Forever talented?

Black Francis · 11-26-2014, 04:37 AM

I didn't know how to name this thread but i wanted to talk about aging musicians and in which points in their career they have peaked or declined.
I find that as musicians get older most of them loose that creative spark they once had when younger while others mature for the better as an artist but this happens very rarely.

In fact the only artist imo that got better with age was John lennon which sadly got shot so we'll never know if his talent would've declined or gotten better but apart from him atm i can't think of any other artist that has gotten better with age, can you?

Knowing where talent comes from is a mystery but you can trace where it peaks and declines and most times they decline after they get older and can't keep up creatively with their earlier work, do you guys think this inevitable?

To me it always seems that it is only young musicians that change the game.
It's hard to pinpoint at what age exactly most of them peak but i would say most were 40 or under

Black Francis · 11-26-2014, 04:38 AM

I won't claim all this are facts they're just my opinions but i wanted to make this a topic of discussion cause im intrigued in defining that creative spark most artist we love have.

They have a special something, don't they? but it doesn't last forever, they peak or decline with time and that's basically what this thread is about.

So, what is you guys opinion on this matter?

grindy · 11-26-2014, 04:50 AM

Interesting topic.
It seems to me, that many rock musicians actually do get less creative as they age, while a lot of "experimental"/classical/jazz musicians stay creative (some actually make their best work in their sixties) until an old age. Not sure whether there really is a correlation between genre and creativity though, it might be just me listening to more music from the second group.

Black Francis · 11-26-2014, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grindy

Interesting topic.
It seems to me, that many rock musicians actually do get less creative as they age, while a lot of "experimental"/classical/jazz musicians stay creative (some actually make their best work in their sixties) until an old age. Not sure whether there really is a correlation between genre and creativity though, it might be just me listening to more music from the second group.

this is why i wanted to discuss this subject, im not really familiar with jazz to notice that observation.

Just for my curiosity, can you name one?

grindy · 11-26-2014, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Black Francis

this is why i wanted to discuss this subject, im not really familiar with jazz to notice that observation.

Just for my curiosity, can you name one?

Just some guys who quickly come to mind:
Peter Brötzmann, a free jazz saxophone player, is now in his seventies. He has released some great music in the last decade and I've seen him live several times. He is not slowing down.
Phil Minton a very diverse singer and trumpet player, but mostly known for his free improv music, is 74 and he keeps exploring and playing great concerts.
Fred Frith is now in his sixties and he is as creative as ever, whether as a composer or as a performer.
John Zorn and the whole downtown scene are in their sixties as well and those guys are still a cornucopia of creativity.
Keiji Haino whose work is partly really free psychedelic rock and partly entirely uncategorizable is in his sixties now and some of his best work is from the last years.
I really enjoyed Scott Walkers recent collaboration with Sunn O and he is 71 now.
It goes on and on.

Trollheart · 11-26-2014, 05:31 AM

Tom Waits just gets better as he ages, as does BB King. I see some of the spark go out of Steve Earle's writing as he approaches that age; getting a little less angry and a little more mellow, while Springsteen still seems to have it but is fading a little. Kate Bush is eternally young, and Judas Priest certainly still have it almost forty years later, as do Hawkwind, who seem to perpetually stay the same age. Then there's Gabriel, who's definitely showing his age as is Neal Schon...

Zhanteimi · 11-26-2014, 06:20 AM

Sickboy's Unifying Theory of Life.

Black Francis · 11-26-2014, 06:44 AM

@Grindy

idk any of those of those musicians
it's good for me i opened this for discussion or else i would still be clueless musicians like that are around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Sickboy's Unifying Theory of Life.

Funny you mentioned that, i luv Trainspotting.

Zhanteimi · 11-26-2014, 06:45 AM

Who doesn't?

Kedvesem · 11-26-2014, 06:46 AM

That Sick Boy scene was the first thing to pop in my head, too.

But I prefer Frank Black to Black Francis, so that goes against the theory.

11-26-2014, 04:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
Black Francis Out of Place Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: in an abstract house Posts: 4,111	Forever talented? I didn't know how to name this thread but i wanted to talk about aging musicians and in which points in their career they have peaked or declined. I find that as musicians get older most of them loose that creative spark they once had when younger while others mature for the better as an artist but this happens very rarely. In fact the only artist imo that got better with age was John lennon which sadly got shot so we'll never know if his talent would've declined or gotten better but apart from him atm i can't think of any other artist that has gotten better with age, can you? Knowing where talent comes from is a mystery but you can trace where it peaks and declines and most times they decline after they get older and can't keep up creatively with their earlier work, do you guys think this inevitable? To me it always seems that it is only young musicians that change the game. It's hard to pinpoint at what age exactly most of them peak but i would say most were 40 or under __________________ "Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

11-26-2014, 04:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
Black Francis Out of Place Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: in an abstract house Posts: 4,111	I won't claim all this are facts they're just my opinions but i wanted to make this a topic of discussion cause im intrigued in defining that creative spark most artist we love have. They have a special something, don't they? but it doesn't last forever, they peak or decline with time and that's basically what this thread is about. So, what is you guys opinion on this matter? __________________ "Hey Kids you got to meet the MIGHTY PIXIES!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbRbCtIgW3A

11-26-2014, 04:50 AM	#3 (permalink)
grindy . Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: . Posts: 7,201	Interesting topic. It seems to me, that many rock musicians actually do get less creative as they age, while a lot of "experimental"/classical/jazz musicians stay creative (some actually make their best work in their sixties) until an old age. Not sure whether there really is a correlation between genre and creativity though, it might be just me listening to more music from the second group. __________________ *A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.*

11-26-2014, 05:31 AM	#6 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Tom Waits just gets better as he ages, as does BB King. I see some of the spark go out of Steve Earle's writing as he approaches that age; getting a little less angry and a little more mellow, while Springsteen still seems to have it but is fading a little. Kate Bush is eternally young, and Judas Priest certainly still have it almost forty years later, as do Hawkwind, who seem to perpetually stay the same age. Then there's Gabriel, who's definitely showing his age as is Neal Schon... __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

11-26-2014, 06:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,874	Sickboy's Unifying Theory of Life.

11-26-2014, 06:45 AM	#9 (permalink)
Zhanteimi Mord Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Tokyo Posts: 4,874	Who doesn't?

11-26-2014, 06:46 AM	#10 (permalink)
Kedvesem I like what I like Join Date: Oct 2014 Posts: 303	That Sick Boy scene was the first thing to pop in my head, too. But I prefer Frank Black to Black Francis, so that goes against the theory.