As you may or may not be aware, I’m a huge Bon Jovi fan. I am, however, a bigger Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi’s guitarist) fan. Not only is he not bad to look at and seems to have a fantastic personality, but he also wrote 2 of, what I think are, the best albums of the last couple of decades: Stranger in This Town and Undiscovered Soul. I know the popular theory is that members of bands who then go on to record their own solo album are never (or rarely at the very least) as good at what they do as they are when they produce as part of a whole, but I beg to differ.
Recently I’ve found myself listening to my namesake album (i.e. Undiscovered Soul) and whether it’s because of my current mental and emotional state or something altogether different, I’ve found it talking to me. I’ve always known that Richie Sambora is something special. I’ve often said that his talent as a guitarist is what attracted me to him first, and that is true. I remember spending much more of my first Bon Jovi gig in 2006 (yes it took that long for one reason or another and I’m absolutely KICKING myself for it!!!) telling Richie to “work that axe” as opposed to “Squee!!! I want to have your babies Richie!!!” because my first image of Richie Sambora is from the cover of Cross Road where, to be honest, he looked really mean to a then 14 year old girl. For the longest time I wasn’t familiar with his solo work. Yeah I had Jon’s solo stuff, mainly because I loved the Young Guns 2 movie (which, at the time, was more than a little to do with my yen for Christian Slater. ;)) and Jon is the higher profile member of the band so I obviously recognised when his second offering was released – of course the fact the band is his namesake has nothing to do with it.
When I found out that Richie had a couple of solo releases also, of course I went out and bought them. Unfortunately they then spent the next couple of years gathering dust in my CD collection as I reacquainted myself with the band I fell for at 14 that had, alas, been put to one side when I bought into the whole boy band thing for a couple of years in the late 90’s – hence why I know that although, as a Jovi fan, you may stray from the right path, you ALWAYS come back because although they seem to have been classed as an outdated hair band by some (Blashphemy!!!!) there is a depth and soul to a lot of their material that isn’t immediately obvious and you find you miss that. When I finally did get around to listening to these two Sambora albums, I was absolutely blown away. Although there is depth to a Jovi lyric, a Sambora lyric is something else entirely.
I know I harp on a lot about songs from the soul and the depth of lyrics, but if you look, I mean REALLY look, at what Richie Sambora is saying to you, you see that his songs are full of hope. About facing adversity, holding onto your faith (either in yourself, or a higher power), and getting through the other side, and whereas Bon Jovi managed it with Livin’ On A Prayer – a song that, to most, is just a fun rock song, Sambora’s One Light Burning, Undiscovered Soul, Who I Am, etc are songs to be taken seriously. Songs to really listen to and hold on to, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll help you through some of your darkest hours.
The man doesn’t just have a soulful voice .... he has a soulful soul too.
Wednesday 15 July 2009
Sunday 12 July 2009
In Memoriam Part 2
The same day Michael Jackson died, there was another celebrity death. When all is said and done that particular 7 day period seemed to be a very black week for the show business community, but anyway I digress. The second death to which I refer is that of Farrah Fawcett. A legend in her own right and, whom I’d class as one of the strongest women in show. She died at the age of 62 from cancer and her death was pretty much overshadowed by the death the same day of Michael Jackson. A friend put it best when she described how Farrah’s 15 minutes of ‘fame’ in her posthumous state probably lasted about 3 minutes before it was overshadowed by MJ. The focus was on the unusual and sudden circumstances of his death, and she was buried quietly a week before MJ with her closest friends and family while MJ was surrounded by the circus. Again, she was way too young to die in the world we live in today.
The events of that week got me thinking. In a world where the entertainment industry seems to be all about the quick buck you just don’t get legends any more. Before too long most people will not know what an icon or legend truly is. We are leaving the era of the icon. Those names that will go down in history as pioneers, as artists who “out-ran“ their professional rivals and we’ll be left with nothing but a succession of pan flashes. The most obvious example of this is the whole Pop Idol phenomenon. I just find it a sorry state of affairs in entertainment today. Of course popularity is a good thing but I also think longevity should be as important. To use an accounting analogy, people know that investments are more rewarding long term and the returns they can reap surely far outweigh the returns you make off that current favourite.
