Bands: Be sensible when you clean house, you’ve got a foundation to think of…

Calm down there, rock star!
Why is it that our favorite bands self-destruct? Don’t they sense the turmoil and distress they twirl into the cosmos?
There’s always some fool in the band (usually the singer) who thinks the rest of the band isn’t serving their ‘vision’ and then they systematically screw it all to Hell. Take notice that this is usually when their ego grows to a certain potency; you can almost predict it, and you certainly get that rotgut feeling regarding how it’s going to play out.
The other players feel insulted, and they either split or are booted out, and then the music goes terminal: the magic ingredients which made them special are wiped out and you’re left with Tofu on a turd pita.
Look at any of the biggest, most legendary, most promising, or simply your favorite bands.
The Beatles (John became too precious)
Led Zeppelin (Bonham died, Plant went off to Egoville)
The Police (Sting kept being Sting)=ego
Guns N’ Roses: egos
Oasis: dueling egos destroyed an impressive song-writing machine
Radiohead: Artsy ideas took them out of the spotlight too long.
-of course you and I have our own painful, extensive lists in our own respects.
The refrain remains the same.
There’s always a glaring date, usually somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd album, where the spices are removed, and the recipe is destroyed.
It’s just so bumming, so terrifying, depressing, frustrating to watch unfold.

What makes me bring it up, is a case in point, playing out as we speak.
A new band from Indianapolis, “Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s” came to my attention just after their first CD, and I was hooked by their instrumentation and attention to detail, important additions that made their songs stand out.
Their 2nd CD was caught up in record-company drama, which is almost a cliche by itself. Still, they held it together. Well sure as shingles, as they were writing their 3rd CD, the singer took off to Egoville and declared himself Mayor, whining that the other bandmates distorted his vision by adding all those special ingredients.
The special ingredients were booted out of the recipe before recording commenced, and now I’m supposed to enjoy the 3rd CD full of Tofu. Great. They’re even coming to town, and I’ll have to act excited about a set full of 90% new stuff, filtered down to 3 people performing.
Of course, this is nothing new, as I can attest to 20 or so bands I could have grown old with since I started caring about bands around age 15, but No, I could write 20 pages of tragedy for each of the 20 bands, but I won’t depress myself that way.
Wait.
Maybe I should, as a form of cheap (free) self-therapy. It’s good to feel sorry for yourself, and to console yourself, isn’t it? Let’s give it a try.
Level 42: Mark, man up and play nice with Phil. He’s the best drummer, suited to the material, and he wrote half of the best songs. Work it out.
Duran Duran: Guys, listen to Andy; he’s wot gave the edge to your best songs. The band needs a infusion/transfusion, really getting back to your debut sound, and then another groundbreaker like “Rio”. And if you were smart, you’d go ahead and release a polished “Reportage”; don’t throw out something happening just because of a conflict.
Postscript: Arcadia, we need another offering; So Red the Rose was wayyy too good to be an empty reserve.
Jayhawks: Gary, Mark, get over your whatever; your sum is better than the parts, clearly. Although, if I’m being
brutally honest, the post-breakoff CD Sound of Lies was reeeealy reeealy good, so…
John Waite: get a full band again, write power ballads, just get out there! I’ll buy anything you record.
Del Amitri: Justin Currie, your lyrical and songwriting skills are unparalleled, but again we see that the whole had a magic beyond the parts. Mend the old fences; we deserve the quality, even if radio is clueless.
The Cure: Bob, take some time to remember how you wrote The Head on the Door, don’t write 10 minute songs without hooks. Whatever it takes; take the ol’ drugs, get hungry again, whatever!
Billy Idol: You still rock it, but the Rebel Yell sound needs a revisit, because it was so much more interesting than straight rock. God bless ya for still kickin’ ass, Thank You!
Depeche Mode: You need Alan Wilder. Again, thanks for still throwing it down, but there’s a crucial ingredient missing.
Eurythmics: Dave, buy another synthesizer, pull out the guitar just for after-touches.
INXS: It’s a cosmic crime that Michael quit. PLEASE keep writing; I KNOW you’ve got a great CD left in you!
Police: Sting, get over yourself. Andy’s the best guitarist ever, and Stewart’s the best drummer in many styles. Give them each 2 songs per CD, and make some millions, could ya?
Prince: Listen to 1999 and Purple Rain; rinse, repeat. Quit being all crazy.
Smiths: You’re all still alive, aren’t you? God knows you’ve got 3 more killer albums amongst the 4 of you.
Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, Howard Jones, Psychedelic Furs: You each must have one more CD in you.
Beatles: Make it happen, surviving kin…Dhani Harrison is a clone of dad, and Julian Lennon does John as good as John ever did. Guys, you have nothing to gain but clout & money…..

Quality music needs to rule radio again, the way you can’t forget the best of 60′s, 70′s, 80′s and 90′s hits, because there was substantial song-smithing going on, which has stood the test of time.
I’m not going to go on about the transparency and dilution of what passes for hits in 2010.
In a time when music is worth almost nothing, and the fans don’t even care to pay for it, quality still needs to be an aspiration, and if I’ve learned nothing else since 1975, the best music comes from collectives.

