Come Clean About Your Arty Pieces Of Sh*t

SATCHMO · 08-12-2012, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holerbot6000

Your Residents avatar reminds me that the only time I might have been guilty of this is when bands you dearly love start putting out records you don't like very much. You want to give them the benefit of the doubt and you want to like that new stuff, but it just doesn't ring your bell, but you can feel like you're betraying your band if you ultimately turn your back.

I dearly dearly loved the Residents early stuff but after the Mole show, when two of the original four guys left, it just wasn't the same. I think God in Three Persons was the record where I finally had to say, this wasn't the band I fell in love with, and I was still buying these albums out of sheer loyalty. It can be hard to let go, but at least we'll always have 'Walter Westinghouse'...

You know, I have to be completely honest with you. I've been a member of this forum for something like 7 years. When I first joined I was pretty compelled to find an avatar that was a great representation of my personality and also looked pretty cool. The Residents' logo with the eyeball, top hat, and a tuxedo conveyed a sense of mysterious eccentricity with a touch of sophistication which I thought was perfect for me, (for the first five years my logo was just the torso), but when I first chose it I had know idea who The Residents were. Well, no, that's not entirely true. I knew that they were an obscure band form the bay area of San Francisco whose song Making Plans for Nigel Primus had covered about 20 years ago on a short EP called Miscellaneous Debris. I know I've heard Primus' version of that song, but since it's been roughly 20 years since I listened to the album I have no idea how the song goes.

As you can probably imagine, being an active music forum member with an avatar of The Residents' logo eventually will spawn attempts at conversation with me regarding the band, and it has, which also created a dilemna: Do I lie and tell people how into the band I am when I'm actually not? Do I give the deflective smile and nod when someone asks about me with a casual eyeball reference? Do I create complex and controversial arguments about the bands music based on research culled from the rest of the internet, or do you make it a point to get to know The Resident's material as quickly and as thoroughly as possible, so as to more accurately and honestly represent the music behind the band behind my avatar?

To tell the truth, I've done all except for the latter. Why? I just didn't really feel like getting into them and you know lying and being an all around fakety-fake is really what the internet is all about, and I would tell you that I wrestled a water buffalo naked--which, incidentally, is true in the figurative sense-- if it meant you being my e-friend.

As a matter of fact, at some point I made it my intention to never listen to The Residents' music ever. On top of that, with the exception of perusing Google image for a new variation of the top hat avatar occasionally, I've managed to remain as ignorant of the band as I possibly could with quite a huge degree of success. I think I can easily say that I am the biggest fan of never hearing The Residents' music that has ever existed.

If that's not the epitome of the ...Arty Piece of **** flushed down a wormhole, then I don't know what is.

Holerbot6000 · 08-12-2012, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

Well, no, that's not entirely true. I knew that they were an obscure band form the bay area of San Francisco whose song Making Plans for Nigel Primus had covered about 20 years ago on a short EP called Miscellaneous Debris.

Actually, that song was 'Sinister Exaggerator' from the 'Duck Stab' LP. 'Making Plans for Nigel' is an XTC song and couldn't be more different.

I love your post. Yet another variation on the proposed theme. Still, if you like the Residents iconography, you might like their music, because those elements of artifice and artifact are very deliberately intertwined; especially evident when you see some of their early videos, like 'Third Reich/Land of a Thousand Dances'.

Unknown Soldier · 08-12-2012, 05:48 AM

Tubular Bells, I find it tedious and always did, I like some aspects of it. But when I was building my cd collection up years ago always felt that I should have it.

The Wall I've yet the sit through a complete listen without nodding off which I always seems to do by side three. Everybody that sees my album collection always remarks when they see my Pink Floyd section and says "Ah you've got the Wall"

I'm sure I have more but those two come to mind.

**Janszoon** · 08-12-2012, 06:37 AM

Everything I listen to that isn't classic rock is music I listen to just to look cool. Or so I've been lead to believe.

mr dave · 08-12-2012, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

As a matter of fact, at some point I made it my intention to never listen to The Residents' music ever. On top of that, with the exception of perusing Google image for a new variation of the top hat avatar occasionally, I've managed to remain as ignorant of the band as I possibly could with quite a huge degree of success. I think I can easily say that I am the biggest fan of never hearing The Residents' music that has ever existed.

