Navigation
User login
Topics
Archive
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
That Word Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means
by Martin Regnen
When a band tells you they want a "creative" member who is "full of ideas", you might think that they want someone who can write and arrange material, preferably someone with good creative problem-solving skills. However, we are dealing with Newspeak. What they actually mean is that they want someone who really likes the material they already have, will not suggest any changes to it, and will think all material they produce in the future is even better.
This is one of the raw truths applicable far beyond music:
When people admonish you to “be more original,” what they really mean is “be more like me.” When people admonish you to “be a free thinker,” they really mean “try to think more like me.”
Trackback:
http://www.corrupt.org/trackback/2106
So true!
In fact, I just flat out avoid any band that uses those tired out buzzwords. I'm guessing people use such bullshit language because they love the idea of running a band democratically and then change their tune when they realise it doesn't work out that way and that other members are turning the band into something he/she hadn't fantasized it being. This is the cause of a lot of break-ups and sudden line-up changes.
The best approach I have found is if there's a leader/main-songwriter who may allow suggestions from other members but makes the executive decisions, "calls the shots" if you will, weeding the good ideas from the bad ones and those that are conducive to the direction/aesthetic of the band from those that aren't.