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I went to see a gig last night and the support act, whilst very good (although far too loud), were sonically and visually both a cliché and a parody of every band they seemed to reference as an influence. It was as if Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith and Guns n Roses had a threesome and puked up a lovechild who was born in the 80s and refused to grow up.
I've always been fascinated as to why certain genres of music seem to require a certain visual image. As if to play hard rock you have to have hats, tats, long hair, leather waistcoats and cheap bling hanging off you wrists - don't even get me started on the metal spectrum, that's another image/content thing I don't get.
Then you have rap & hip-hop and there's a definite visual image that seems to go hand in hand with that genre too.
Of course, I'm stereo-typing and I'm sure not all bands in a particular genre are all the same but I'd love to see a band that breaks the mold and swims against the current of the visual image that their chosen musical style seems to require. Hard rock with clean shaven blokes in suits and smiles, anyone?
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
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Image does sell unfortunately. (And to an extent is logical. Why confuse your audience?)
Take Metallica, a no fucks given band right?
Their manager used to constantly give Cliff Burton shit about his bellbottoms. Taking this further could you imagine Dave Mustain or Ozzy wearing shorts and flip flops?
I always thought Graham Bonnet did it right in Rainbow... he looked much cooler than anyone else in the hard rock scene, but Blackmore sacked him because of it!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Hmmm, I don't know. He certainly would've looked cooler to people who didn't like rock/metal, looking in from the outside. But I thought he looked a bit ridiculous with his quiff, sunglasses, Hawaiian shirts etc... and my opinion hasn't really changed 40 years later.
I do take the point about the stereotypical images associated with various types of music, it is pretty ludicrous but most of us get into music at an impressionable age. And if you're drawn to the music you're probably also drawn to the image. I can't imagine too many people in 1978 wanting to listen to Iron Maiden but dress like the Lambrettas or Secret Affair.
Having said that, I remember a kid in school who was into 2Tone then suddenly decided he preferred metal. He carried on wearing his Harrington jacket, white polo shirts and Sta-Prest trousers, but replaced all his little black & white badges with Priest, Maiden and AC/DC ones.
Ozzy did once shave his head, presumably when he was very pissed.
The weird thing was, while it was growing back he completely changed the way he dressed.
Angry Anderson was the other baldy in rock who came to mind. And John McCoy made a lot of interesting stylistic choices:
https://i.imgur.com/1kByWIw.jpg
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I can't deny that Blackmore clung on to the flares and platform shoes a bit longer than he should've...
But at least he still had his own hair then.... or maybe not, perhaps it was just about the time it mysteriously regained its former glory.
And, if everyone (and by that I mean personnel in any number of bands) has the same image then it kinda detracts from the image that they're trying to portray and they just become a parody of themselves.
There are some bands who have obviously worked on their image and got it down to a fine art. Steel Panther come to mind, music about whores played by whores who dress like whores - for the tongue in cheek genre of throwback metal it works well and sets them apart from most others.
Then there's Vintage Trouble, who have managed to strike a great image IMHO. Despite playing music that isn't new they've got a great look and attitude and can deliver the goods with a smile and positive attitude while everyone around them is wearing the same old jeans, cowboy boots and hats and still scowling at "the man".
Why? Only because several decades of stereotyping has told you that you must look like this if you want to play that.
We live in a world where we ever increasingly refuse to be put into boxes, whether it be body image, dress sense, sexuality, spirituality, gender or whatever but nobody is willing to challenge a decades old and irrelevant visual image that goes hand in hand with a certain genre of music?
That's almost as laughable as the haulage company who only sends lorries out for short runs on a Friday because by the end of the week the horse is tired! (true story).
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Obviously this does not apply to cover/tribute/parody bands who choose to wear stereotypical clothes to give the audience an “authentic” visual experience.
I'm not sure that's the case, I think most are comfortable within the conventions, even though it is a stereotype.
I don't play in a band but I'm a rock/metal fan. I don't have long hair any more (although I still have hair!), but I was a jeans and T-shirts guy at 15 and I'm still a jeans and T-shirts guy. I have no secret wish to wear chinos, deck shoes with no socks or any variety of cardigan. I have to wear a suit for work and I have no wish to wear one outside of work. If I did play in a band I would not go out of my way to wear clothes I dislike just to be "different".
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
The music isn't new, it's not bad but it's been done a billion times before. The image isn't new either, So why not do something a bit different to stand out from the crowd a bit? You could well be right, it's just what people want to do. I'm not suggesting it's wrong, I'm just poking the internet to see what comes out.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.
Says the indie hipster who still dresses like I want to be in the Strokes 15 years ago
soundcloud.com/thecolourbox-1
youtube.com/@TheColourboxMusic
I can't help observing that at least two members of Vintage Trouble wear hats virtually all the time. I've seen the singer in a hat too, so sometimes it's three out of four.
I know that wasn't your point, but just saying.
There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife
Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky
Bit of trading feedback here.