General Music Chat

This morning I read thru some threads on here between Irminsul and Super Psycho. By the way I find these confrontations very entertaining to read. But some things were said that started me to thinking. Most of us as musicians have got a little rebel in us. We dont quite conform to regular society. But once we enter a genre of music, it seems we adapt the garb. Psychos converse shoes come to mind. Without reading any further I would assume he was a hardcore punk rocker. Irminsul your clothing suggests to me that you wish you were born in a different time.

I had never looked at your pictures before and actually thought your sig was something you found somewhere. Im glad some of us look younger than we really are. Every morning I look in the mirror I see my father.

I cut my teeth on Zep and Kiss. In the 70s I couldnt afford any neat clothes so I dressed like psycho converses, jeans and tee shirt. In the 80s I had Paul Stanley hair and wore spandex. In the 90s I had a pair of leather pants, pirate shirt, vest and black boots. These days I would wear nice jeans, boots, long white shirt and a vest. These days I wear to work jeans, collared tee shirts and (yikes) Vans skateboard shoes(does that make me a punk).

I just thought since its Halloween and people dress up maybe for fun people would share what their visual image is and where it comes from. How does this relate to your music?

JW

Good thread. I'd like to first address your more general question, and then the personal tussle that went on between me and Psycho.

You are 100% correct that rebellion and music are natural bedfellows, and yes that often translates into the performer's wardrobe. Especially when they are performing, and for their own reasons. I was just at the store today and at the checkout line the guy asked me "sorry to be nosey, but are you a guitarist?" I laughed and told him no, but I am a harper and keyboardist. He gave me a funny look like I wasn't wearing the right "uniform" for that, or something. Some musical disciplines have their own subcultural mores, that dictate everything from modes of speech to clothing. As you mentioned, the punk thing calls for ripped and pinned jeans, leather jackets, multicolored hair and converse or doc martin boots. Emos go for the black formfit pants and the anime hair. Hair rockers - spandex, spiked wristbands. Goths - black nail paint and lipstick, knee high boots....and the list goes on.

But speaking personally, I don't have a performance uniform. The stuff that I'm wearing in the few pics I've posted here is stuff I wear every day. It's not special wear, its daily wear. Including the kilt. So we could inverse this principle and say that the music is just an expression of the person, as the clothes are. I applaud that you can don the mantles of whatever you are into at the time, that's part of the scene and the fun of it all. And your age really doesnt have much to do with it if your heart is in it, and its honest.

Now, regarding the dust up between me and Psycho. Yes, I am definitely from a different age than he. But as a rule, I don't talk smack about other people's clothing because I would expect the same courtesy in return, and also feel that self invention and reeinvention is part of a "free" society. The reason I let him have it, is because he let a conversation about government money in arts programs turn just bitterly personal when he launched into my clothing and my looks. I probably shouldnt have, but I thought I'd give him a little of his own medicine. And he didn't like it very much. Neither did I, really. I was hoping maybe he'd see the error in such personal attacks but I highly doubt he did before he stomped off.

Experiencing his meltdown made me ponder as to why clothing and appearance can be such a white hot issue with some people. It can REALLY set them off. Many years ago before Scottish kilts were a more common sight in society, I remember guys trying to start a fist fight with me over the kilt I was wearing. I mean, Christ, how stupid is that? So the moral of the story, for me, is to live and let live - expect that artists are going to express their beings in many ways and not just one - and not to assume you know the sum total about them by a glance at their picture or their threads.

Hey Gang,

Yeah We BEE from a different time alright... ...The youngins at the music store crack up at my 70's road band pics...TUX city, Jump suites, THEN 83-87 or so..Parachute pants with sleeveless shirts, wristbands and bleach blonde hair with blue streaks....I try every now and then I try to "bring back" some a that stuff but always get made fun of...Hey , it makes me drum better, faster, more NRG...(then my BACK reminds me in the morning that those clothes dont fit anymore...LOL)..I think what ya wear does influence somewhat how you'll perform that nite...All I wore was billy bob teeth to my halloween gig this yr...Im slippin....Ill share this with you guys:..In 84, giggin on a road job in MS, I went to the halloween party as a woman...HOLY CHRIST, what a job 2 girls did on me to prepare...Pantyhose were a bit&&8,the bra itched all nite, and forget the high heel shoes I bought, I had to ditch them by the 2nd set...I had to go back to the band house and put on underwear after the 3 rd set...I had to lift up my dress to spread my legs to reach the HH and BD pedals...Sittin and playin felt really weird with no undies on... Then those pantyhose wouldnt "bite" on my pedals...Finally a guy loaned me his shoes... ...
LADYS" you have my utmost respect for gettin ready.I dont complain about taking so long anymore... I havent put on an article of wimmins clothing since...


Scarred for life,

John

Hey Gang,

I havent put on an article of wimmins clothing since...

Don't believe you..Bet you're sitting there now in your red satin frillies and 5" killer heels

Fishing shirt, jeans, black airwalk shoes, baseball cap, sunglasses, full head of hair and big mustache, always the same look for the last 27 years, always play bass and sing the blues, no matter whether it's popular or not. ( Never seen a bluesman with a kilt on, interesting concept though, might get me a little publcity, NOT.) Later...

Yeah that's not really the blues "uniform" is it. Although I saw a guy in a Hawaiian shirt and a kilt the other day.....

Bob, same here; same look for 30 years; I never needed to dress any special way to 'make a statement,' or be accepted.
I just dress sensibly.
I don't need the approval of others; if people expect me to dress like them, I don't care. I am me; I don't need to be 'them.'
I wear good, regular clothes while performing; but I realize that some shows/kinds of music require the performers to wear costumes, and that's ok.
And, for many performers, the costumes became a lifestyle. I suppose a kilt is more a 'nationality - thing,' rather than a 'musician - thing;' not for me to say . . .
Hey, we're allowed. Everyone knows that we musicians are all, uh, 'different,' anyway.
.
Hey' I'd rather be a little weird than a lot mediocre . . . .
.
. . . you need a little touch of eccentricity (or madness) to be a good, creative musician, anyway, don't you?
Or, if not - it doesn't hurt . . .
And, it's all part of making money, it's like the musician's business suit . . .
Some music styles want you to dress up. Other styles don't care what you look like.
And, dredlocks, bald, long hair, crew-cut - ahhh - who cares?

As long as you can really play . . . .

something that disturbs me greatly is musicians donning girls pants for whatever reason they will wear them...I mean seriously guy what the frig are you thinking...I'm going to rebel by looking like the other guys I'm playing with on stage....look at me reach for notes to shrill for my own ability, not that I can sign proficiently myself still that point aside, stay out your sisters wardrobe

Not to be completely out of it, but what do "girls pants" look like? I usually see them wearing jeans like guys do, or some pleated office pants. Does it piss you off to see guys in those?

Haha Irminsul, what are referred to as "girl pants" nowadays were called "hip huggers" back in the day.
Ahhhhh...the sweet sound of Corduroy

Ahhh, thanks for clearing that up. I've seen some guys wear them and hell, their body shapes can actually pull it off. I'm just not freaked out by choice of clothing on musicians, it's simply not that big a deal. Personal preference, and all that.