Your Look On Stage

[Unwound]

I was in a book store once and there was this marble notebook-like book i spotted. it was about Curt, had a bunch of his writings etc. There were TONS of letters to record labels BEGGING them to listen to his stuff.

it's very easy NOT to be a star or "sellout". but chances are, if we're talking about them, they've begged, "sold out" (whatever the hell that means), made deals w/ the devil, hoped, dreamed, PLANNED and climbed on those under them to get where they are! . . . and there's nothing wrong w/ that!

thats a very good point, from a musical standpoint the dude was just desperate to get his music out, and for good reason. There wasn't myspace or twitter. fugazi were still in their infancy, and no label was really adventurous enough to sign something new, so yeah, i'd be pretty desperate too.

But from a visual standpoint? there were probably cleaner bands to sign just sorely on aesthetics at that time.

 

[Unwound]

I could be wrong but I am thinking the guys that are taking the purist position where they say stage image is not important are playng Madison Square My Bed Room.[/QUOTE]

well it does have nice acoustics..

 

[pklima]

as a matter of fact, no guy should ever perform with his shirt off. ghey.

Heh. In one of my former bands the singer would ask me to play shirtless pretty often.

 

[JimmyM]

Please take this the right way...here goes....Does the stance make what you are playing, seem heavier/meaner/bigger??
I know that R&R is 'theatre', and not to expect logical answers to my questions,

exactly! now you're getting it!

 

[JimmyM]

Heh. In one of my former bands the singer would ask me to play shirtless pretty often.

he wanted you

 

[DeluxeRed]

...Does the stance make what you are playing, seem heavier/meaner/bigger?? ...

In most cases of a performance, the stance becomes part of the visual punctuation of the song, as well as the jumps, lunges, spins, hops, or whatnot. It shows that you are reacting-to/respecting the impact of the musical passage. And personally, if I get into moving with the song, it helps my performance of the song by putting the emphasis on certain notes, and, for example, if we hit a break in a song, I stop moving, to again accent and emphasize the break itself. It is a show, and showing the impact (or lack of) of a passage only helps make it a better show.

About the only successful exception is, of course, Mr. Entwhistle. And his stoic behavior on stage was--again--specifically designed to contrast with the behavior of Mr.s Townsend and Moon.

There's nothing more boring (IMO) than a band that looks like it can't even hear, much less feel, their own music. If you look bored, I'm bored, too. If you're just standing there, why should I get up and move?

 

[bluewine]

Heh. In one of my former bands the singer would ask me to play shirtless pretty often.

Cool, at his house or at shows?

 

[jive1]

All this talk about stage looks reminds me of a time I was talking to a young guitar player. He was talking to me about how he can improve and stuff. I told him that he should get a chrome pickguard with his name engraved on it. He looked at me puzzled wondering how that is going to help his playing. I told him, you show up at a gig with a flashy guitar with your name on it and suck, you'll look like the biggest loser. If you have a guitar like that, you WILL practice so that you can live up to the "name". We had a nice laugh afterwards.

But on the serious side, your stage look does up the ante. Get all dressed up and suck, your best hope for fame will be in Rock N Roll confidential.

 

[Phalex]

I've got kind of a high profile last minute P.I.T.A gig this coming Sunday. I've got the weekend off so I can go on a bigass camping/canoeing adventure (25th annual it's going to be off the heezy).

I'll get back on Sunday around 2:00, after three days of mayhem and minimal sleep, unload all my camping stuff, take a shower and head down to the venue all tired and sunburned. Then, I get to open for a Who tribute band from LA. (more mayhem....)

I'm thinking of going with madras plaid shorts, sandals with black socks, and a plain white undershirt like my dad used to mow the lawn in back in the 70's.

 

[5StringBlues]

^ If ,of course,he doesnt choke on any corn Saturday night.

 

[pklima]

he wanted you

Cool, at his house or at shows?

Haha. This was a girl singer, married of course...

