Miscellaneous - May 2010

  by Lisa Torem

published: 29 / 4 / 2010

Article

Two Writers Season One Historic Moment LISA "I can’t remember if I cried/When I read about his widowed bride/But something touched me deep inside/The day the music died.’ Don McLean’s eight and a half minute ‘American Pie’ chronicled American pop music history from ’59-’70. That “widowed bride” refers to Buddy Holly’s wife after he died in a plane crash. Essentially, this epic discusses the conformity of the 50s, the rejection of establishment in the mid to late 60s and the disillusionment that washed over the country in the 70s. It’s as American as donuts and baseball games. But, are rock and culture inextricably woven together or does one reflect the other? Are certain songs immediately linked to a particular culture? I know when I hear ‘Material Girl’ or ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ I feel like the subtext is: “Hey, America. This means you!” So Americans are known for that poppy superficial world view, right? But, then the song ‘American Woman’ (“Stay away from me…”) was said to be a song against the American establishment. In 1964 Lesley Gore sang: "You don’t own me/I’m not just one of your many toys/You don’t own me/Don’t say I can’t go with other boys." Betty Friedan’s ‘The Feminine Mystique’ was published shortly before ‘You Don’t Own Me’. This song became an anthem for the growing feminist movement of that era; another very American song. Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen show a cinematic view of working-class America. Billy Joel’s ‘Allentown’ is just one example of how he remains sensitive to the 9-5 bloke. Also, in ‘Moving Out’ he describes: “Anthony works at the grocery store…” Even, ‘Piano Man’ shows the life of the artist; but not the glamour boy, instead the stiff who collects tips by playing his heart out night after night to the local booze hounds. Springsteen rambles on in songs like ‘Thunder Road’ and, though the song could really take place anywhere; it foists the automobile into the foreground and feels American. But, what about the UK? I don’t really get the implications behind the Pet Shop Boys' references to “West End boys and East End girls.” I’m guessing there’s a deeper meaning here than just two contrasting geographical locations. And, what about songs that poke fun at another culture altogether, say, ‘Walk Like An Egyptian?’ It’s got a great beat and is associated with a pretty stylized physical movement, but is it offensive to people from that region? Or, maybe we have to define what culture is to proceed in this discussion. But, then, who is really capable of defining something that broad? Aren’t there huge cultural gaps within each culture? And, doesn’t rock laugh in the face of the “establishment” anyway? But, lyrics aside, sometimes a riff seems to remind us of culture, too. I hear a plaintive chord progression and it just sounds like British pop; uniquely beautiful and reminiscent of even earlier pop. American music always sounds brighter; sometimes sickeningly so. And, then there is the subject of topics. American music seems to have no brakes on this. It’s as if anything goes. Is that my imagination? Am I too close to my own culture? I think in the American culture, we’re encouraged to speak up, even if we have nothing to say. But, then again, sometimes there are things we have to say. ‘Luka’ and ‘Janie’s Got A Gun’ address child abuse and domestic violence. Is this an American phenomenon? I’m not referring to the abuse and violence – I’m assuming that’s universal - I mean, the discussion itself. Does our culture affect how we perceive the music itself? Are we judgmental when we don’t understand how the other culture operates? Living in Chicago, I’ve got to say that I’m hard pressed to come up with songs that don’t have a gritty edge to them; either musically or lyrically. Usually, a hefty horn section, pulsating keyboard riff or tearful guitar solo describes our lifestyle. We’re known as no- nonsense pragmatists who are not easily impressed; “the city of big shoulders” is how Carl Sandburg defined us. But, if a loftier bastion of songs were penned, would we rise to that occasion? What came first; the tough-as-nails image or the down and dirty garage band? So, Ben, what do you think? BEN No good music was made by a band that didn’t have a culture around them to fall back on and give them something to sing about. But, once the songs are written, their background is less relevant. ‘Thunder Road’ is a great example. I’m not sure I agree with you that it could have taken place anywhere. It feels cinematic to