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do you care about age/stagewear/appearance? — Brooklynian

do you care about age/stagewear/appearance?

michaelkeys
michaelkeys
edited November -1 in The Lounge / Random Stuff
As a performer myself I'm curious as to what others think about the subject.

Is this acceptable to you?
http://spsounds.com/photoblog/bts.html

Is this too much? Or not enough?
http://www.newyorkdollsdvd.com/synopsis.php

As the old timer on the WPIX editorial used to say, "What's your opinion? We'd like to know."

Comments

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior
    dont care as long as they are being themsleves.
  • drano
    drano
    PIX PIX PIX PIX PIX

    Ah, sorry. Just remembering those video game segments they did.

    If I like the music, the T-shirt and jeans is really fine - I don't really care what the performers are wearing. But yeah, with the Dolls the image was as important as the music, so it would actually be a little distracting if you showed up and they were all casual - same with some other bands, Kiss, Gwar, the ever-so-frightening Marilyn Manson and so on.

    I used to work with a guy that was in a band and I still recall his phone conversations with his bandmates agonizing over this very thing ("Dude, I'm wearing jeans and a black t-shirt this time, you wear whatever but nothing too fancy and I definitely don't want to be your twin, ok? Hey, by the way, um, do you think Julie should wear that jacket again?...Yeah, I don't either, but who's gonna tell her?") and they always ended up wearing pretty much the same stuff - which was cool, but they wasted a lot of time arriving at the conclusion.
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko
    I did vote "somewhat" because, well, some outfits I've seen people wear are just scary.

    I think the general rule is:

    If you suck, you can wear whatever. You still suck and your clothes will not make you better. If you're really freakin good, you can wear whatever. You're still really freakin good and I'll forgive your bad taste.

    I was joking with JM that it seems the aging superstars just don't care anymore. Clapton and Paul Simon wear plain old boring t-shirts and jeans/black pants on stage. They are $175 t-shirts, but who can tell from 50 ft away?
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko
    Drano wrote:

    If I like the music, the T-shirt and jeans is really fine - I don't really care what the performers are wearing. But yeah, with the Dolls the image was as important as the music, so it would actually be a little distracting if you showed up and they were all casual - same with some other bands, Kiss, Gwar, the ever-so-frightening Marilyn Manson and so on.
    Very true. Sometimes an artist is part spectacle and that is part of the appeal. :wink:
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys
    Drano wrote: I used to work with a guy that was in a band and I still recall his phone conversations with his bandmates agonizing over this very thing ("Dude, I'm wearing jeans and a black t-shirt this time, you wear whatever but nothing too fancy and I definitely don't want to be your twin, ok? Hey, by the way, um, do you think Julie should wear that jacket again?...Yeah, I don't either, but who's gonna tell her?") and they always ended up wearing pretty much the same stuff - which was cool, but they wasted a lot of time arriving at the conclusion.
    Whew! Dude, that's TOO MUCH work! :lol:

    Don't get me wrong, I think about what I've worn at previous shows and what I'm going to be wearing but I NEVER check in w/bandmates unless it's a very special occasion. (Like the time we all dressed exactly the same as a gag on the headliner we were opening for, which they got a kick out of.) Otherwise, it's all good.

    But, regardless, I always like to hear about how other people do it, and invariably find it quite interesting, like your former co-worker's deal.
  • pitu
    pitu
    My vote for Somewhat
    It's rarely a negative (although I can sort of imagine a situation where it would be)
    but can totally be a positive. For example, Kiki and Herb - awesome material, but triple awesome as a package. Ditto the Ramones.

    Yerba Buena did a great show at South Paw a couple years ago. The hot dancer/singers (male and female) dressed up, the sedentary players of instruments played it low key. Or maybe they *were* wearing their stage gear... Anyway, it was all good, 'cause they were tight.
    Angelique Kidjo in Prospect Park last summer - triple fab.u.lous in a little light suit. She could have dressed down, but the presentation made it that much better. But she's another one that is a serious dancer so . . .
    Me'shell N'dege Ocello - cool low key gear on stage. If you're really great, you make the clothes look cool, or make the people look beyond your shabby ass!
    The deal for a middle age white guy? Don't try too hard to look like something you're not, but wear something you look good in...
  • laura
    laura
    Obviously it depends on the type of act, as has been noted ... but that said, casual is fine with me if it fits well, but the big sloppy t-shirt and short pants thing - ugh! I paid money, and I have to look at you for 45 minutes, so how about making an effort. I'm tired of looking at guys dressed like those first pics.

