The Joy of it all
I am a terrible music snob. No, really. I am. This surprises you doesn't? It shouldn't. I think my passion for music, is perhaps higher than that for books, I think. Yet, even I can make mistakes and so it seems I have of late. I am sure I have blind spots in my musical knowledge; For instance, should you wish to consult an expert in Icelandic death metal, then this would not be me. Would you like to discuss the impact of the music of the 'Carpenters', then again, move on. You can probably also add to this whatever the DJ's (if this is what they are still called on R1), are playing on this station. I imagine it is some form of manifestation of what a migraine is, set to music.
So. The, 'Joy Division' then. Perhaps the first band in the history of music to name themselves after the prostitution wing of a concentration camp. Which if not defining them as a band that wanted to challenge preconceptions then I am not sure exactly what else they could have done, with such impact....
...I cannot even now remember how this came up in conversation. Maybe I stumbled over them in Spotify & then mentioned it on twitter that no-one had introduced me to the, Joy Division. This provoked much merriment at work, proving to be the equivalent of, arguably, saying; 'I didn't know Freddie Mercury was a singer.'
However, this is not strictly true. Having then gone home and played 'Love will tear us apart'. I knew who the, Joy Division were. I 'recognised' this one track. I liked it and then probably filed it away 20 years ago as '80's music' and then wiped clean the, Theaker musical database section: Division, Joy.
This may have proved to have been a mistake.
As of the last decade, maybe it is down to my age but I am starting to rehabilitate some 80's music. Not the eternal drivel that is about as useful as the eternal drivel being produced now; hello, Spandau Ballet, One Direction. What with my music tastes being a little on the 'morose' side of lyric writing, I find myself surprised with this 'blind spot'. I have been trying to consider the reasons as to why. After all, we make mistakes, but the biggest mistake made is not learning from those mistakes made. So, why did I make this mistake.
Number 1 - I am a fool - Invariably, this tends to be the default position when I make a mistake. It is a fairly reliable litmus test. Indeed, it was my own mother who said, 'I don't know where you got your brains from. I can only think you traded all the common sense you possessed in exchange'. An interesting argument that in all honesty I have only ever reinforced!
Number 2 - I tend to be opposite - Ooh, do you see that brilliant new band, So & So, they are so good because they are on X,Y,Z and everyone thinks they are brilliant...Is pretty much the best way to get me to avoid them like the plague. It is because I have always never really been an 'opinion follower'. I am a true blooded 'Opinion former'. I have never really needed people to attempt to form my opinions for me. I am quite happy to form my own from the world around me, and through listening, reading and hearing. I shall repeat this only once (in true, 'Allo, 'Allo, style), 'Opinions formers are only giving you their intrepretation of the evidence that they have used. You can have access to this evidence, and maybe even more. Don't be lazy, use your brain to form your opinion. It will be as valid as theirs!' (it only takes practice!)
Number 3 - I don't like Manchester - I was forced to travel there for three years by the O.U. because no one in the East Midlands was doing an MA in classics, so I had to go to one of the North regions. This involved getting to Manchester for 10am on a saturday, for a 2 hour meeting (it was a 6hr round trip). Have you tried that from Nottingham? don't. EVERY TIME I WENT THERE, IT RAINED ON ME. I invariably spent 3 hours coming home, wearing damp clothes.
I hate the Football team.
I hate coronation street.
In fact the one saving grace of Manchester, is that the museum holds the original, and my favourite depiction of, Sappho, the greek poetress.
The most obvious benefit from this foolery is that at the age I am I can relive my teenage years when all the worlds music was still to be discovered. As I mentioned to a friend at work, the pleasure, as a teenager of hearing bands such as; The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam etc was a feeling difficult to replicate. But the older you get the less you experience this as the legendary bands have come and seemingly, gone. Only every now and again do you come across a new band that holds some interest. They may have longevity, they may become brilliant, but the bands that have gone past aren't really discovered because they have already been found. Not in this case, I have lived in the main, blissfully unaware of the talents of the Joy Division. The last week I have become 16 again. This is a quite wonderful and amazing feel to relive.
