I agree with you regarding Jeff Beck - his uncompromising guitar style and modesty characterized him -and for the most part he made the albums he wanted to!😊🎸
Hi Simon. In case you don't know there are TRADEMARK Bands with 1 original member and there are Tributes Acts of the same band . The Ramones are on the road with only the drummer. The live show equals the previous members as the drummer auditioned the new guys and the fans still hear that sound. They sound Authentic. In my case the singer of Visage owned the TM 50 50 with me registerd by HIS manger [ Big Mistake ] they then made albums tours t-shirts and copied everything and di not account. Legal fees mounting I was never paid . Contracts signed and ignored. Authentic seems to be to look and sound like the original. Well with AI that won't be difficult and with a lawyer and TM who knows TONIGHT MATTHEW I'M GEORGE MICHAEL
In the piece I wrote I wasn't really using the word in the sense one might use it with a tribute of trademark band. In that situation, 'authentic' can become a legal definition and it can be a tricky thing to sort out. When Boney M broke up, for a while each of the four members had their own Boney M band on the road. In the end the winner is usually the one the public most enjoy going to see. Your Visage situation looks horrible - quite a nightmare for you.
Simon, good post but missing the point… the reason why ‘authenticity’ is the current buzz word is because we live in fake world, and in music AI has been allowed to dominate streaming without any legislation to stop it. Within the last 6 months, the three major label CEO’s Lucien, Rob and Robert have gone from suing AI companies to partnering with them because as usual they’re too late to the party, exactly as they were with Napster in 2001. So now even though 90% of the public can’t tell the difference, their instinct tells them they don’t want it, and the result is that real musicians and great new talent are squeezed out of the game in favor of machines with less overhead. The whole industry is run by non-musicians whose mantra is ‘money first, music seventeenth’.
George shared Careless whisper with his mate who George says Wham may not have happened without Andrew. Midge Ure may have been in Thin Lizzy if I had not put Visage together as a side project . Midge hits the road and sings songs he wrote with Visage Ultravox Solo and Phil the songs live on forever but like Tony Hadley he can't say Ex Spandau Ballet or Simple Minds can't say Ex Simple Minds the name of the band often thought up like U2 in a playground or Coldplay at UNI is the trademark but the members treatment of mates are not on the level of George Michael and I knew Mark Dean and I also signed artists to fair agreements. I did in fact only sign songwriters for 25years and they get the copyrights back .Thank god I did because Warner Chappell Music managed to steal my copyrights when I was on honeymoon. Integrity honour and respect are not in the music biz only TRADEMARKS and ownership hence Spotify we all signed our lives away.
You're right, of course - authentic should probably apply when the artist is self-constructed. They're their own work of art. The falseness happens when they allow themselves to be moulded by someone else.
And it's very true, too. When you spend your life playing three different roles - the star onstage, the star offstage in public, the star offstage in private - even the strongest personalities find themselves muddling the three together.
STEVE HOWE!!!! The solos on To Be Over and Awaken are TRUTH!
What I always loved about Prog Rock is the same thing I love about Classical: “Authenticity” is irrelevant.
So, Simon, I'm sure we both know some full-of-ourselves wonks. Many of us are your not-so-friendly neighbourhood booksellers.
where do you sell books?
A great read as always- thanks Simon!
I agree with you regarding Jeff Beck - his uncompromising guitar style and modesty characterized him -and for the most part he made the albums he wanted to!😊🎸
Spot on.... and while many complain about pop music being "contrived", the source of the magic is in the contrivance.
That's exactly right - it's the very nature of performing art to present something that is NOT your normal self.
You DON'T want my "normal"...zzzzzzzzzzz!
SO IS OPERA!!!! I mean, c'mon....
