Thursday, December 07, 2006

The Staple and the Stage Hand

Rock and roll doesn't know it (I mean, what the fuck does rock and roll know?), but its finest and most emotionally acute writer is Bobby Lightfoot.

Jesus Christ. Please read this essay. Everything you need to know about the Rock-n-Roll Life is in here. The raging egos, the blistering idiocy, the desperation of the Thinking Person in the World of Unthinking People -- it's all in here.

I want to just hug him, hold his hand, mumble comforting words. It's OK, bro. I understand. I'm with you, and always will be. All You Need Is Love.

Why It's Called the Orchestra of Sweet Regret.

(By the way, every fuckin' word of this is true. He told me at the time. It's true.)

2 comments:

roxtar said...

Jane's fuckin' Addiction? Got some airplay on a bunch of 3kw College Radio/Modern Radio stations? Fuckin' poseurs. I've got more respect for whoever comprises the current iteration of Foghat. At least they're working musicians who have to please an audience every night, not a load of self-impressed knob-gobblers who were able to buy off some pimply college sophomore Program Director with a crappy phone interview and some free albums to give away on "The Alternative Voice of Palmetto County Junior College."

Hey, I used to promote records for Soundgarden's label. I got a lot of college airplay by telling said pimple-faces that "these guys are grunge, dude. Commercial radio doesn't have the balls to play this stuff."

I didn't mention that commercial radio wouldn't play this stuff because this stuff was largely crapola dressed up with feedback, shitty production values, and a promotion strategy that could be summarized as "Play it because it's unpopular. It's kewl (sic) to be unpopular."

There's more integrity (and more worthy of respect) in Soulfinger nailing "What is Hip?" in some shitty ski lodge watering hole than in all the Lollapaloozas laid end to end.

And you're right Ned. That's one raw, exposed nerve of an essay, which is why I can only muster the balls to address it obliquely, here, where I know Bobby will see it, but where I don't have to face his angst head-on.

Kevin Wolf said...

roxtar's got it. I sometimes have no idea what to say in the comments at Bobby's place. Hell, what he puts up doesn't seem to need comments.

But I wouldn't miss a word.