me, and it’s impossible to imagine an Englishman writing such a song. Like the song’s lead character, I ‘escaped’ my home town for the big city, but I don’t think my journey would have made such a good song lyric…”I packed my dad’s Yaris with my books and CDs, bought a packet of Werther’s Originals, paid two pounds to use the Dartford Toll Bridge, spent two hours circling London on the M25, then crawled through the suburbs till I reached Wood Green, six stops from zone one on the underground”…nah, doesn’t have the same ring. This doesn’t stop me or many other English folk loving ‘Thunder Road’, though. It's passionate, romantic and dramatic, qualities very few songs possess. It’s also heartening to hear the young Springsteen singing about his dreams on record, dreams he has more than realized by singing this song to packed-out stadiums night and night. And yet, as much as I love this song, it doesn’t mean I empathise with its subject matter much. I’d have to agree with Prefab Spout, who warned that some things hurt more than cars and girls. I’d not heard either of the ‘topical’ songs you mentioned here before. ‘Luka’ was closer to my tastes, musically – I found it moving, but also personal. And yet, its power came from the fact that a distaste for the abuse it documents was already well established in my mind. ‘Janie’s got A Gun’, alas, confirmed my low opinion of Aerosmith! Certainly, songs about challenging subjects are not just an American phenomenon. Morrissey sung about child abuse and child murder, albeit cryptically, on the first Smiths album. The Divine Comedy celebrated 1998’s Good Friday agreement with their song, ‘Sunrise’, which detailed the stupidity and tragedy of the terrorism and civil war in Northern Ireland, still not wholly resolved. Angry songs about Margaret Thatcher (no hero to over 60 per cent of her electorate) were practically a genre in themselves during the 1980s. While these songs are excellent examples of pop music’s astonishing scope, often more inspiring for the weight of their subject matter, they, however, essentially live or die with the quality of the music. I know of no pop song that has caused me to reconsider my political or social views to any noticeable degree. Your comments about not understanding the meaning of "West End girls and East End boys" make me think that ‘culture’ is an essential aspect of the pop music process – mainly at the listening end. Some of Britain’s greatest bands never caught hold in America. Clearly, you need to already understand Britain’s public school-based class system to appreciate The Jam’s ‘Eton Rifles’, need to appreciate the bitter irony to enjoy Pulp’s ‘Common People’ and understand that Nicky Wire is not being literal when he writes that the English working class "don’t talk about love/We only wanna get drunk" to find the Manic Street Preachers' 'A Design for Life' inspiring. And yet, these feel like extreme exceptions. The most distinctively English album of the past decade came out last year, made by the Duckworth Lewis Method. It was a themed album, all about cricket, an English institution that has never much impressed the Scottish, let alone the Americans. The Duckworth Lewis Method swallowed its distinctive culture whole, with references to Compton and Bradman, in-jokes about Mike Gatting, and tributes to Test Match Special and fantastical camper van trips to the subcontinent to meet Javed Miandad…only the luckiest Americans (the ones that cricket) would have the faintest idea what was going on. And yet, the Duckworth Lewis Method is the side project of Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh, the lead singers of the Divine Comedy and Pugwash, two Irish bands. The most ‘English’ album I’ve ever heard isn’t even English. Ultimately, culture is what you make of it. American hip-hop might sound like the authentic sound of underprivileged black America to its creators, but it means something entirely different to me. When I hear Kanye West or Jay-Z, I’m taken back to university – this was the music they played on our student club nights. Although there were many students monkishly devoted only to one genre of music, for the rest of us, hip-hop provided welcome common ground: intelligent, edgy, catchy and suitable for dance floors. So, when I hear hip-hop, I’m taken back in time to a room full of English students from the home countries, and in that context, the original culture that created this music seems irrelevant. LISA That’s an interesting point about American hip-hop. Though it can be thought of as the new “folk” in that it often reflects societal ills from a personal