RTP-area local music and culture

["Woody" <woody AT deadceo.com>]

Nathaniel Florin wrote:

> Richard didn't say ideas were bad, he said that there
> are *too many* ideas. To quote Michelangelo, "Beauty
> is the purgation of superfluities." The rock dies when
> it becomes a PhD thesis. Also, Richard's coming off of
> Woody's line about Tortoise and post becoming
> basically an amalgam of any number of 70s bands. From
> my view deep on the sidelines this is generally the
> problem with music after [insert your date here], that
> there's so much rehashing -- "recontextualizing" if
> you're feeling charitable, "slavish imitation" if
> you're not. And maybe there's some originality there,
> but you're really dithering on the margins. Art gets
> precious when its main influence is itself.


Well, on one hand the history of popular (and not so popular) music is
more or less about rehashing.  Musicians labeled as "authentic" like
the early blues and hillbilly players were often just redoing the
popular songs distributed on 78s.  The Carter Family yodeled during
their second recording session because Jimmie Rodgers sold records
doing it.  Then add the whole everyone aping R&B thing, the Stones
redoing the blues thing, folks redoing the Stones, other strains such
as Bob Dylan as Woody Guthrie, etc. etc...

Believe it or not, I was recently watching a Cliff Burton fuzzed out
wah bass solo in Metallica's Cliff Em All when Lars comes in with a
blast beat and I thought wow, this is like half a step away from
Lightning Bolt.  I guess just imitate stuff I like :)  I think
something different is happening today conceptually but it is not just
about imitation.  

-Woody