Would you stand up and walk out on me?
No – I wouldn’t – but we would all laugh at you. Then Simon or Ryan or Piers would make a nasty, catty remark about your lack of talent. Then you would walk off the stage humiliated….
What the HELL has happened to music?
This summer, my band Cross the Dog entered the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame.
(pause….)
OK – I visited the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame while wearing a Cross the Dog t-shirt.
(rimshot….)
Here’s a picture….
Cross the Dog enters the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame
Anyway, it is something I have wanted to do for years – and I even have to drive through Cleveland on a regular basis, so there was no reason for NOT going. I am glad I did, and I recommend it to any lover of rock’n’roll. Just be sure you allow enough time (several hours) – there is a lot to see and do.
It should come as no surprise that the Rock Hall has a big exhibit dedicated to Woodstock, especially in this 40th anniversary year. The exhibit includes a small theater, in which clips from the concert (actually from the movie) stream continuously. The clips included Janis Joplin, The Who, Ritchie Havens, John Sebastian, and of course Country Joe leading the “Fish” cheer.
And Joe Cocker.
Have you seen footage of Cocker at Woodstock? If not, take a look at the clip here. Hell – take a look at the clip even if you have seen it before. It is worth watching again and again…
I don’t know about you, but it still gives me chills…..
Now – imagine Cocker doing that performance on “America’s Got Talent” (disclaimer – yes – I know Cocker is British).
Hmmm…. he would receive three “X” votes in less than 30 seconds…..
Then imagine what Piers Morgan would have to say in that oh-so-condescending Brit accent…..
You certainly have lots of emotion…
but you know, you really don’t have much of a singing voice…
and your movements… I mean, you look like you are having a seizure or something….
and… well… frankly you seem like you are stoned…..
We see lots of really talented singers here, and you are just not one of them….
I’m afraid its a no…..
(sigh)
When I compare the raw emotion and absolute fucking POWER in Cocker’s performance, I am reminded of just how far down we have fallen. Compare it to the prepackaged pablum we see from all those American Idol clones, from Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers and whatever new untalented starlet Disney decides to put in front of a lip-synch track.
It almost makes me want to cry…. no, it does make me cry.
What has happened to the music? Where has the PASSION gone? Where is the raw emotion? Where is the power?
I wouldn’t trade one Joe Cocker for a million American Idol winners.
What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song,
And I’ll try not to sing out of key.
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm,I get high with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.
That’s really what music is all about isn’t it?
Where has it all gone?
Tags: American Idol, Joe Cocker, Music, musings, observations, Piers Morgan, Woodstock
August 27, 2009 at 8:41 pm |
I also love Joe Cocker’s performance at Woodstock. Certainly one of my favorites in the movie. However, for me the background vocals are off-putting. Could it be that those bad background vocals make the lead sound much better in comparison?
Nevertheless, your plea for passion in performance is spot on. Well said.
August 27, 2009 at 9:00 pm |
OK – agreed – the background vocals are problematic. I always thought those were female vocalists before I saw the movie!
I think the fact that we can admire Cocker despite the background vocals is testimony to his power.
August 27, 2009 at 11:33 pm |
Yes, where has it all gone?
I first heard Run DMC release “Walk this way”, an original by Aerosmith, and I though “can’t Run DMC do their own music?” That was in the late ’80s. It degraded rapidly from there.
So, today, all I hear from the hip-hop and rap group are snippets by other artists which is embedded into their chanting composed using a drum-machine and a single note from a keyboard.
And the public is expected to accept that as music.
Seems to me that the movers and shakers who are now occupying the offices of the record machine are a product of the inner-city ghetto music scene.
They don’t know shit when they hear it…
… and they don’t have talent, either.
August 28, 2009 at 5:18 am |
Ben – I agree with a lot of what you say and I admit I hated the Aerosmith/Run DMC thing. However, even Aerosmith will tell you that the popularity of the Run DMC cover resurrected their career. At the time Aerosmith was pretty much at their career low – but the new popularity catapulted them back to a level approaching what it had been in the 70s.
So, at least some good came from that.
August 28, 2009 at 1:04 am |
You may just convinced me to get over my hippie phobia. Cocker was amazing in that clip, as much power and feeling as Joplin. Is that how you perform. How about some seaweed dancing.
August 29, 2009 at 8:42 pm |
My baby loves this