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>> But how would the Beatles catalog be different if George, Paul, John, and Ringo needed day jobs? You’d imagine they might produce less and maybe even very di

>> But how would the Beatles catalog be different if George, Paul, John, and Ringo needed day jobs? You’d imagine they might produce less and maybe even very different music. Maybe, for pop music. And maybe music in general would be a very different affair if it wasn't such big business. In fact, in many ways it already is. See, I've always listened to metal music and I've played in a couple metal bands. Those were the typical small-time bands that are basically just a bunch of metalhead kids come together to play the music they like. And we did. With one of those bands we even had a bit of a career, playing gigs and getting people headbanging and stagediving in a venue away from home. This was in a mythical land, in a sprawling metropolis under an ancient citadel and you will never know the names of the bands that became legend, because they were local, locally grown and locally forgotten, legend. But these were good times, and they continue to be. This was music from the people, for the people. A real folk music for the 20th century, the kind of thing that big corporations will never soil with their greedy, all-withering touch. And none of those bands were professional, and this was their strength, and what made them valuable. The value of the recognition of the big-name bands is not to be dismissed, because, ultimately, what all we kids really wanted was to be stars, ourselves, to stand on a big stage with thousands of fans at our feet, like Halford or Hetfield. But we didn't really think that would be the outcome, and still we played, and enjoyed ourselves, and made music magickal. And still do. Have a look at the Encyclopedia Metallum. I bet 75% of the bands you'll find there have never seen a dime from their art, and they all have day jobs - day jobs that support their music. Because who cares? Just make the music you want to listen to. Proof: https://youtu.be/lq4dh_bAWoQ https://youtu.be/lq4dh_bAWoQ

zitterbewegung 3y ago
For alt rock / indie bands half of the fun is saying oh you haven’t heard of the band x ? One time when I was at university someone was impressed that I listened to Oh Mandy by the Spinto Band
hotsauceror 3y ago
This was one thing that I loved about metal that I always felt was missing from "pop" music - the community, and the sense of having grown organically from little roots. Guys and girls putting in the work, paying their dues, because they loved the music. And guys and girls showing up to support them, in shitty clubs and local festivals, buying the shitty merch and the shitty self-produced demo tapes. You went because you supported the community, and you were all in it together, us long-haired weirdos. Sure, some of the bands were terrible. But you went, all the same, and you cheered for them because they were doing their best to get this turkey off the ground. And some of them were NOT terrible, and excellent times were had, and experiences were experienced, and memories were made, and by god look at this thing we did! These guys fucking rocked! And I always felt like something was missing, when I heard pop songs on the radio. Where did Tiffany or Oingo Boingo come from? Where did they put in their dues? Did they put in their dues, at all? Who went to see them, and where? Did they all just sing in church and then went to some cattle call audition? Where was the not-quite-national pop scene, the local club acts for these kinds of music? It seemed like it arose explicitly from the board room and the accounting department, instead of growing organically like the hip hops kids and the rappers and metalheads and punks.
- greedo 3y ago
  Having grown up during the 80s when Oingo Boingo was rocking 91x out of Tijuana, they definitely put in their dues. While a lot of the New Wave bands from the UK might have been heavily produced acts, others like the Specials and the Beat definitely spent a lot of time grinding things out.
  - hotsauceror 3y ago
    OK, well fair enough. Maybe that wasn't a good choice for a 'pop' exemplar. I remember REM saying "No one believes we used to just be a rando Atlanta bar band". New Wave wasn't really my scene at the time. Maybe something between New Kids On The Block and Baltimora... someone you just honestly couldn't picture going to see at The Crystal Pistol.

zitterbewegung 3y ago

For alt rock / indie bands half of the fun is saying oh you haven’t heard of the band x ? One time when I was at university someone was impressed that I listened to Oh Mandy by the Spinto Band

hotsauceror 3y ago

This was one thing that I loved about metal that I always felt was missing from "pop" music - the community, and the sense of having grown organically from little roots. Guys and girls putting in the work, paying their dues, because they loved the music. And guys and girls showing up to support them, in shitty clubs and local festivals, buying the shitty merch and the shitty self-produced demo tapes. You went because you supported the community, and you were all in it together, us long-haired weirdos. Sure, some of the bands were terrible. But you went, all the same, and you cheered for them because they were doing their best to get this turkey off the ground. And some of them were NOT terrible, and excellent times were had, and experiences were experienced, and memories were made, and by god look at this thing we did! These guys fucking rocked! And I always felt like something was missing, when I heard pop songs on the radio. Where did Tiffany or Oingo Boingo come from? Where did they put in their dues? Did they put in their dues, at all? Who went to see them, and where? Did they all just sing in church and then went to some cattle call audition? Where was the not-quite-national pop scene, the local club acts for these kinds of music? It seemed like it arose explicitly from the board room and the accounting department, instead of growing organically like the hip hops kids and the rappers and metalheads and punks.

greedo 3y ago
Having grown up during the 80s when Oingo Boingo was rocking 91x out of Tijuana, they definitely put in their dues. While a lot of the New Wave bands from the UK might have been heavily produced acts, others like the Specials and the Beat definitely spent a lot of time grinding things out.
- hotsauceror 3y ago
  OK, well fair enough. Maybe that wasn't a good choice for a 'pop' exemplar. I remember REM saying "No one believes we used to just be a rando Atlanta bar band". New Wave wasn't really my scene at the time. Maybe something between New Kids On The Block and Baltimora... someone you just honestly couldn't picture going to see at The Crystal Pistol.