"This is fantastic because everyone is prone to the kind of snobbery that says, "Oh, black music is so cool," and you find that what you thought was the epitome of black music — Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, that sort of thing — were actually played by white rock 'n' roll players. So much for stereotyping."
>"This is fantastic because everyone is prone to the kind of >snobbery that says, "Oh, black music is so cool,"
that doesn't strike me as snobbery, in particular... fetishism, perhaps?
>and you find >that what you thought was the epitome of black music
'what you thought' hmmm interesting choice of words
>— Aretha >Franklin, Wilson Pickett, that sort of thing
seems a mite dismissive
>— were actually >played by white rock 'n' roll players.
exaggeration, but not without a kernel of truth
>So much for >stereotyping."
I agree with that bit wholeheartedly. The sentiment in general is something I also agree with - that everything musical in this country is a melting pot, regardless of whether it's 'black' or 'white' music.
2. "This was news to him?" In response to Reply # 0 Wed Mar-19-14 11:58 AM by Jakob Hellberg
I thought it was "widely" (well, at least amongst musicians and artists and shit) known. I don't know, I think it's strange that someone as presumably knowledgeable as him needed a recent documentary to find out about this; there has been numerous articles about the Muscle Shoals sound in music-magazines over the years. Or maybe he knew and just found this as an excuse to vent...
EDIT:BTW, I wonder if he knows that Steve Cropper is white; someone should tell him...
4. "of course not." In response to Reply # 2 Wed Mar-19-14 12:13 PM by SoWhat
but it may be news to some of the ppl who watch the documentary. that was his point, i think.
we have to remember - all of us learned this info at some point. it was news to us when it wasn't news to others. we should give ppl the same space to learn info that's new to them and old hat for us.
5. "I didn't read it like that..." In response to Reply # 4 Wed Mar-19-14 12:19 PM by Jakob Hellberg
Whatever, it could be interpreted that way too. Either way, *I* think he presents it in a manner that makes it sound as if this is some great revelation provided by the documentary; When asked to say something about the documentary, he chose to say this...
7. "Well, it's Brian Eno..." In response to Reply # 6
Not saying he's a racist or anything and yes, I know he has been inspired by "african" music.
Still, this is the guy who was attracted to Kraftwerk/Neu!/kraut-rock based on how european and "german" it sounded, by Devo based on how "stiff" their take on rock-rhythms were, the No Wave bands he produced on "No New York" based on the lack of references to Chuck Berry and traditional rock in their music.
Basically, this is a guy who has based a good deal of his career/aesthetic on rejecting the classic "fetischism" of "Black" musical values and "authenticity"/rootsiness and instead pushed a more art-school aesthetic. Basically, the type of guy who find Talking Heads or James Chance "art-school" and "post-modern" takes on funk more "interesting" than JB or George Clinton.
When he says something like this, it kind of look bad, like "All this music *you* guys fetichized based on its perceived Blackness, well, it was white guys playing it!", a bit smug. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I recently defended the white yurrupeaness of Kraftwerk, I'm allowed to be PC...
>Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I recently defended the >white yurrupeaness of Kraftwerk, I'm allowed to be PC...
Or maybe it's also sort of disassembling his own stereotyped preconceptions about how "white music"--or rather, white musicians--sounds.
But hey... for all his championing of a "white" aesthetic (which I've often admired him for, by the way... I do appreciate the attempts to create a rock sound without all the light minstrelsy that has been hardwired into rock & roll's DNA)... I used to have that quote by him in my sig, featuring his definition of a nerd: "A human being who does not have enough Africa in him or her."
Not the ambient stuff but his first couple of solo-albums and his shit with Roxy Music and the Bowie-albums and, yes, that he brought out the likes of Devo (not that they needed him but still... his production must have given them more attention) and championed kraut-rock and no wave and blah-blah when many/most other artists of his generation continued to go on about that fucking Robert Johnson-record they bought in the early 60's. I also think he has interesting ideas about music but I think this shunning of everything a bit more "earnest" and rootsy and whatever while praising the post-modern and "interesting" and "deconstructionist" artsy-fartsy stuff is arguably just as poisonous as the old blues&soul&rock'n'roll(&country&folk)-fetish. Not his fault but that mindset, I think it's kind of boring because I don't want all music to sound like some "interesting" science-experiments-I like to rock!
11. "he's smart enough to know better" In response to Reply # 10
>Not his fault
i love reading his writing/talks about music. he's smart enough to know better. that's why i read into it some of his own insecurities, which after all this time is kinda weird.
9. "Kinda exactly what I'm hinting at" In response to Reply # 7
>Not saying he's a racist or anything and yes, I know he has >been inspired by "african" music.
He goes both ways, which I find kinda irksome and what makes this stand out. Doesn't help that for my money he's not really great at either side. Personal opinion don't kill me.
>When he says something like this, it kind of look bad, like >"All this music *you* guys fetichized based on its perceived >Blackness, well, it was white guys playing it!", a bit smug.
Also the calling of them music snobs like he's not one... Come the fuck on!!
>Maybe I'm reading too much into it but I recently defended the >white yurrupeaness of Kraftwerk, I'm allowed to be PC...
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