The greater sadness is that the death of Ian Curtis, after only two albums cut off quite an exceptional talent...who knows what heights he may have reached. The ones he scaled where magnificent enough, of course.
So. The, 'Joy Division' then. Perhaps the first band in the history of music to name themselves after the prostitution wing of a concentration camp. Which if not defining them as a band that wanted to challenge preconceptions then I am not sure exactly what else they could have done, with such impact....
...I cannot even now remember how this came up in conversation. Maybe I stumbled over them in Spotify & then mentioned it on twitter that no-one had introduced me to the, Joy Division. This provoked much merriment at work, proving to be the equivalent of, arguably, saying; 'I didn't know Freddie Mercury was a singer.'
However, this is not strictly true. Having then gone home and played 'Love will tear us apart'. I knew who the, Joy Division were. I 'recognised' this one track. I liked it and then probably filed it away 20 years ago as '80's music' and then wiped clean the, Theaker musical database section: Division, Joy.
This may have proved to have been a mistake.
As of the last decade, maybe it is down to my age but I am starting to rehabilitate some 80's music. Not the eternal drivel that is about as useful as the eternal drivel being produced now; hello, Spandau Ballet, One Direction. What with my music tastes being a little on the 'morose' side of lyric writing, I find myself surprised with this 'blind spot'. I have been trying to consider the reasons as to why. After all, we make mistakes, but the biggest mistake made is not learning from those mistakes made. So, why did I make this mistake.
Number 1 - I am a fool - Invariably, this tends to be the default position when I make a mistake. It is a fairly reliable litmus test. Indeed, it was my own mother who said, 'I don't know where you got your brains from. I can only think you traded all the common sense you possessed in exchange'. An interesting argument that in all honesty I have only ever reinforced!
Number 2 - I tend to be opposite - Ooh, do you see that brilliant new band, So & So, they are so good because they are on X,Y,Z and everyone thinks they are brilliant...Is pretty much the best way to get me to avoid them like the plague. It is because I have always never really been an 'opinion follower'. I am a true blooded 'Opinion former'. I have never really needed people to attempt to form my opinions for me. I am quite happy to form my own from the world around me, and through listening, reading and hearing. I shall repeat this only once (in true, 'Allo, 'Allo, style), 'Opinions formers are only giving you their intrepretation of the evidence that they have used. You can have access to this evidence, and maybe even more. Don't be lazy, use your brain to form your opinion. It will be as valid as theirs!' (it only takes practice!)
Number 3 - I don't like Manchester - I was forced to travel there for three years by the O.U. because no one in the East Midlands was doing an MA in classics, so I had to go to one of the North regions. This involved getting to Manchester for 10am on a saturday, for a 2 hour meeting (it was a 6hr round trip). Have you tried that from Nottingham? don't. EVERY TIME I WENT THERE, IT RAINED ON ME. I invariably spent 3 hours coming home, wearing damp clothes.
I hate the Football team.
I hate coronation street.
In fact the one saving grace of Manchester, is that the museum holds the original, and my favourite depiction of, Sappho, the greek poetress.
The most obvious benefit from this foolery is that at the age I am I can relive my teenage years when all the worlds music was still to be discovered. As I mentioned to a friend at work, the pleasure, as a teenager of hearing bands such as; The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam etc was a feeling difficult to replicate. But the older you get the less you experience this as the legendary bands have come and seemingly, gone. Only every now and again do you come across a new band that holds some interest. They may have longevity, they may become brilliant, but the bands that have gone past aren't really discovered because they have already been found. Not in this case, I have lived in the main, blissfully unaware of the talents of the Joy Division. The last week I have become 16 again. This is a quite wonderful and amazing feel to relive.
The greater sadness is that the death of Ian Curtis, after only two albums cut off quite an exceptional talent...who knows what heights he may have reached. The ones he scaled where magnificent enough, of course.
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