Notes from an Arm Chair Rock 'n' Roll Star

[cmdavi_70]

These days, my knowledge of certain kinds of music borders on encyclopedic. Such was not the case three decades ago. I became an adolescent in the early 80’s, and consumer culture, while maybe not yet at its apex, was spiraling upward. Perhaps in no other market was this more apparent than pop music and all the fashion accessories that were sold to

Comments

[cmdavi_70]

It's entirely possible that band saw is the correct power tool. I suppose my not knowing what type of saw was used to this day further underscores how out of my element I was then.

It was an ongoing joke at the time, later reinforced in satirical comedies that all wood shop teachers were missing fingers. I think having a fully functional ten digits would be tantamount to a hard core punk having a scar-free body. It just wasn't acceptable.

[that]

A nice meditation on the intersection of adolescent identity and the music industry. As much as I love (some) rock music, I do see it on the whole as a commercialization of personality formation.

I had a picture of Frank Zappa taped to the inside of my high school locker and it was critical to my sense of self. I feel like I was fortunate to discover and identify with Zappa's aesthetic early on. Even though he played to the record-buying market, you could be in on the joke if you were sharp enough. There was a core of pure music that led me to jazz and 20th century composers and other stuff that was really about sound and had little to do with the hair and trousers.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and memories.

[cmdavi_70]

Thank you. Zappa and Cage and others led me in a similar direction, even though I still like some Stones and Dylan and other rock acts that rake in millions every tour, so I can't claim indie purity or anything.

I'm currently reading a book called Songs in the Key of Z by Irwin Chusid about a number of outsider musicians, in which Captain Beefheart is by far the most commercially successful of those profiled. It's an interesting read, and an odd perspective, given that he eliminated the Butthole Surfers as being not outsider enough.

[that]

I love Bowie and sometimes even pure pop like Call Your Girlfriend by Robyn. Along with my 50s/60s bebop, gamelan, medieval music and Brittens folksong arrangements.

Speaking of outsider music, ever heard of Roaratorio records? Great label.

[madush69]

I got a little grief for wearing my Debbie Gibson shirt to school. (I also had Zeppelin, Stryper, and mostly Beatles shirts) God, I loved Debbie Gibson!

When my son Joe was in middle school, he wanted a shirt with the name of some current band on it. We were in Hot Topic at the time, and he was only familiar with that band's current single. I said, "Dude, a rock band shirt is a conversation starter. I won't buy it for you." "Please," he pleaded! I said "Only on one condition." He asked, "What's that?" I said, "we go next door to the record store (which sold no actual records), and buy two of their CD's, and you get familiar with them before wearing the shirt to school." His response was a simple, "Sweet!"

[cmdavi_70]

That was very generous of you. I wish my parents had guided me similarly through such purchases, but my parents weren't exactly rock enthusiasts, so it's probably better that they didn't.