Entertainment For Lively Minds
Artists who understand their own talent
I've long believed that there are two categories of artist. There are those who understand the nature of their talent (however small) and why people like it, and those who are bewildered by it.
In music, the first category is made up of journeymen artists, who put out a long succession of music that is tailor-made to please their fans. They don't overreach themselves. Tom Petty is perhaps an example. The second category is an interesting one, because it not only includes giants like McCartney (who struggles to connect with the public and himself regularly), but also people who become famous by accident in talent shows, or through a surprise hit single.
McCartney obviously suffers for it, I reckon. He really tries so hard. The most recent release (Electric Arguments - which I like) could be seen as deliberately making a bad record to see if it connects with people, perhaps based on the realization that the ones he really sweats over are not popular.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this subject? Who are the people who are at home with their talents? Who are the people who struggle to understand it?
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Weller
I think Weller is a typical Journeyman. He never really steps outside what people expect (even The Style Council wasn't really that much of a step away in hindsight) and he does what a lot of those 'journeymen/women' do - he crafts. There's a lot of work goes into his music, a lot of sweat and toil. Springsteen is another archetypal Journeyman.
Costello would like to be confounded by what he does, but ultimately he's the same.
There is a third category: those who are blessed with a natural talent that doesn't really require real..work and simply flows. Or seems to. Dylan and Hendrix at their peaks were pretty good examples of this, Prince during his 'purple' patch was another.
I'm not sure Elvis Presley every really understood what he could do. He connected with his potential in the late 60s, but only briefly before descending into the Vegas thing. (It's amazing that Elvis probably counts as the most overrated artist of all time for the material that he did put out, and yet is probably the one artist who never really reached his true potential...)
interesting
Dylan seems to have gone through different phases. Initially the music was just flowing, but I'd say a crisis of confidence came in - "Why are people listening to this stuff?" - perhaps more than once. I believe he also tried the tactic of delivering an awful record (Self Portrait) to test his own instincts against the fans. After that he seems to have had no idea what connects with people.
now that's more like it...
a thread which let's us do the 'i like this bnand/ i hate that band thing', but with a bit of a focus, a new twist, some thought process... good stuff...
so, jim white is in the first category - great albums, all basically the same, does what he does, does it brilliantly. won't go drum n bass on us any time soon.
second category - cat power, for me. great at lofi indie. knocks out some weird but good albums. then goes all soul on us.
Cat Power
She definitely lacks confidence in herself, very good example. When you read interviews with her you get the impression that she has no idea how she got there, or why people are interested.
I'd say that Jim White has almost constructed a persona through which he operates, and that he has utmost confidence that it works. Almost as if he actually finds it entertaining himself, not a bad thing really.
a further thought
Journeyman types don't need a producer. The others do.