two_heads_talking:
I was talking about the bluesy music styles of Janis and Amy not looks.ahh, you see my point was looks. There are many great singers that just don't get a shot because they don't fit the 'pop icon' look. In the early days of music before tv, it didn't matter what you looked like, it was your voice that carried you.. Now, it's the other way around. if you don't look right, it doesn't matter how well you sing..
BilboBaggins
BilboBaggins:
There are a few singers that have weight problems over the years, some have been fighting it (Kelly Clarkson, who looks better with curves) some have been accepted (Jennifer Hudson).
True you don’t see many Mama Cass Elliott (Mama’s and Papa’s) in the spotlight and females seem to have a harder time than men. But it seems to be coming back to Live Stage Presence and away from Filmed Video Star to become a star.
dedwrekka:
Sure, if you don't have the looks you don't get the chance at pop stardom, but there's this great expansive world of music just under the sugar coated pop-music culture, it's much larger and much better. And it doesn't care what you look like. Besides there's always ways around that. Look at Dethklok, Gorillaz, or GWAR, you don't have to show your face to be good at your music (though I doubt there's many artists that really have that bad of a looks problem).I was talking about the bluesy music styles of Janis and Amy not looks.ahh, you see my point was looks. There are many great singers that just don't get a shot because they don't fit the 'pop icon' look. In the early days of music before tv, it didn't matter what you looked like, it was your voice that carried you.. Now, it's the other way around. if you don't look right, it doesn't matter how well you sing..
BilboBaggins
two_heads_talking
Tarrakk Blackhand:
The thing I find with modern “Radio Friendly” corporate music is that it just lacks any real depth or creativity to it.
A lot of “Artists” these days copy sounds that came out 20+ years ago, as they call it “Sampling”. Look at that new song that uses “Sweet Home Alabama” as a background track. It doesn’t even sound as good as “Sweet Home” either.
Also, the singers don’t really seem to be singing about anything either and they drone on. “We all wanna be big rock stars…” … blah!
Someone on P.1 was saying about people looking back to the 1990’a and saying that bands like Smashing Pumpkins, No-Doubt, Rob Zombie and others would make it into rock history. Well, … they were right! Back in the late 1980’s - early 1990’s, those bands pulled away from the 1980’s mainstream Madonna sound and returned to the “Garage Band” scene, to independant music. Kirt Coban got music back to the punk sound and away from the “Happy Happy” sound of bands like The Go-Go’s. That’s when we got “the Grunge Scene”. So yes, these people changed music for @ 15 years.
What we have now seems to be a “I don’t know what to play” attitude. Therefore, it becomes a flash back to nostalga. All the old stuff is coming back with a new sound, but it’s still old. I sell a lot of CD’s in my hobby store, but most of these are Surf, Rock-A-Billy (Like in the 1950’s), Psychobilly (Punk Rockers using 1950’s instruments), Western, etc. These are modern artists playing their take on 1950’s rock and roll. It’s fresh and exciting, but it isn’t what you’d call “new music”. Heck! Even the older “Heavy Metal” sound is returning - like Van Halen and Def Leapord. Besides this, Amy Winehouse has that 1970’s Motown sound.
The sad part is that no one seems to know why they’re doing what they’re doing.
My point is Punk Rock.
Back in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s, punk was protest music. It protested against corporate “Opera” music like Pink Floyd, protested against parental rules set out in the 1950’s, protested against the Queen of England (In Britian at the time), Protested against Hippies and their liberal “Free Love - no soap” lifestyle, and represented free thinking and creativity. It was “Rage Against The Machine” and any punk of that era would have told you exactly what they were fighting for, or against.
Punk today is just so mainstream that the kids don’t know what it’s suppose to be about. I asked one kid in the store why he wears his punk clothes and he just says “I dunno. Umm…because it looks cool?”. They have to think about why they walked out the door wearing black eyeshadow? WTF? Why be a punk nowadays? Its as though Punk has no meaning anymore. It use to mean “F-this!”, but now it seems to mean “Aren’t I cool?”. The old punks would have beat these new poser punks into the ground!
two_heads_talking:
Tarrakk, there have been posers for as long as there have been anarchists. PUnk is ultimately what the consumer wants it to be. Music has been that way since it’s inseption. Of course the artists want it to be a certain way, but ultimately, regardless of what they want, the consumer really determines what it becomes…
Black Flag, perfect example of fight conformists everywhere, but they were their own worst victims, they conformed and did what they sany about not doing.
Now, British PUnk and US Punk are similar in their anarchist attitudes, but that’s about as close as they get. At a point the US just posed and then when it was cool, all the kids did it and soon, mohawks were normal and diaper pins through lips and ears and eyebrows, became the way to rebel. then (as you can see, even the non-conformists conformed… And what was underground(and didn’t want to be commercial) became commercial and mainstream.
Tarrakk Blackhand:
I’ll agree THT. Eventually most music Genera’s conform. I still like Nina Hagen! 
We’re still trying to figure out her music! LOL!
Father Grumpmas:
Give me Pink Floyd, and i'm happy :cheersRay you old hippy - Pink Floyd is the worst band in the world (apart from when Syd Barrett was in it).
wallacer
two_heads_talking:
I'll agree THT. Eventually most music Genera's conform. I still like Nina Hagen! :D We're still trying to figure out her music! LOL!yeah, her and Bjork.. oh my..
Tarrakk Blackhand
WoodenPickles:
I haven't heard the full version of that song in ages..there is truth in the above statement so much that it must be siged. The fact that the common man has to go out and find good modern music is terrible. Music should be about sound and meaning. If you can understand the lyrics theyt should mean somthing. if you can't it better sound amazing.
Too much now, it seems people want to be outrageous with their music, and scream/gutteral or primal screams/ to speak of beating ho's and killing bros.... It's nice to be reminded of a time where lyrics and barding were the music and not the bling or looks of a person..
Ever wonder if Janice Joplin (not exactly a pretty person) would ever get a chance to sing now?? I think she'd get passed over faster than dropping molten lead..
two_heads_talking