    And I think the way a band dresses can alter your perception of the music. I know a fellow who has a brit-pop sort of band, and they all do the I-don't-care t-shirt thing. When I closed my eyes and imagined them in sharp suits, it all seemed so much more focused ... but when I suggested it to him he wouldn't have it because "it's all about the music". But I think a polished appearance would make people sit up and pay a bit more attention.

    But then I'm not a dress-down type, anyway - I haven't worn a pair of jeans in probably 25 years. And when I was in a band, yes, the singer and I (I play keyboards) would always check in with each other beforehand about attire. As for the rhythm section, t-shirts and jeans were fine as long as they weren't sloppy or had writing on them.
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys
    pitu, I worked a couple of times w/Yerba Buena and their dress/visual approach was "old-school-Latin-big-band": the frontpeople need to dress up and look hot; everybody else, whatever (as long as you don't draw attention to yourself).

    laura, I'm with you on the Built To Spill pics: a little effort please.
    (Nice pics of you and your former bandmates, btw.)

    Well, not only am I taking notes, I'm also enjoying what you guys have to say, whether we agree or not. Very cool. :wink:
  • laura
    laura
    I haven't actually voted yet because I can't decide btw "Very" and "Not very, but significant".
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys
    One thing I've found is that varying opinions are common in all types of music. For instance, a female cousin in her early 40s, generally into Barbara Streisand-type performers, puts a BIG premium on stagewear and production. Where as my mom--who's into the same kind of music--is more of a "just look decent and give me a good performance" kinda gal. (The fact that both her sons are rock musicians may or may not have something to do with it, though. I'll have to ask her...)
  • laura
    laura
    My mom (who's 89, fwiw), kinda goes for the Cute Guy aspect. Ooh, that Adam Ant! Ooh, that Jon Bon Jovi!
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys
    laura wrote: My mom (who's 89, fwiw), kinda goes for the Cute Guy aspect. Ooh, that Adam Ant! Ooh, that Jon Bon Jovi!
    No, she's the cute one. :wink:
  • pretty lady
    pretty lady

    Subject: Do not be sloppy

    Your appearance makes no difference in how you sound, of course, but it reflects poorly upon the self-esteem of the performer if you look like you have just rolled out of bed. I recall that the legendary Kathy McCarty of Glass Eye used to perform in a bathrobe, and I suspect that this excess of seeming casualness may have contributed to the untimely demise of the band.
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    A band I used to play in had this guitarist who would get really drunk before going on and then perform naked. No one seemed to mind or question it. That's one easy way to solve the whole wardrobe issue.
  • caaahyoko
    caaahyoko
    doctorj wrote: A band I used to play in had this guitarist who would get really drunk before going on and then perform naked. No one seemed to mind or question it. That's one easy way to solve the whole wardrobe issue.
    Well at least he didn't play the harmonica! :shock:
  • doctorj
    doctorj
    caaahyoko wrote:
    Well at least he didn't play the harmonica! :shock:
    :D

    We also had a bass player who only ever wore black jeans and Hawaiian shirts. We were playing this time at a goth club, and the doorbitch wouldn't let him in due to their strict black-and-purple dress code, even after we said he was with the band. The line that got him in the door: "Have you absolutely no clue? This is what all the goths are wearing in Hawaii".
  • apollonia666
    apollonia666

    Subject: Re: Do not be sloppy

    Pretty Lady wrote: Your appearance makes no difference in how you sound, of course, but it reflects poorly upon the self-esteem of the performer if you look like you have just rolled out of bed. I recall that the legendary Kathy McCarty of Glass Eye used to perform in a bathrobe, and I suspect that this excess of seeming casualness may have contributed to the untimely demise of the band.
    Oh, wow, I hadn't thought about or heard ANYONE mention Glass Eye for years! Man, if I could only lay my hands on a copy of "The Ballad of Abraham Lincoln," I'd be a happy girl.

    Of course, you prompted me to Google them, and it turns out they got back together last year:
    http://kathymccarty.info/
  • michaelkeys
    michaelkeys

    Subject: Re: Do not be sloppy

    Pretty Lady wrote: I recall that the legendary Kathy McCarty of Glass Eye used to perform in a bathrobe, and I suspect that this excess of seeming casualness may have contributed to the untimely demise of the band.
    Perhaps. But then again, those familiar with the GG Allin saga may be doubtful. :wink: Plus, I dunno, the bathrobe may have been sexy. A lot more sexy than this: http://kathymccarty.info/GLASSEYE.html
    (look for the picture on the left-hand side labelled "The Olden Days")
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