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Rsp to Linford: Community
That Linford would ever solicit advice about what direction the band should go
from readers of the listserv to me seems emblematic of some of the finest
things about OTR. Not because not because we are the deposit of wisdom, God
bless their hearts for recognizing that, but because they acknowledge their
interesting and strange relationship and partial responsibility to those
who’ve helped them on their way.
I think the thing I’ve enjoyed most about OTR are the three concerts I’ve
attended. Once at Hammerschmidt Chapel at Elmhurst College (4 Apr 97), at
Schuba’s that July, and the Emery Theatre (19 Dec 97). They were these cool,
intimate settings. Though, at Hammerschmidt my date and I did leave midway
through VOL set. I remember Linford making this statement about having seen
couples walking into the chapel that Spring evening, and how the next song
seemed appropriate and we heard "the seahorse" begin. Perfect segue to my
favorite song. Particularly because I was with a woman I adored that evening.
Would there be the same intimacy if OTR went big? Probably not, since
Hammerschmidt chapels would not be played, and if they were we would have to
fight for tickets with people who had never heard ’Til We Have Faces and
wouldn’t like it anyway.
Would the Emery Theatre concerts be able to continue and with the same
texture? I think that is still one of my favorite concerts ever. I remember
when Karin sang ‘poughkeepsie.’ All the other band members except Karin and
Linford left the stage. Linford came from behind his keyboards and sat on a
bench with an acoustic guitar. Karin spoke into the microphone about Emery
being a Christmas concert, that many people might not think the next song was
a Christmas song, ‘...but it’s a Christmas song to me.’ I also remember before
they played ‘lucy’ that they mentioned she was in the audience that evening.
Would they still write songs about real problems in their lives or in the
lives of people for whom they care: could they be this vulnerable. Could they
have the poetic and religious subtlety like on Eve?
I worry that Chris (Emery) may be a bit optimistic about how this would change
the band-fan relationship (His ‘ain’t so’ that ‘the band doesn't care about
the fans anymore’). The band would still care, but it’s pretty hard to care
for the bulk of people who would buy their three-million CDs or so. The
texture of the relationship would have to change maybe making the
Rhinelander’s round-up and listserv difficult if not impossible.
Right now I have this picture of OTR, and maybe it’s naïve, that they are more
about community than about consumer marketing. If so, going big could reverse
that because that’s the job of a big label. Videos are not about relationship,
they’re about mass-marketing. Kinda like the Transformers cartoons that used
to make me wanna buy the toys when I was a kid. Though in this case, I’m not
sure how one would visually represent latter days, lucy, or poughkeepsie with
videos. Some works like _Alice in Wonderland_ just aren’t captured by
visual representations.
Oh yeah, I think the financial security issue is legit. I have no idea what
OTR gross earnings are or if they are making ends meet. But aren’t their ways
to financial security besides making a few million dollars? Like careful
investments, mutual funds, and stuff like that. And probably somebody on this
listserv could help with that if OTR doesn’t have someone doing that now.
Which again is about community. Fans serving the band and making the
relationship more mutual rather than OTR needing to become independent of
their fans to become more secure. If any band deserves this kind of support,
OTR is one, constantly turning out a good, insightful, surprising, edifying
product.
jay chandra
wheaton, il