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Busker's letter to Noel Gallagher about working class music
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Just stumbled across this article on Gigwise featuring an open letter from a busker called Longy to Noel Gallagher about his recent comments on working class music.
I thought it would be one of those "cry for attention" kinda things, but actually he makes some really good points, it was a great read!
Interested to hear other people's opinion on this as I'm a huge fan of Noel but I find myself agreeing with everything Longy is saying. There's been loads said recently about the gentrification of the arts and I think it's good that the discussion is now focussing on music too.
http://www.gigwise.com/news/99536/noel-gallagher-working-class-rock-attitude-attacked-by-longy
I thought it would be one of those "cry for attention" kinda things, but actually he makes some really good points, it was a great read!
Interested to hear other people's opinion on this as I'm a huge fan of Noel but I find myself agreeing with everything Longy is saying. There's been loads said recently about the gentrification of the arts and I think it's good that the discussion is now focussing on music too.
http://www.gigwise.com/news/99536/noel-gallagher-working-class-rock-attitude-attacked-by-longy
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Frankly Longy is spot on
2) He is in a position to do something about it
Like what? The letter doesn't specify. It's not like being signed means much in this day and age.
Working class bands need to do it for themselves. Not write snooty open letters.
David Bowie said that in a post-internet age, music will be like tap water. A constant flow people don't think much about.
And he was right. The days of music as social commentary are long gone.
To be honest I don't recall any of those things being in Oasis's music much either. Aside from the Punk movement, maybe the grunge movement and odd individual acts like The Boss, The Smiths and RATM - there hasn't be a lot of that Rock music really. I associate those more with Rap and Folk music to be honest.
Kendrick Lamar's new record, one of the biggest sellers of the year so far, couldn't be more politically and socially relevant.
Shame UK artists didn't get the memo.
ok...so i missed out 'social commentary'..:p
the 60's were littered with such comments, from the kinks, animals, small faces, yardbirds... then from punk/new wave onwards throughout the 80's such topics were commonplace.
It tv that does that now and books.
i dont understand how that would work, nor why it shouldnt transfer to music.
It can but it won't challenge it or talking about.Fact is young people now would rather watch GOT and read a book,than search for another Nirvana or Sex Pistol.Radio would rather Cheryl Lloyd track than play another Nirvana or White Stripe track if they got back together tomorrow.And there force to do it not they want to put it on.Plus there no movement for it anymore like there was in the 90's.
Plus if it's rock music you want it very Limp now.
you can see why NME is in decline now it crap pavement style bands that have no like Speedy Ortiz or something there called and they sound out of tune a voice that put you too sleep than rebel
A Noel Gallagher of 2015 isn't going to talk about anything remotely working class which is fair enough. But has the lead singer of this band listened to any of the lyrics of Definitely Maybe? The songs were completely about working class life.
Spot on, Cigarettes & Alcohol for example is practically a working class anthem:
"Cigarettes & Alcohol"
Is it my imagination
Or have I finally found something worth living for?
I was looking for some action
But all I found was cigarettes and alcohol
You could wait for a lifetime
To spend your days in the sunshine
You might as well do the white line
Cos when it comes on top . . .
You gotta make it happen!
Is it worth the aggravation
To find yourself a job when there's nothing worth working for?
It's a crazy situation
But all I need are cigarettes and alcohol!
You could wait for a lifetime
To spend your days in the sunshine
You might as well do the white line
Cos when it comes on top . . .
You gotta make it happen!
Their entire career was all about being working class and escaping that through music.
In pop music perhaps, but thats been on the decline since the late 70s when manufactured pop became much smarter to make than hedging your bets on the next big thing.
Plenty of music is still full of social commentary, all different styles as well. From the Punk angst of Choking Victim to Hip Hop like Immortal Technique, its their, its just not going to reach the masses.
The concept of making it rich and big with rock music is pretty dead now, those days are over. But before you cry its the death of music, remember, rock came out as a stand against conformity, now its the safe haven of the boring (see anything Coldplay, anything at all, even the name is drab cardi wearing middle class tosh). Something will pick up the mantle, always will.
But this isnt something specific to rock either, metal has its fair share of middle class meanderings. Hip Hop has plenty of middle class "gangstas", and thats a split in its respective community as well.