perspective, it also is a genre that has scared off a number of would-be fans. Is it merely reflecting what is around? Many of the lyrics, historically, have been upsetting to women and minorities; and that’s gotten in the way of what might be considered merely dance music. It’s so interesting that an entire album has been written to celebrate cricket. Each time I’ve been to London, I vow that I’ll see what this game is all about. You’re right that many Americans don’t know what it is, although it sounds intriguing. And I always thought I’d really impress my neighbors if I came home wearing a cap with a cricket logo. American song-writers Steve Wynn and Scott McCaughey have played live ‘The Baseball Project’. It’s an album dedicated to the characters that have devoted their life to American baseball. Like your friends of the Duckworth Lewis Method, I suppose this is a bit eccentric and esoteric. I imagine the lyrics wouldn’t mean much to those who’ve never seen the game. But, coupled with some clever rhyme schemes and driving beats, the melodies do stand alone. And, even a neophyte may get “curioser and curioser” upon hearing some of the references; enough to spend a quiet evening at home with Wikipedia. If you hear them live at a Chicago tavern, you’ll hear brewing brawls between the Cubs and Sox fans; our two opposing teams. That in itself, is always a thrill. That said, I wouldn’t give up on your American friends, yet. We love a good concept album – it means the band has done their homework if nothing else. And, Americans love work, or that’s what the slim percentage of filthy rich here would have us believe. As far as Nicky Wire, is that true that the English working class "don’t talk about love?" Are you breaking it to me, not- so- gently, that the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks and Wishbone Ash couldn’t shed a tear for a loved one? Is it true that they only cared about drinking? Imagine going back in time and rearranging those lyrics. So, they meant to sing ‘I Want to Hold Your Six-Pack,’ or ‘All You Need is Beer?’ Tell me I’m missing the point, Ben. “The most ‘English’ album I’ve ever heard isn’t even English” gives pause. I’m not really sure what would be considered the quintessential American album. We’re a mix of so many cultures and the media is so horrifyingly influential in what the younger generation seeks out. Also, Ben, I do think you’re cutting yourself short. I think your journey to Wood Green is very Ian Anderson-ish – a journey crying to be detailed and strummed by a mandolin. I’ve just been perusing his 25th anniversary album and the word green is used freely. I hadn’t realized that ‘Jack-in-the-Green’ is similar to our ‘Mother Nature.’ Then, look around you at your street signs and your ‘Penny Lane’ where “the banker always wears a Mac.” (We call it a “raincoat.” How bloody original is that?) Head off to those “zebra crossings” and ye old Piccadilly Circus. Here we use gruff words like “alley”, “curb” and “cul-de-sac.” It’s like we’ve barely crawled out of the semantic gutter. Your world is brimming with poetry the way I see it, and your music reflects it strongly. Also, and I imagine this is a worldwide issue, although historically our music has been influenced by social factors, the global access and immediacy of communication has dulled our senses. Many of our artists get paid huge amounts of money for media appearances and their songs and images become cheapened. ‘At Last’ recorded by Chess Records 'Etta James was one of my favourite songs until it was used ad-nauseum in a vehicle commercial. So, Ben, what songs best represent America to you? I suppose if you tell me I’m a ‘Material Girl’ or that ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ I’ll forgive you. Because, actually, Ben, it’s true. We do just want to have fun. No row there. And, what about those hundreds of other cultures out there? Shall we give them a shot? BEN Well, luckily, you have mis-read the Manic Street Preachers, I think. ‘A Design for Life’ is a stirring socialist anthem (it begins with the words "Libraries gave up power"). The chorus can be seen simply – it’s the working class turning the criticisms made of their lifestyle on their heads and celebrating it ("We get drunk, and it makes us happy"). But, I think its meaning is more subtle. For the most part, British people don’t talk much about love (our lives are nothing at all like an episode of ‘Friends’), but we do fall in love, and we admire rock-solid relationships and loyalty. And, while it may not be the only thing we care about, we do like getting drunk. Preferably in the pub, with