The “what’s HOT, what’s NOT” mentality can be nothing but bad for the entertainment world. In my little world music is a big part of my life. The artists I prefer have been around for a long time, have always been a part of my world, and have honed their art to it’s finest point. I would be distraught if the artists I love had been dumped in short shrift if their first couple of albums completely tanked. This is the attitude we seem to have these days. It’s an annual event now in most countries to find the next money spinner, and this is why I hate Pop Idol. There are so many fantastically talented unknown artists out there who don't get a look in, despite having the chops to become legends, because they're not 'marketable' to the majority of the fickle music buying public (read: teens and fashion victims). They may not be pretty enough, or make the kind of music the industry tells the music buying public they should like.
By the same token, very few ‘Pop Idols’ have really stayed the course to any great degree, especially in this country. The art has become less about the art and more about the almighty dollar. It smacks of making as much money as possible in the shortest period of time and see what happens next. The first winner of the UK edition of Pop Idol (Gareth Gates) hasn’t had much attention paid to him for the last couple of years. Last I heard he had married, lost his stutter and attempted a comeback. Little has been heard from him since. The first winners of Pop Stars (Hearsay) broke up several years ago (although second year winners Girls Aloud do still seem to be pulling them in but I understand they are about to go an hiatus to see how they succeed doing their own thing)
I miss the days when bands and artists used to actually play instruments, when they could actually sing, when there wasn’t a different artist at number 1 every week and when getting the Christmas number one with some cheesy number wasn’t as important as creating something that would last and stand the test of time. When music was about music not marketing, and when you got a shot if you had talent that extended beyond your rack. I had the pleasure of watching a band called Heaven's Basement when I saw Bon Jovi last year who put me in mind of Aerosmith and no doubt have the potential to be a successful band. They were fantastic and are currently trying to get some attention around Europe. No doubt the experience they got from opening from Bon Jovi that night will get them some well deserved and needed attention, but are they likely to get the same promotion as the likes of Leona Lewis or any number of other manufactured bands that come out of Pop Idol and it's ilk?? Probably not because the music industry doesn’t seem to think that their sort of music is popular enough right now ....
Horribly enough I've been thinking it long before now with the publishing of an article some 9 months ago describing how the acts who had been around forever were gradually shuffling off this mortal coil. The death of MJ,amongst many, has made me realise that my old favourites, the classic rock stars aren't going to be around forever -- how I really need to get my quota in as much as possible. It's part of the reason I invested in an Alice Cooper ticket a couple of months ago. He, as well as many of my favourite artists, are getting on in years. 10, 20, 30 years from now I don't want to be thinking "if only" the way I am over Michael Jackson.
Rant over .... incidentally, you can find Heaven’s Basement (who actually play their own instruments) on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/heavensbasementofficial
The events of that week got me thinking. In a world where the entertainment industry seems to be all about the quick buck you just don’t get legends any more. Before too long most people will not know what an icon or legend truly is. We are leaving the era of the icon. Those names that will go down in history as pioneers, as artists who “out-ran“ their professional rivals and we’ll be left with nothing but a succession of pan flashes. The most obvious example of this is the whole Pop Idol phenomenon. I just find it a sorry state of affairs in entertainment today. Of course popularity is a good thing but I also think longevity should be as important. To use an accounting analogy, people know that investments are more rewarding long term and the returns they can reap surely far outweigh the returns you make off that current favourite.
The “what’s HOT, what’s NOT” mentality can be nothing but bad for the entertainment world. In my little world music is a big part of my life. The artists I prefer have been around for a long time, have always been a part of my world, and have honed their art to it’s finest point. I would be distraught if the artists I love had been dumped in short shrift if their first couple of albums completely tanked. This is the attitude we seem to have these days. It’s an annual event now in most countries to find the next money spinner, and this is why I hate Pop Idol. There are so many fantastically talented unknown artists out there who don't get a look in, despite having the chops to become legends, because they're not 'marketable' to the majority of the fickle music buying public (read: teens and fashion victims). They may not be pretty enough, or make the kind of music the industry tells the music buying public they should like.
