Heston and Marky's Friday Top 5

[Dr. Medulla]

Right guy, wrong band.

[Marky Dread]

Right guy, wrong band.

Excellent!

[Kory]

I assume your argument is to not sound like anyone else? It's a great ideal, but the vast degree of sub-genres makes it pretty much impossible now.

No, I'm not that idealistic, but I think when somebody comes in with a new song where we all say very confidently "that sounds very much like [band x]" we should work a little harder to cover our theft. I get enormous amounts of pushback on this small preference.

Well, assuming there is a desire in the band to sell records, the only thing that matters is finding a market. Crass as it is, that's all that matters—not whether it's good or meaningful or original, but whether it can be effectively marketed to the kind of people who might want to buy it. So coming up with a song that sounds like [Famous Artist] is cutting to the chase—this can be marketed to fans of [Famous Artist]. Now, the x-factor in it all might be what you're hinting at—fans of [Famous Artist] might reject it because it sounds too similar. Depends on the fans. To me, it's pretty much a crapshoot. Lots of distinct bands get nowhere, lots of copycat bands get nowhere commercially, a few distinct ones and a few copycats find success. But I don't necessarily think your bandmates are wrong in trying to sound like a particular band as a way of getting at that audience.

I guess that's the biggest difference between me and these guys—they want to be big and I want to explore different styles of music.

Right guy, wrong band.

A thought that goes through my head frequently. I'm constantly on the verge of quitting but it's so hard, especially at my age, to find musicians that are willing to practice regularly. What became VERY clear to me yesterday during an argument about whether our new album should be pressed to vinyl, is that our singer doesn't really like being in a band at all. She just views it as a vehicle for becoming a star, whatever that means to her.

[Dr. Medulla]

A thought that goes through my head frequently. I'm constantly on the verge of quitting but it's so hard, especially at my age, to find musicians that are willing to practice regularly. What became VERY clear to me yesterday during an argument about whether our new album should be pressed to vinyl, is that our singer doesn't really like being in a band at all. She just views it as a vehicle for becoming a star, whatever that means to her.

I guess it's good that you're aware of all this, but, yeah, between your more insular artistic ambitions and her personal, celebrity ambitions, it seems a rickety structure. Which could be liberating for you—if there are multiple people pulling in different directions, it's not like you're the problematic one. No guilt, in other words. Plus, if this seems short-term—and everything you describe does suggest this—maybe you want to switch to a fun-while-it-lasts mode. I dunno. But regardless, it doesn't seem worth you being frustrated and miserable (if ever it was worth it).

I'll still buy your record, tho.

[Marky Dread]

No, I'm not that idealistic, but I think when somebody comes in with a new song where we all say very confidently "that sounds very much like [band x]" we should work a little harder to cover our theft. I get enormous amounts of pushback on this small preference.

Well, assuming there is a desire in the band to sell records, the only thing that matters is finding a market. Crass as it is, that's all that matters—not whether it's good or meaningful or original, but whether it can be effectively marketed to the kind of people who might want to buy it. So coming up with a song that sounds like [Famous Artist] is cutting to the chase—this can be marketed to fans of [Famous Artist]. Now, the x-factor in it all might be what you're hinting at—fans of [Famous Artist] might reject it because it sounds too similar. Depends on the fans. To me, it's pretty much a crapshoot. Lots of distinct bands get nowhere, lots of copycat bands get nowhere commercially, a few distinct ones and a few copycats find success. But I don't necessarily think your bandmates are wrong in trying to sound like a particular band as a way of getting at that audience.

I guess that's the biggest difference between me and these guys—they want to be big and I want to explore different styles of music.

Right guy, wrong band.

A thought that goes through my head frequently. I'm constantly on the verge of quitting but it's so hard, especially at my age, to find musicians that are willing to practice regularly. What became VERY clear to me yesterday during an argument about whether our new album should be pressed to vinyl, is that our singer doesn't really like being in a band at all. She just views it as a vehicle for becoming a star, whatever that means to her.

I can see your predicament / paradox. The essence of this problem may be the time you are able to comitt to a band that don't view music or artistic merit as you do. I take it you still pursue your own musical journey outside the reaches of the band. Just being in a band simply isn't enough.

[Kory]

Well, assuming there is a desire in the band to sell records, the only thing that matters is finding a market. Crass as it is, that's all that matters—not whether it's good or meaningful or original, but whether it can be effectively marketed to the kind of people who might want to buy it. So coming up with a song that sounds like [Famous Artist] is cutting to the chase—this can be marketed to fans of [Famous Artist]. Now, the x-factor in it all might be what you're hinting at—fans of [Famous Artist] might reject it because it sounds too similar. Depends on the fans. To me, it's pretty much a crapshoot. Lots of distinct bands get nowhere, lots of copycat bands get nowhere commercially, a few distinct ones and a few copycats find success. But I don't necessarily think your bandmates are wrong in trying to sound like a particular band as a way of getting at that audience.

I guess that's the biggest difference between me and these guys—they want to be big and I want to explore different styles of music.

Right guy, wrong band.

A thought that goes through my head frequently. I'm constantly on the verge of quitting but it's so hard, especially at my age, to find musicians that are willing to practice regularly. What became VERY clear to me yesterday during an argument about whether our new album should be pressed to vinyl, is that our singer doesn't really like being in a band at all. She just views it as a vehicle for becoming a star, whatever that means to her.

I can see your predicament / paradox. The essence of this problem may be the time you are able to comitt to a band that don't view music or artistic merit as you do. I take it you still pursue your own musical journey outside the reaches of the band. Just being in a band simply isn't enough.

That's part of my pain, I think. Because of the drive of my singer to become famous, I spend much of my free time dealing with this thing and haven't had any time for my own stuff. My struggle really boils down to: I feel like I'm wasting my limited time when I have to spend every moment arguing, but I'm so bloody-minded about any project I get into that I'm always reluctant to quit anything. I think if I can find a way to carve out time for my own work again, I might feel better about it.

[Kory]

I'll still buy your record, tho.

I just hope it will be worth the time and energy.

[Flex]

That's part of my pain, I think. Because of the drive of my singer to become famous, I spend much of my free time dealing with this thing and haven't had any time for my own stuff. My struggle really boils down to: I feel like I'm wasting my limited time when I have to spend every moment arguing, but I'm so bloody-minded about any project I get into that I'm always reluctant to quit anything. I think if I can find a way to carve out time for my own work again, I might feel better about it.

you could just frame her for murder. Then she'd be famous and you could have more free time with the rest of the band. win/win

[Silent Majority]

That's part of my pain, I think. Because of the drive of my singer to become famous, I spend much of my free time dealing with this thing and haven't had any time for my own stuff. My struggle really boils down to: I feel like I'm wasting my limited time when I have to spend every moment arguing, but I'm so bloody-minded about any project I get into that I'm always reluctant to quit anything. I think if I can find a way to carve out time for my own work again, I might feel better about it.

you could just frame her for murder. Then she'd be famous and you could have more free time with the rest of the band. win/win

Stop offering that as a solution to everything.

[Flex]

Stop offering that as a solution to everything.

when you have a hammer...

[Silent Majority]

Stop offering that as a solution to everything.

when you have a hammer...

...you try and frame me for hammer murder, I know.

[Flex]

...you try and frame me for hammer murder, I know.

[Wolter]

Far be it from me to agree with the robot but yeah. You gotta frame her for hammer murder.

[Kory]

This is looking better and better every time I go over it. Now if I just had the hammer...

[Silent Majority]

This is looking better and better every time I go over it. Now if I just had the hammer...

Oh, that's what Pete Seeger was singing about