 

[JimmyM]

Haha. This was a girl singer, married of course...

of course it was, of course it was

 

[johnnyz]

I'm throwing "Madison Square My Bed Room" in the hat for our next album name.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Personally, I think guys on stage with no shoes on are far more ridiculous looking than guys without shirts on. Especially if it's an outside event. No one wants to see your freaking feet for Chrissakes.

 

[Atticus]

I'm throwing "Madison Square My Bed Room" in the hat for our next album name.

I'm taking Madison Square Garage for a band name.

 

[JimmyM]

Personally, I think guys on stage with no shoes on are far more ridiculous looking than guys without shirts on. Especially if it's an outside event. No one wants to see your freaking feet for Chrissakes.

agree about the feet, but that doesn't make going without a shirt onstage a good thing. when i see a guy onstage without a shirt, i think one of two things...gay, or extremely in love with himself. why not go pantsless, too?

 

[Nick B.]

Mickey Shirt.

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Edit: Not my amp

 

[GregC]

That's what dressing rooms (ok, restrooms) are for. I don't travel or do setups/teardowns in my performing threads.

Fair enough. But unless it's a formal event, I think I can look good for the occasion and still be comfortable enough to move the gear. And in the original-music world, unless you have roadies, you often have to do setups and teardowns right before and/or right after your set.

I'm sure the guys in Rush, as an example, cringe at their komonos and hair these days, too. Cringe all the way to the bank or their studios or their own record company office. Doesn't sound too bad to me!

See, I think this is one of those cases where managers, consultants or whomever pushed the musicians too far. Did Rush really have to wear kimonos to be that successful? I don't think so. Look at Geddy on stage now. And the tickets are probably 10 times more expensive now compared to when they wore kimonos. (That beats inflation by a good bit.)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Yes. The Eagles had a very distinct southwestern, not-quite-cowboy look that they milked for years. But remember (you young wippersnappers), that was back when even just long hair was a "look" and could get you jailed in many parts of the country. Phil wore a zoot-suit and tie in his big hit video, didn't he?

I have a picture that still sticks in my mind--a concert review in Rolling Stone of the Eagles from the Hotel California era. Glenn Frey and Don Felder are both wearing those old generic, shapeless sports jerseys. Maybe they had the southwestern look very early on, but I'll bet that Hotel California tour did pretty well.

I suppose long hair was problematic in the South in the mid/late '60s, but it was very common by the mid-70s, and not just among musicians. When punk got started, it was rebellious just to go on stage and play rock with short hair (without even spiking it or developing a mohawk).

Phil Collins may have worn a zoot suit in the video for his Motown remake, but he had a ton of hits and I'm willing to bet that was far from the biggest one. My recollection is that his clothing was otherwise pretty generic.

Look through the current issue of BP: there's only one guy I can find in street clothes, and he's in a studio. Everyone else has the hair, the chains, the leather, the silk, the ties, or the hat--something to make them stand out from the crowd.

PS- It was freakin' HOT last night. My look was sweat-drenched through the layered shirts and tight (black) jeans and under a felt hat. I looked good though! (It was a great crowd, too!) Anyone else get their buns baked this weekend? I'll be wearing my LRG skater shorts when we play outdoors in a couple of weeks--the distinctive ones with the red straps and buckles.

I don't have a copy of the current BP. But the dressed-up players could be a reflection of the genres I believe get more coverage in BP--not a lot of metal (Murderface cover aside) or indie rock players featured, although Mike Watt made the cover a year or two ago in his jeans and flannel shirt.

I think I would enjoy rocking a formal look, but I sweat like crazy under the lights. And I have to be careful about dehydration, so I'd be drinking more water and getting even more drenched in a suit.

 

[MooseLumps]

My bass rig is not hte 4x10 behind me. it's the skinny guy between the drummer and the rhythm guitar.

 

[DeluxeRed]

...
My bass rig is not hte 4x10 behind me. it's the skinny guy between the drummer and the rhythm guitar.

That look really packs 'em in, doesn't it?