone over, technology is destroying more middle class jobs than it creates and wages in real terms are falling. But hey, let’s talk about music. Everybody wants somewhere, somewhere…
LOW the band have brought the debate back into the spotlight with their recent 27-minute-long, one-song set at a U.S. outdoor gig.
This at a time when live music has never been healthier or more profitable. Perhaps live music is becoming too safe what with older bands playing their reunion and album-in-full tours.
Your standpoint on the debate is potentially influenced by how much you value artistic integrity over your own interpretation of value for money for the experience.
Whichever side of the coin you see facing up, I’m not going to tell you whether that’s right or wrong.
I dislike ladrock or whatever Chas ‘n’ Dave nonsense passes for chart guitar pop these days – but – that said, there’s something about working class bands who have managed to make a living writing hits while being sneered at by middle class know it alls that annoys the hell out of me. It’s so much easier to be judgemental if you’ve never had to struggle for things. Of course not everything is black and white.
It’s not as if art is exclusive to creative minds who happen to have more than others.
When it comes to music though it’s easy to get preachy if “End Hits” by Fugazi is your mantra, itself an example of uncompromising art created against a tidal wave of gross musician exploitation and disposable chart music.
It’s comes as no surprise (ha!) that it’s from a place big enough to sustain an underground counter culture in ways that the domestic UK scene cannot. Especially since recorded music sales collapsed.
However, if you’ve never seen music as an economic escape route but only as an act of self-expression, that’s going to shape your outlook. That’s all I’m saying.
I came across this interesting quote which I’ll share with you.
“Copying a musician’s music ruins economic dignity. The problem with it is vulnerability. It is one thing to sing for your supper occasionally, but to do so for every meal forces you into a peasant’s dilemma.” – Jaron Lanier, author of the book Who Owns The Future?
If touring alone was enough to sustain creative minds economically the issue wouldn’t matter so much. The reality is best highlighted by experimental punks NOMEANSNO.
Quote from NOMEANSNO June 2013 interview with TheQuietUs.com
“after this tour, I haven’t made enough money to live come the fall, so I’m gonna have to make some money some other way until we tour again. Which is the first time in a long time.”
While we can joke about Metallica, U2 and other millionaire groups regularly on TV not losing much from free downloads, for those pushing the creative envelope the economic difficulties still exist.
Throwing ideas onto the page like this is not a recipe for clarity I know. Sparking a debate about live performances and people’s expectations is a healthy thing. Have downloads and streaming created a generation less interested in albums? I doubt it. But it’s late o’clock and every fucking piece online now moans about other people moaning and their sense of entitlement. That whole thing bores me.
Maybe none of this matters as long as you obey one simple principle: don’t be a dick.
EXPERIMENTAL ARTISTS LUCKY DRAGONS PLAY DUNDEE DCA JULY 1ST, 7.30PM
LOW HAVE HITS IF YOU WISH TO FIND THEM ON SPOTIFY
NOMEANSNO HAVE BEEN TOURING AND ARE ALSO ON SPOTIFY
