Entertainment For Lively Minds
Reluctant Frontmen
I was interested to hear on the Podcast recently that Word would love to do a Chris Martin cover, but that he is only willing to if it's his whole band. This was apparently met with frustration from Word, but it's a stance that I quite like. I don't see why the singer is so often seen as the crux of a band. For the most part, if I know any names of members of a band I like, then I know all of them. Singers aren't necessarily any more interesting or important than the rest of the band (and are often less interesting).
So who else follows this reluctance? It's rare for Michael Stipe to do a cover alone, and I'm glad as Peter Buck and Mike Mills certainly have as much to say. U2 features are much more interesting when it's not just Bono (Word's feature on The Edge was excellent).
There are also a number of bands who's singer is not their main spokesman. Head-songwriters such as Noel Gallager and Pete Townsend seem to take most of the press for their's, rather than their singer.
Any other examples of either of these approaches?
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Bands where more than one
Bands where more than one person write the songs - The Beatles, The Stones, The Clash, The Smiths. There was always more than one member acting as spokesman. And a lot of the time where this happens there's usually some confict because you can't have two (or more) leaders!!!
I don't really understand his stance
I'm sure I saw him alone on the cover of Les Inrockuptibles last week. So he can appear alone on some publications and in some countries but not others? If he was a bit more consistent he would just come across as precious rather than a precious idiot.
Chinese whispers
I recall an episode of Popworld in which the presenter, Simon Amstell, spent more or less an entire interview with one of the lesser known members of The Killers (I think it was the drummer) complaining that he would rather be interviewing the lead singer.
I also vaguely remember an excruciating question and answer session with Prince (possibly on The Word - the delinquent late night TV show, not the magazine) in which he appeared with his face concealed behind a silk scarf and whispered his responses to his soon to be wife – Mayte - who passed them on to the interviewer.
Did Chris Martin
get many (indeed any) votes in the recent Cover Star thread? I bet he didn't.
It suits me fine that the singer from the world's dullest band won't be appearing on the cover of my favourite mag.
I would like to see an interview with Charlie Watts
And, come to think of it, see him on the cover. He has always seemed to possess a very dry self-deprecation. And it would offend my mother, who could never forgive his appearance on Disc Box Jury.