our mates. This lyric is saying, "don’t patronize our lifestyles, don’t underestimate them, and don’t assume that we want to change them." And yet, the songs British people really love are almost always love songs (‘A Design For Life’ being a rare exception). It’s one of the reasons, I think, that have made pop music such a big part of our culture. Bands sing about love so well, so we don’t have to talk about it! You ask, in turn, what songs best represent America to me. I have to say that I don’t know. The US is a huge country, with enormous power and wealth but scary levels of crime. It was a country built on truly inspiring democratic concepts, but it has been unable to invent a national healthcare system. It has given the rest of the world fantastic film and music, but doesn’t see fit to join in the rest of the world’s obsession with football (soccer). It gave the world the Simpsons (the 20th century’s answer to Shakespeare), but large parts of the population don’t seem to see professional wrestling as a joke. How could one song possibly sum all of that up? Therefore, where I am completely in agreement is the importance of the small details. I wouldn’t say there was much difference between American and Britain there – it’s just the details themselves that are different. There seems to be a thing Americans have for sitting out in their back yards, staring at the sky. We don’t do that much here, it’s usually raining. So, perhaps, I see more romance than is really there when Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner sings ‘I’m out drinking in the yard’ (see, we’re back to getting drunk again!) Moving away is also a bigger theme in American music. And that’s for me an obvious reason. An American who leaves home for the city might be six hours drive from home. For me to get six hours away from my parents, I’d need to go all the way to Scotland. As it is, I can be back in Kent from my flat in London within the hour. And that feeds into our love songs, too. American writers can fall back on the ‘moving away’ break-up. One of my favourite songs from last year was by the country singer Slaid Cleaves, where the narrator longs for his absent love, and asks “won’t you come back to the ‘Green Mountains and Me?’ (the song’s title)". British writers can’t really fall back on that excuse – your absent love is probably only a short bus ride away. So British songwriters usually need a different reason for the break-ups they sing about, and generally it’s a little bit nastier. You also ask about other cultures. I suppose my interest in American and British music blends into my other cultural habits – I typically like British and American novels and comedy shows. The songs slot neatly into my cultural frame of reference. But, then, one of the best shows I saw last year was Toumani Diabate, a maestro Malian kora player. All I really know about Africa is what we see on the news – and that is generally the bad stuff: poverty, aids, civil war, human rights abuses. And yet, their music always sounds so joyous. Is this music our only way into the true African culture, the life normal Africans lead that we never get shown? Or are we just seeing the music made by a wealthy elite, who’ve been able to escape reality by joining bands and touring the world? Diabate is a true virtuoso – his hands move staggeringly fast. It may be that he is the African equivalent to the teenage prodigies who take up classical music in Britain or America. Incredibly gifted, but essentially keeping alive archaic musical forms. Do African teenagers really listen to what we call ‘world’ music, played on traditional instruments by men dressed in extravagant tribal outfits – or are they in fact just listening to Green Day and Jay-Z on their Ipods like everyone else? I don’t know the answers to any of those questions. If I’m being honest, it’s possibly why I don’t listen to the music as much (Toumani Diabate put on a great gig, but I’d take the clearly less technically gifted Duckworth Lewis Method every time!). I said at the beginning of this piece that, once the music was made, the background was less relevant. It looks like I have ended it by rowing with myself! LISA No, Ben, we won’t let you row alone! As for those points you’ve raised: we Americans do love to sit on our porch swings staring at the sky and, true, we’ll talk your ears off about love, maybe because we just haven’t figured out what it means. We listen to ‘world music’ because we want to be polyglots and wear caftans. And, sadly, we can’t channel another culture by taking a short plane ride, like y’all. But, we got Elvis. So there!