If that's not the epitome of the ...Arty Piece of **** flushed down a wormhole, then I don't know what is.

Interesting haha. I've checked out The Residents at various points in the past, never found a full album I liked from start to finish but there are always at least 1-2 tracks that really stand out.

Either way, the biggest piece of artsy sh1t in my collection has to be this one

Autechre - Confield

I picked it up back in the early 2000s when IDM was still new and snare rushes sounded fresh. I'd heard some Autechre prior to this, mainly remixes, and enjoyed it, reviews pegged this one as their most complex and challenging release at the time. Being a pretentious douche I took those comments as points of pride, only someone with an ear as refined as mine could handle that challenging complexity...

Yeah, no, it just sucks.

Lisnaholic · 08-12-2012, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holerbot6000

Your Residents avatar reminds me that the only time I might have been guilty of this is when bands you dearly love start putting out records you don't like very much. You want to give them the benefit of the doubt and you want to like that new stuff, but it just doesn't ring your bell, but you can feel like you're betraying your band if you ultimately turn your back.

^ Yes, Holerbot, that`s exactly why I`ve wasted money on Dylan, Beefheart and Bowie low-point albums. Also Tangerine Dream, although in their case the problem with the new album was that it sounded too much like the last one.

As I became a more canny purchaser, I adopted a policy of borrow, listen and tape the best bits; that was how I avoided both of these pitfalls :-

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

Tubular Bells, I find it tedious and always did, I like some aspects of it. But when I was building my cd collection up years ago always felt that I should have it.

The Wall I've yet the sit through a complete listen without nodding off which I always seems to do by side three. Everybody that sees my album collection always remarks when they see my Pink Floyd section and says "Ah you've got the Wall"

But when I was younger, I bought a few albums unheard, on the basis of their reputation, which turned out to be too artsy for me : Bitches Brew and one by Ornette Colman come to mind. At that time I was guilty of hoping that my aesthetic tastes would be higher than they actually turned out to be. But I`m innocent on the charge of hanging on to material to impress people ; after all, who`s going to be impressed when you say, "Hey, look at this album I don`t like like - it cost me $20 "

**Janszoon** · 08-12-2012, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

Autechre - Confield

I picked it up back in the early 2000s when IDM was still new and snare rushes sounded fresh. I'd heard some Autechre prior to this, mainly remixes, and enjoyed it, reviews pegged this one as their most complex and challenging release at the time. Being a pretentious douche I took those comments as points of pride, only someone with an ear as refined as mine could handle that challenging complexity...

Yeah, no, it just sucks.

You crazy man. That album is great.

Holerbot6000 · 08-12-2012, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

^ Yes, Holerbot, that`s exactly why I`ve wasted money on Dylan, Beefheart and Bowie low-point albums. Also Tangerine Dream, although in their case the problem with the new album was that it sounded too much like the last one.

Oh man, when Bowie came out with 'Let's Dance', that had to be THE heart breaker for me. 80's Bowie was just a nightmare of betrayal.

Unknown Soldier · 08-12-2012, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holerbot6000

Oh man, when Bowie came out with 'Let's Dance', that had to be THE heart breaker for me. 80's Bowie was just a nightmare of betrayal.

But Bowie had constantly evolved throughout the 70s with different styles and had already done soul and dance on Young Americans. His Lets Dance period wasn't really unexpected.

Lisnaholic · 08-12-2012, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

But Bowie had constantly evolved throughout the 70s with different styles and had already done soul and dance on Young Americans. His Lets Dance period wasn't really unexpected.

^ True.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holerbot6000

80's Bowie was just a nightmare of betrayal.

Marc Bolan also embarrassed a lot of his earlier fans; I remember a couple of my friends becoming very apologetic/defensive about having "My people were fair..." in their record collections.

08-12-2012, 06:37 AM	#44 (permalink)
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