We were talking about music (of course we were). We were watching MTV for a bit and again we were amazed by how little it seems to take to be on TV. It made us feel a little bit sad. Then we browsed the Internet. We were overwhelmed by how many amazing artists are hidden somewhere in this world. We were overwhelmed by how many amazing artists will always be hidden somewhere in this world. It confused us more than a little when we tried to link the rubbish on TV and the goldmine out there, somewhere.
We thought about it for a second.
I remembered my interview with Pete Green. He said: "There's no point getting your knickers in a twist about the charts. Industry music is no more relevant to the indiepop movement than Baroque chamber music or horse racing. What we do and where we are now is wonderful and I'm just about completely joyous about the whole thing. (…) We've got a beautiful scene with everything we need."
And Pete's right of course. We shouldn't be saddened by what's on TV; we can turn it off without any effort.
To be honest, a big part of the joy of music is the experience of discovery, of digging in that mine yourself. To get ridiculously excited when you find that diamond. To have that little secret, that knowledgde about something so beautiful that no one else you know knows about. Sometimes, when your diamond, your little secret, through mechanisms that will probably always stay a mystery, suddenly gets a lot of attention in the 'real' world, it's secretly even hurting a little bit, isn't it? Think Belle & Sebastian. Think The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, even.
I stumbled upon Sibylle Baier's website and smiled at this part, written by her son: "Sibylle will most likely never see this site. She is really quite perplexed by all the attention that her music has gotten (after over 30 years). My father keeps telling her about all the pages and articles that are out there, but she, though smitten, prefers to hear about her accolades through the eyes and ears of her family. The web makes her dizzy, I think."
I imagine a future world, say 2030 (I'm 52). The world discovers The Smittens, Pants Yell!
The press rave about Liechtenstein, Pocketbooks.
It's ok. We've had them to ourselves for long enough by then.
The web makes me dizzy too. Dizzy but happy, and so, so grateful.
Download (Mediafire)
1. Sibylle Baier - Tonight
2. When I was 12 - Make believe hearts
3. Rose Melberg - Things that we do
3 comments:
Yes!
Some people think this is elitism or indie snobbery. You know, those WRONG people, who don't get it, and are WRONG.
lovely post! totally relate to the feeling you're talking...
and most of the times people think i'm a snob because i listen to artists with 'five plays on last.fm' but honesty, instead of paying attention on what tv or the radio brings i prefer to search, dig, run after those small artists that make music on their bedrooms/basements/garages/backyards because it's a hobby, a way to relax or just because. without expectations or much fuss about.
again, lovely post!
Yes, lovely post, Dennis - thanks!
I was going to write a long comment about how we are lucky to have ever come across this indiepop thing because it's brilliant and no-one will ever pay attention to it, and it's lovely to be able to actually get a chance to be properly involved in the stuff you like rather than passively watch it unfold in the pages of glossy magazines and on the telly, but I didn't want to come across as a big elitist.
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