Can’t we all just Rock On?
Why is it that our favorite bands self-destruct? Don’t they sense the turmoil and distress they twirl up in the cosmos?
There’s always some fool in the band (usually the singer) who thinks the rest of the band isn’t serving their ‘vision’
and then they systematically screw it all to Hell. Take notice that this is usually when their ego grows to a certain
overdose.. you can almost predict it, and you certainly get that rotgut feeling in your bowels regarding how it’s going
to play out.
The other players feel insulted, and they either split or are booted out, and then the music goes terminal: the magic
ingredients which made them special are wiped out and you’re left with Tofu on a turd pita.
Look at any of the biggest, most legendary, most promising, or simply your favorite bands.
The Beatles (John became too precious)
Led Zeppelin (Bonham died, Plant went off to Egoville)
The Police (Sting kept being Sting)
Guns N’ Roses (Axl)
Vanilla Ice (realized he didn’t know how to write songs)
-of course you and I have our own painful, extensive lists in our own respects.
The refrain remains the same.
There’s always a glaring date, usually somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd album, where the spices are removed, and the
recipe is destroyed.
It’s just so bumming, so terrifying, depressing, frustrating to watch unfold. 

What makes me bring it up, is a case in point, playing out as we speak.
A new band from Indianapolis, “Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s” came to my attention just after their first CD,
and I was hooked by their instrumentation and attention to detail, important additions that made their songs stand out.
Their 2nd CD was caught up in record-company drama, which is almost a cliche by itself. Still, they held it together.
Well sure as shingles, as they were writing their 3rd CD, the singer took off to Egoville and declared himself Mayor,
whining that the other bandmates distorted his vision by adding all those special ingredients.
The special ingredients were booted out of the recipe before recording commenced, and now I’m supposed to enjoy the 3rd
CD full of Tofu. Great. They’re even coming to town, and I’ll have to act excited about a set full of 90% new stuff,
filtered down to 3 people performing.
Of course, this is nothing new, as I can attest to 20 or so bands I could have grown old with since I started caring
about bands around age 15, but No, I could write 20 pages of tragedy for each of the 20 bands, but I won’t depress
myself that way.
Wait.
Maybe I should, as a form of cheap (free) self-therapy. It’s good to feel sorry for yourself, and to console yourself,
isn’t it? Let’s give it a try.
Level 42: Mark, man up and play nice with Phil. He’s the best drummer, suited to the material, and he wrote half of the
best songs. Work it out.
Duran Duran: Guys, listen to Andy; he’s wot gave the edge to your best songs. The band needs a infusion/transfusion,
really getting back to your debut sound, and then another groundbreaker like “Rio”. And if you were smart, you’d go
ahead and release a polished “Reportage”; don’t throw out something happening just because of a conflict.
Postscript: Arcadia, we need another offering; So Red the Rose was wayyy too good to be an empty reserve.
Jayhawks: Gary, Mark, get over your whatever; your sum is better than the parts, clearly. Although, if I’m being
brutally honest, the post-breakoff CD Sound of Lies was reeeealy reeealy good, so…
John Waite: get a full band again, write power ballads, just get out there! I’ll buy anything you record.
Del Amitri: Justin Currie, your lyrical and songwriting skills are unparalleled, but again we see that the whole had a
magic beyond the parts. Mend the old fences; we deserve the quality, even if radio is clueless.
The Cure: Bob, take some time to remember how you wrote The Head on the Door, don’t write 10 minute songs without
hooks. Whatever it takes; take the ol’ drugs, get hungry again, whatever!
Billy Idol: You still rock it, but the Rebel Yell sound needs a revisit, because it was so much more interesting than
straight rock. God bless ya for still kickin’ ass, Thank You!
Depeche Mode: You need Alan Wilder. Again, thanks for still throwing it down, but there’s a crucial ingredient missing.
Eurythmics: Dave, buy another synthesizer, pull out the guitar just for after-touches.
INXS: Keep looking for a Michael clone. Sorry, whatsyername.
Police: Sting, get over yourself. Andy’s the best guitarist ever, and Stewart’s the best drummer in many styles. Give
them each 2 songs per CD, and make some millions, could ya?
Prince: Listen to 1999 and Purple Rain; rinse, repeat. Quit being all crazy.
Smiths: You’re all still alive, aren’t you? God knows you’ve got 3 more killer albums amongst the 4 of you.
Talk Talk, Tears for Fears, Howard Jones, Psychedelic Furs: You each must have one more CD in you.
Beatles: Make it happen, surviving kin…Dhani Harrison is a clone of dad, and Julian Lennon does John as good as John ever did. Guys,

you have nothing to gain but clout & money…..

Quality music needs to rule radio again, the way you can’t forget the best of 60′s, 70′s, 80′s and 90′s hits, because there was

substantial song-smithing going on, which has stood the test of time.
I’m not going to go on about the transparency and dilution of what passes for hits in 2010.
In a time when music is worth almost nothing, and the fans don’t even care to pay for it, quality still needs to be an aspiration, and

if I’ve learned nothing else since 1975, the best music comes from collectives.