By the same token, very few ‘Pop Idols’ have really stayed the course to any great degree, especially in this country. The art has become less about the art and more about the almighty dollar. It smacks of making as much money as possible in the shortest period of time and see what happens next. The first winner of the UK edition of Pop Idol (Gareth Gates) hasn’t had much attention paid to him for the last couple of years. Last I heard he had married, lost his stutter and attempted a comeback. Little has been heard from him since. The first winners of Pop Stars (Hearsay) broke up several years ago (although second year winners Girls Aloud do still seem to be pulling them in but I understand they are about to go an hiatus to see how they succeed doing their own thing)
I miss the days when bands and artists used to actually play instruments, when they could actually sing, when there wasn’t a different artist at number 1 every week and when getting the Christmas number one with some cheesy number wasn’t as important as creating something that would last and stand the test of time. When music was about music not marketing, and when you got a shot if you had talent that extended beyond your rack. I had the pleasure of watching a band called Heaven's Basement when I saw Bon Jovi last year who put me in mind of Aerosmith and no doubt have the potential to be a successful band. They were fantastic and are currently trying to get some attention around Europe. No doubt the experience they got from opening from Bon Jovi that night will get them some well deserved and needed attention, but are they likely to get the same promotion as the likes of Leona Lewis or any number of other manufactured bands that come out of Pop Idol and it's ilk?? Probably not because the music industry doesn’t seem to think that their sort of music is popular enough right now ....
Horribly enough I've been thinking it long before now with the publishing of an article some 9 months ago describing how the acts who had been around forever were gradually shuffling off this mortal coil. The death of MJ,amongst many, has made me realise that my old favourites, the classic rock stars aren't going to be around forever -- how I really need to get my quota in as much as possible. It's part of the reason I invested in an Alice Cooper ticket a couple of months ago. He, as well as many of my favourite artists, are getting on in years. 10, 20, 30 years from now I don't want to be thinking "if only" the way I am over Michael Jackson.
Rant over .... incidentally, you can find Heaven’s Basement (who actually play their own instruments) on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/heavensbasementofficial
Tuesday 7 July 2009
In Memoriam Part 1
On the day of Michael Jackson’s burial and memorial service I find myself finally having thought through my feelings on the whole affair. I have to admit, I haven’t been watching the drama unfold since that fateful day 2 weeks ago when it was announced that the legendary King Of Pop had passed away suddenly. For many who had him as part of their life and musical history that was probably the day the music died. Of course, that is said of every high profile musician’s death. They said it when Lennon was killed and when Elvis died.
I’d wager that with the ease of access to information and the amount of access to the rest of the world there probably hasn’t been an outpouring of emotion quite like we’ve experienced with Michael Jackson. Not because he was any more or less of a legend than Elvis or Lennon, but because times have changed. With the advent of 24 hour news and the internet – where information is available at the touch of a button, anybody is able to publish their own take on it, and we are no longer slaves to handwritten word – we are struck by the immediacy of “as it happens” reporting. Gone are the days when it would take several days for all the facts to come out and the slow ripple effect as newspapers gather the data. Within hours of initial reports the world was in mourning.
Of course I was sad and numb for a while at the news of the passing of Michael Jackson. He was a large part of my musical history being my first conscious musical decision and one of a few that have been a constant during my “music loving” years, but what struck me most wasn’t the fact that he died, or even how he died, but one photograph on the front of a gossip magazine. One photo of a man being wheeled out on a gurney wearing an oxygen mask as they tried to save his life and a photo which I have utter contempt for the piece of scum that took it. That man was Michael Jackson, and that was not the way I wanted to remember the legend. Unfortunately, despite the various tributes paid to MJ over the past couple of weeks that image has stuck with me. I’m sure it will stick with me for a while to come as it is reminiscent of something I experienced personally some years back with my Dad, and has, for the longest time, been the only image of my dear departed dad that I have been able to remember. Even as I type this I can see my Dad suffering the same way I’m sure MJ did. For my sins though, my memory is only in my head. MJ’s children and family have now had that image splashed on magazines the world over and it will not be as easily forgotten. Memories do fade, especially the bad ones, but an image in print like that is not as easily discarded.
