{"id":4687,"date":"2012-10-07T13:57:11","date_gmt":"2012-10-07T12:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/?p=4687"},"modified":"2014-03-19T20:34:30","modified_gmt":"2014-03-19T20:34:30","slug":"in-the-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2012\/10\/07\/in-the-band\/","title":{"rendered":"In the band?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello Vftp readers! I\u2019m writing to you from high above the Atlantic ocean, en route from a tense and nervous Heathrow airport, where the deportation of Abu Hamza has once again convinced those in power that the only thing that can keep us safe from the murdering madmen who roam the planet is to hassle lots of ladies about putting their makeup in ziplock bags, to New York\u2019s JFK for a couple of weeks of trio gigs with Epomeo.\u00a0 Before I share my thoughts, I just want to thank the makers of ziplock bags for keeping us safe from death in the skies. Where would we be without them?<\/p>\n

In-flight movies are no longer quite the source of irritation and object of derision they once were. With the advent of personal screens, one can choose what to watch, or not to watch at all, and some airlines actually end up showing some good and interesting films. The real advantage of the in-flight movie is that you don\u2019t have to pay for it, and watching it doesn\u2019t take you away from practice or office work or time with the kids (although I do have a stack of scores in my bag I could be studying). Freed from guilt and financial pressure, and wanting, above all, to avoid conversation with the people in adjoining seats, I often use the inflight film to sample movies I would never let myself spend time or money on in an unpressurized environment.<\/p>\n

Today between Iceland and Nova Scotia, I watched a documentary about the rock band Pearl Jam by Cameron Crowe called \u201c20.\u201d Why? I\u2019m not sure- I kinda dig them, but in a sort-of \u201cnever bothered to buy the record but was always happy when my ex-girlfriend played their stuff on the way to Columbus Symphony gigs\u201d way. I remember seeing them play with Neil Young on TV a few (many) years ago, and that was rad. Neil Young is a god. I wish my cello could do what his guitar does in the soundtrack to Dead Man. And I always thought Adam Sandler\u2019s impression of Eddie Vedder\u2019s singing was one of Sandler’s finest comic turns.<\/p>\n

What I found most touching in the film was the enduringly stable membership of the band- after going through about a half dozen drummers in their first few years, they\u2019ve remained the same quintet for almost their whole professional lives.\u00a0 That kind of commitment and continuity is not easy to maintain- think of all the changes one goes through in twenty years. Some in the group find love, others don\u2019t, some struggle with success, others with envy, some bloom as a creative force while others burn out, some want lives with their families, others hunger for the road. There are health issues. It\u2019s amazing it ever works.<\/p>\n

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Ken in the band (on the left)<\/p><\/div>\n

Long-time Vftp readers will know that I spent much of my formative years playing guitar in bands.<\/a> I still miss it. To me, I\u2019d rather eat my own butt hair than be a pop star- it\u2019s such a plastic and dishonest world, singing\u00a0 (or lip-synching) only the songs you think will sell with a bunch of hired guns. \u00a0Artists are disposable, and the public exist only to be separated from their cash. But to be in a rock band? There\u2019s a real nobility and honesty in it- a sense of personal commitment to your band mates, and an artistic honesty inherent in playing only that which the five of you can create together. To me, the name says a lot- we call a \u201crock band\u201d a \u201cband \u201cnot because it\u2019s like being in a marching band or a military band. At it\u2019s best, the world \u201cband\u201d has come to apply in music as it does in war- a band of brothers (and sisters), united by common purpose.<\/p>\n

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I suppose I\u2019ve been thinking about bands this week, even before seeing this film. I was both happy and outraged to learn of Rush\u2019s long-overdue nomination<\/a> for induction to the Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Hall of Fame. What a band they are- three guys who have been through it all together, never sold out, never let their standards slip. They\u2019ve been to the top of the mountain of commercial success, and been on the \u201care they still alive and playing?\u201d list. I can still remember summers in the early 80\u2019s when it seemed like half the songs on FM radio were by Rush- Tom Sawyer, Limelight, YYZ and many more. I remember sitting in my room with a bunch of kids from the neighbourhood listening to Sport of Kings and tripping out to Cygnus X 1. \u00a0And don’t get me started on 2112- I can still play the whole album from memory on the guitar 30 years after I learned it (not that I’ve tried in 20 years).<\/p>\n

And yet, the rock establishment have always sneered at Rush- if there\u2019s one thing rock critics hate<\/strong><\/em>, it\u2019s anyone who can play an instrument, tell a story or come up with a musical idea. Worse- if you can combine all of those skills, and develop and integrate them, you\u2019re sure to be derided and belittled at every turn. I\u2019ve seen Rush live five times, the last time was in 1992, but I never heard them miss a note, play a chord not together, miss a tempo or not give a good show. And that was 20 years ago. But do rock critics care? Do they respect that kind of continuity, or even recognize the uniqueness of their vision? No. They think that the Sex Pistols are \u201creal\u201d and \u201chonest\u201d and \u201cimportant,\u201d even though their lead singer now sells butter for a living while the guys in Rush are still playing great shows.<\/p>\n