• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Stage Persona

X

xxfaux_punkxx

Mar 18, 2010
1,054
18
Indiana
#1
I've been thinking and as music is part of being a musician I do feel that it's almost as important to create a stage persona in order to make one a successful musician.

Think the sex pistols
Lady Gaga
Marlyn Manson
Slipknot
Here come the mummies
Munkey (koRn)
and so on.


So do you guys have a stage persona or do you try to keep it strictly about the music.

If you do have a persona what is it like? Attire, performance, attitude on stage, etc.
 
#3
I couldn't disagree more. The artists you metioned are using gimmicks to try to attract attention. The attitude seems to be "maybe if I dress weird or run arround, people will pay attention". True greatness comes in the ability to play and move people. Look at John Entwistle. The guy had absolutely no personality on stage and is conisdered one of the greatest bass players ever. There are many examples of musicians who really do not have a stage persona. John Deacon moved very little but for the most part was not very animated on stage and was very quiet. Eric Clapton walks around a little bit but not much else. George Harrison hardly ever moved.

The audience can tell if what you are doing comes naturally or if you are trying to force it. They are much more sophisticated than in the past and can see through gimmicks. Be yourself and work on your playing skills.
 
#8
Rockmusician said:
Look at John Entwistle. The guy had absolutely no personality on stage and is conisdered one of the greatest bass players ever.
Click to expand...

On the other hand, how exiting would the Who have been to see live if the other members all behaved like John on stage? :)

Myself, I'm a bit in between: it all depends on what you're trying to do. Do you only want to get your art out there, or will you first and foremost want to entertain the crowd?

To make sure it doesn't feel (too) fake or contrieved, it is important to see what is appropriate for the genre, and how you can add a new original twist to that, while also being yourself on stage. If it doesn't come naturally to you, this is not easy...
 
#9
Playing great music and having an interesting stage persona are not mutually exclusive. Of course there are acts that cover weak musicianship with stage gimmicks, and there are acts that concentrate purely on just playing music without any stage presence at all and still pull it off. They're just different models, and neither is "right" or "wrong."

Live music is a visual experience as well as an auditory one. The audience does not normally sit there with their eyes closed. I do think a band should plan what kind of stage presence they want to project - no matter whether that presence is a sober, restrained one or a flashy, theatrical one. The key thing is to have the band all be on the same page.

I saw a cover band at a county fair a couple of weekends ago, a six-piece with drums, keys, bass, two guitars and a female singer. The bass player was stationed in the back, and you could tell he hated it. He kept trying to come forward and interact with the other musicians. The problem was that no one expected it or anticipated it or really responded to him. He wound up kind of meandering aimlessly around the stage and then returning to his station. It was kind of sad.
 
#10
marijn van gils said:
On the other hand, how exiting would the Who have been to see live if the other members all behaved like John on stage? :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! Everyone always brings up Entwhistle and nobody mentions the rest of the band. Some bands operate that way -- there are frontline guys who engage a lot and backline guys who stay put and play. Again, as long as the band is all on board that this is how the show will work, it's all good.
 
#12
diehard70 said:
It is (maybe) important to create a stage persona in order to make one a successful ENTERTAINER...but not a successful MUSICIAN. IMHO, of course.:D
Click to expand...

Good point. I should have worded that in my OP. There is a difference between being a musician and an entertainer.

Personally I think a good band should be both. This doesn't necessarily mean having a gimmick, but should have a somewhat decent stage performance.

My drummer and I got into a discussion about this. I want to create a stage persona, not so much to be entertaining, but to go with the music we create.
 
#13
Back in the 80's, some bands had the chops to back up looking like girl-y men ...and some just looked like transvestite prostitute wanna-be's (and were not convincing as musicians). No reason you can't be a convincing grrrl w/ monster-muso-chops, though:p

I just wish I had the legs for those 4" heels.
 
#14
its good to have personality... but it all depends on your band/theme etc...

you wouldnt wear a slipknot mask to a jazz gig... (maybe for shyts 'n giggles)

Maybe for fusion? :bassist: lol

as long as you are interacting with your music somehow other than windmilling and playing it i guess... enjoy your music and it will probably come naturally
 
#16
As a live performer, you must have a stage persona. The people listed above do it (lady gaga, madonna, elvis, marilyn manson). its easy to recognize this in the outlandish people like Marilyn Manson and Kiss etc. But even look at the more sublime performances of Roy Orbison or John Mayer. They definitely are crafting a stage persona. Every time they hit the stage they are slipping into character. It is one of the techniques to performance. Even the vioin virtuoso slips into character. Watch some chamber music performances and you'll see that they sway and grimmace and act out the music they are playing. All that helps to sell it to the audience.

Some people then become the character. Look what it did to Heath Ledger.

Finally, just like the music, all the stage personas need to fit together. It could be a good thing if the Bass Player was way more interesting then the lead singer, or it could ruin the show. Watch out for upstaging one another.
 
#17
Image consulting has been around since before MTV (back when it meant music television). Certainly a bands image made one take a second look or listen and sell a few more records, but it didn't take long to see past the smoke and mirrors once you delved into the music. Some bands just didn't fit the mold of a hair band, yet there they were with a can of aqua-net in one hand and a recording contract in the other.

Some did it well. Others not. It IS a business.
 
#18
Image is everything.

When I see a bunch of guys in nikes, jeans, and an untucked t-shirts from their last vacation spot; I think "Classic/Blues rock cover band".

When I see visibly angry guys in black with pointy guitars; I think "sh***y metal band". Then I leave the area.

Likewise, when I see masks and makeup, and overly elaborate stage props, etc.; I think the music is secondary to those people. Maybe they want attention and shock value more than they want to play music. Maybe they're compensating for sucking. Either way, I no longer take them seriously. At all. Neither does (almost) anyone else over the age of 15 who can see through that kind of pretentious posturing.

Just dress decently, focus on your music, and put on a great show.
 
#19
The visual aspect of a live performance is almost as important as the music for an original act. See the thread "Can't play here unless you draw 75 people or more". People go to shows to be entertained. Unless you are doing something up there that is captivating, the music will only go so far. It doesn't have to be pyrotechnics, or stage makeup, or a dragon costume (or it can be, if that's your deal), but you need to somehow engage the audience through your performance. You need to make it worth somebody's trip downtown to the club, parking, ticket price, and an overpriced mixed drink to hear your band live rather than just streaming audio from your website.

I heard a great piece of advice years ago: have a professional photographer take pictures during your bands performance. Pictures don't lie. If you have several dozen photos of a bunch of dudes just standing around staring at fretboards, that's exactly what you look like live.
 
#20
Hang on, did I misread the OP? I was sure the thread was about persona, not performance. Performance is what you do, and persona is about what you're pretending to be, isn't it? I just don't see why anyone would have to dress like a fruitcake or go over the fundamental questions of your character like you're a bloody actor in order to perform well.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back