Something else that bothers me about the death of MJ, is the circus that seems to have followed it. When I heard about the memorial for MJ, I began thinking that sounded like a lovely idea. When I discovered the ticket lottery for it I thought that was a little distasteful – they are, in essence, tickets for a funeral, but when I read today about the star studded “gala” that the memorial is slated to be (celebrity guests including Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson that I can recall as I type) I found myself absolutely shocked. Yes, tradition dictates that a wake is in order after a funeral – a way to honour the life of the dearly departed, but when a round of celebrities decide to partake in something that can be nothing but good publicity for them and their career I start to wonder about their true motives. Do they truly intend to honour the life of a musical legend or to get a leg up in their own career and garner extra publicity that they are lacking??
Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age but one of my online friends said it best about a week ago, mainly in reference to how a few of MJ’s own family members referred to him. We all know he was the King Of Pop, and those who knew him only as a superstar will, 90% of the time, refer to him as such. But when MJ’s own family members refer to him firstly as the King Of Pop and secondly as their brother/son etc it puts a whole new perspective on the way MJ was treated whilst he was alive. We have been told a lot in the past about MJ’s early life and career and how he was allegedly abused and no doubt turned into a money making machine by his own father, but I would expect that, despite all that, the emphasis, from the Jacksons at least should have been on family before fame. Please don't take this as an attack on Michael's family, for right now they are in pain over the loss of a cherished family member.
I will miss MJ and his contributions to the music world. Despite his problems and issues over the years there’s no denying that he was a genius and has the right to be remembered as such. Unfortunately, I strongly believe that for every person willing to remember MJ as such, there will be several more who will focus on his “freakishness”, rumour and legal problems. I read earlier on my Facebook feeds page, the friend of a friend relaying how amongst the floral trbutes laid throughout Los Angeles for the legend there sat one in very bad taste given the current circumstances, making references to the paedophilia accusations of several years ago. I just hope that in death he can find the peace that was so sorely lacking while he was alive.
I’d wager that with the ease of access to information and the amount of access to the rest of the world there probably hasn’t been an outpouring of emotion quite like we’ve experienced with Michael Jackson. Not because he was any more or less of a legend than Elvis or Lennon, but because times have changed. With the advent of 24 hour news and the internet – where information is available at the touch of a button, anybody is able to publish their own take on it, and we are no longer slaves to handwritten word – we are struck by the immediacy of “as it happens” reporting. Gone are the days when it would take several days for all the facts to come out and the slow ripple effect as newspapers gather the data. Within hours of initial reports the world was in mourning.
Of course I was sad and numb for a while at the news of the passing of Michael Jackson. He was a large part of my musical history being my first conscious musical decision and one of a few that have been a constant during my “music loving” years, but what struck me most wasn’t the fact that he died, or even how he died, but one photograph on the front of a gossip magazine. One photo of a man being wheeled out on a gurney wearing an oxygen mask as they tried to save his life and a photo which I have utter contempt for the piece of scum that took it. That man was Michael Jackson, and that was not the way I wanted to remember the legend. Unfortunately, despite the various tributes paid to MJ over the past couple of weeks that image has stuck with me. I’m sure it will stick with me for a while to come as it is reminiscent of something I experienced personally some years back with my Dad, and has, for the longest time, been the only image of my dear departed dad that I have been able to remember. Even as I type this I can see my Dad suffering the same way I’m sure MJ did. For my sins though, my memory is only in my head. MJ’s children and family have now had that image splashed on magazines the world over and it will not be as easily forgotten. Memories do fade, especially the bad ones, but an image in print like that is not as easily discarded.
Something else that bothers me about the death of MJ, is the circus that seems to have followed it. When I heard about the memorial for MJ, I began thinking that sounded like a lovely idea. When I discovered the ticket lottery for it I thought that was a little distasteful – they are, in essence, tickets for a funeral, but when I read today about the star studded “gala” that the memorial is slated to be (celebrity guests including Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson that I can recall as I type) I found myself absolutely shocked. Yes, tradition dictates that a wake is in order after a funeral – a way to honour the life of the dearly departed, but when a round of celebrities decide to partake in something that can be nothing but good publicity for them and their career I start to wonder about their true motives. Do they truly intend to honour the life of a musical legend or to get a leg up in their own career and garner extra publicity that they are lacking??
Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age but one of my online friends said it best about a week ago, mainly in reference to how a few of MJ’s own family members referred to him. We all know he was the King Of Pop, and those who knew him only as a superstar will, 90% of the time, refer to him as such. But when MJ’s own family members refer to him firstly as the King Of Pop and secondly as their brother/son etc it puts a whole new perspective on the way MJ was treated whilst he was alive. We have been told a lot in the past about MJ’s early life and career and how he was allegedly abused and no doubt turned into a money making machine by his own father, but I would expect that, despite all that, the emphasis, from the Jacksons at least should have been on family before fame. Please don't take this as an attack on Michael's family, for right now they are in pain over the loss of a cherished family member.
I will miss MJ and his contributions to the music world. Despite his problems and issues over the years there’s no denying that he was a genius and has the right to be remembered as such. Unfortunately, I strongly believe that for every person willing to remember MJ as such, there will be several more who will focus on his “freakishness”, rumour and legal problems. I read earlier on my Facebook feeds page, the friend of a friend relaying how amongst the floral trbutes laid throughout Los Angeles for the legend there sat one in very bad taste given the current circumstances, making references to the paedophilia accusations of several years ago. I just hope that in death he can find the peace that was so sorely lacking while he was alive.
RIP Michael Jackson
Intuitive Leaps
I’m in a quandary. I’ve found what I consider to be the perfect job. It seems to encompass several of the things I enjoy most – surfing the Internet, taking photos, going to gigs and meeting people but bizarrely I’m having a crisis.
Something is holding me back from taking that first step and submitting my application for consideration. I don’t know if it’s because it would involve leaving everything I know where I am now and moving down to London, if it’s a lack of confidence in my ability to both win and carry out the job, it may even be down to some misplaced loyalty to my current employer who made me an official permanent employee as of Monday, but there’s definitely SOMETHING that’s stopping me from taking that step.
I’m trying to convince myself that it’s one of those jobs that don’t come up very often – the kind of job that most people would love because it seems so different from the humdrum life of an office. It may even lead on to bigger and better things in the future .... so why the HELL is it so difficult to just do it. Why do I seem ‘happier’ to stay where I am and spend the nest 20 or 30 years in a rut in Hell. Maybe I’m just not ready, even at [nearly] 30 to be an adult. I see all my friends being grown up and having families and buying houses, living in their own places and doing for them – bollocks to everyone else .... so why am I still here. Maybe it’s the years spent being responsible for my Dad’s sake that became lost and wasted years, maybe it’s the years I spent being miserable at my last proper job, maybe part of me thinks I should be the one who stays home and looks after house while my mother goes out socialising every night.
Whatever it is it’s not conducive to the life I want .... but I need to get myself sorted before life passes me by completely and I find myself sitting alone wondering where it all went ....
Something is holding me back from taking that first step and submitting my application for consideration. I don’t know if it’s because it would involve leaving everything I know where I am now and moving down to London, if it’s a lack of confidence in my ability to both win and carry out the job, it may even be down to some misplaced loyalty to my current employer who made me an official permanent employee as of Monday, but there’s definitely SOMETHING that’s stopping me from taking that step.
I’m trying to convince myself that it’s one of those jobs that don’t come up very often – the kind of job that most people would love because it seems so different from the humdrum life of an office. It may even lead on to bigger and better things in the future .... so why the HELL is it so difficult to just do it. Why do I seem ‘happier’ to stay where I am and spend the nest 20 or 30 years in a rut in Hell. Maybe I’m just not ready, even at [nearly] 30 to be an adult. I see all my friends being grown up and having families and buying houses, living in their own places and doing for them – bollocks to everyone else .... so why am I still here. Maybe it’s the years spent being responsible for my Dad’s sake that became lost and wasted years, maybe it’s the years I spent being miserable at my last proper job, maybe part of me thinks I should be the one who stays home and looks after house while my mother goes out socialising every night.
Whatever it is it’s not conducive to the life I want .... but I need to get myself sorted before life passes me by completely and I find myself sitting alone wondering where it all went ....
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