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Re: alanis concert
" just got me to thinking about what makes a band...
> i mean, would you still like otr if otr wasn't called otr but karin
bergquist
> instead?
> jan"
hmmm. i think that what makes a band will be different in each
individual case. a lot of you have been discussin the prayer chain,
and i have come to understand that their breakup was due in part to a
lack of efeective oragniztion. stave hindalong (thier producer, also
the drummer/lyricist for the choir) warned tham that a "democracy" was
not a good way to "run" a band. but then again, r.e.m. seems to belie
that statement. the reuslt of bill berry's departure from that band
changed the sound, focus, songwriting of the band (don't get me wrong-
"up" is gorgeous, to say the least).
then you have the "classic" model of "leadership," where one or two
memebers o fthe band pull the creative wieght: the beatles had lennon
and mccartney, u2 has bono and the edge (but do you realize how
hopelessly silly bono would be without adam clayton's cool to balance
him out?) and so on.
OtR seems to be based on this model- especially now with the depature
of ric- linford and karin seem to determine the focus and personality
of the band.
though alanis might have a great band behind her, she could, arguably,
tour with a completely different group and still be *alanis.* she has
(as plato might say) all of the "alanis" essence, where as the essence
of OtR seems to come from (mostly) linford and karin, though i'm not
going to stand beinh that statement 100%.
of course, you have to factor glenn ballard in to the alanis question:
her earlier canadian teeny-bop albums have caused some to wonder if
perhpas her new image of a representative of semifeminist women
("semifeminist" simply meaning those women who don't wholly subscribe
to the ideologies of feminism) isn't a construct of mr. ballard, who
is well-known for constucting pop personae. but, if we're using
plato's model of essense, then alanis, in her current form, did not
exist until that essence intersected with ballard's constructed
persona (what plato would call the material form).
OtR produces themselves, due to thier lack of a lebel, and with the
exception of trina shoemaker's influence on "eve," one could say that
OtR's essence is informed mostly by the combination of linford and
karin's direction, and the otherwise changing roster of the rest of
the band.
i don't know if that makes any sense, but it sure was fun to write!
john.
(right now i'm listening to "the best of leonard cohen.")
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