Hi Simon. In case you don't know there are TRADEMARK Bands with 1 original member and there are Tributes Acts of the same band . The Ramones are on the road with only the drummer. The live show equals the previous members as the drummer auditioned the new guys and the fans still hear that sound. They sound Authentic. In my case the singer of Visage owned the TM 50 50 with me registerd by HIS manger [ Big Mistake ] they then made albums tours t-shirts and copied everything and di not account. Legal fees mounting I was never paid . Contracts signed and ignored. Authentic seems to be to look and sound like the original. Well with AI that won't be difficult and with a lawyer and TM who knows TONIGHT MATTHEW I'M GEORGE MICHAEL
In the piece I wrote I wasn't really using the word in the sense one might use it with a tribute of trademark band. In that situation, 'authentic' can become a legal definition and it can be a tricky thing to sort out. When Boney M broke up, for a while each of the four members had their own Boney M band on the road. In the end the winner is usually the one the public most enjoy going to see. Your Visage situation looks horrible - quite a nightmare for you.
Speaking of Steve Howe...
Hi Simon - now l am REALLY confused ! Could you possibly recommend a good therapist??
Anthony - I've always considered you unconfusable. And you're definitely therapy-proof.
MUST be a musician! Drums or bass?
Simon, good post but missing the point… the reason why ‘authenticity’ is the current buzz word is because we live in fake world, and in music AI has been allowed to dominate streaming without any legislation to stop it. Within the last 6 months, the three major label CEO’s Lucien, Rob and Robert have gone from suing AI companies to partnering with them because as usual they’re too late to the party, exactly as they were with Napster in 2001. So now even though 90% of the public can’t tell the difference, their instinct tells them they don’t want it, and the result is that real musicians and great new talent are squeezed out of the game in favor of machines with less overhead. The whole industry is run by non-musicians whose mantra is ‘money first, music seventeenth’.
T'was always the same, I'm afraid. The clue is in the word 'business'.
Loving these drops of home truth, Simon.
So so true…. As ever
Thank you Chris. So true, too, that we're overdue for lunch. Can you do one day next week?
Good writing. More puzzled than ever!
Sorry Peter - I didn't mean to confuse, though nor was I trying to simplify. Just saying it as I see it.
George shared Careless whisper with his mate who George says Wham may not have happened without Andrew. Midge Ure may have been in Thin Lizzy if I had not put Visage together as a side project . Midge hits the road and sings songs he wrote with Visage Ultravox Solo and Phil the songs live on forever but like Tony Hadley he can't say Ex Spandau Ballet or Simple Minds can't say Ex Simple Minds the name of the band often thought up like U2 in a playground or Coldplay at UNI is the trademark but the members treatment of mates are not on the level of George Michael and I knew Mark Dean and I also signed artists to fair agreements. I did in fact only sign songwriters for 25years and they get the copyrights back .Thank god I did because Warner Chappell Music managed to steal my copyrights when I was on honeymoon. Integrity honour and respect are not in the music biz only TRADEMARKS and ownership hence Spotify we all signed our lives away.
Love this. I think morrissey is so carefully crafted that he is authentic. Am I an idiot?
You're right, of course - authentic should probably apply when the artist is self-constructed. They're their own work of art. The falseness happens when they allow themselves to be moulded by someone else.
Absolutely spot on- you are such a brilliant and insightful man! Thank you. I always found Tom Waits to be too mannered to be authentic.
Wise words indeed…
Thanks Simon - but I'm not sure 'wise' and the music business go together - it was meant to be just a passing comment.
I am not so sure about that. Your perspective, bourne form experience, gives you wisdom. So I think you are being too humble. 😂
humble-bumble - ok - I'm happy to be a wise man if you want me to be
Ha! Humble bumble - you are one cool motherfucker!!
I love the sign off at the end of 5his about needing therapy. Very insightful and funny as usual. 🙂
And it's very true, too. When you spend your life playing three different roles - the star onstage, the star offstage in public, the star offstage in private - even the strongest personalities find themselves muddling the three together.
While I am a musician I am happy to say it's not a problem I've had 🤣