I have to admit I don't have much sympathy for him if he didn't see a problem in moving on without the drummer.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 5:29pmThe first time, sure, but the second time was a huge shock for me. After all, Grey had quit after Manscape. That they kept going after Gilbert quit was perhaps even more shocking (as I understand it, Gilbert was stunned that they would carry on without him).Kory wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 5:05pmI tend to think of Wire as a band who just breaks up and gets back together every once in awhile, as opposed to reuniting in the traditional sense. Sometimes they are in the same room and sometimes not, but the Wire force is constant.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 3:13pmWire, who have pulled off the late-in-life reunion better than most, did that for Pink Flag around 17 years ago. It's okay, I suppose—it has more bite than the studio record—but it isn't a gem in their catalogue (even their live catalogue). It's a thing they did and that's about it.RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 3:05pmVery interesting theory. I feel like they could have probably done a few one off gigs here and there but you're honestly right... anything more would have completely destroyed the mystique of the Clash. What do you think of existing bands playing albums in full? I.e. the Manics playing the Holy Bible in full 20 some odd years later and about 50 pounds heavier...Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 2:51pm
Very much this. Talent rarely overwhelms context and circumstance, contrary to romantic myth. So much of what makes the special groups special is that they arrived at the right time—the composition of their audience, the mood of the country, the age and needs of the band members, all that. Which is why so many reunions, intended or not, end up as nostalgia exercises—a longing for a lost time.
What are the odds that...
Re: What are the odds that...
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc
- Dr. Medulla
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Re: What are the odds that...
I've exchanged the odd email with both of Wire's biographers, and both have said that as creative and dynamic a personality BG is, he's also more than a bit of a bully. He really believed him quitting Wire meant the others wouldn't be able to carry on. I do think they've lost something significant creatively without his contrarian spark, but as an ongoing venture they're better without his sabotage.Kory wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 7:46pmI have to admit I don't have much sympathy for him if he didn't see a problem in moving on without the drummer.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 5:29pmThe first time, sure, but the second time was a huge shock for me. After all, Grey had quit after Manscape. That they kept going after Gilbert quit was perhaps even more shocking (as I understand it, Gilbert was stunned that they would carry on without him).Kory wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 5:05pmI tend to think of Wire as a band who just breaks up and gets back together every once in awhile, as opposed to reuniting in the traditional sense. Sometimes they are in the same room and sometimes not, but the Wire force is constant.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 3:13pmWire, who have pulled off the late-in-life reunion better than most, did that for Pink Flag around 17 years ago. It's okay, I suppose—it has more bite than the studio record—but it isn't a gem in their catalogue (even their live catalogue). It's a thing they did and that's about it.RockNRollWhore wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 3:05pm
Very interesting theory. I feel like they could have probably done a few one off gigs here and there but you're honestly right... anything more would have completely destroyed the mystique of the Clash. What do you think of existing bands playing albums in full? I.e. the Manics playing the Holy Bible in full 20 some odd years later and about 50 pounds heavier...
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: What are the odds that...
This. Mick lost a whole octave from the chicken pox/pneumonia thing. I can't imagine some of the songs where Mick's higher harmony shines through done where he can barely reach it.Heston wrote: ↑03 Apr 2021, 2:29pmYes. I don't think post-1988 Mick had the vocal power to do justice to the Clash stuff. And reunions are usually just crap in general.