Everybody wants to go to Japan

Tim said | 13 July, 2007

I happened across Coco Rosie when they supported Antony and the Johnsons in Melbourne early last year. ‘Gratuitously self-indulgent’ strikes a chord. I’ll let the beekeeper’s headnet worn by one of them stand for everything else they pulled in the sight gags category. As for the music – if you can call it that (more on this later) – all I remember was that after one shrill experimental instrument too many, my companion and I were obliged to sit out the rest of the performance in the foyer.

While waiting, our reaction to Rosie prompted us to discuss the dogged persistence of Postmodernism in the arts, and the relationship between music and theatre, as far as this relationship applies to musical performance.

We wondered how it is that PoMo doesn’t seem to be widely recognised as the glib, smug sarcasm it boils down to. We wondered why it still has currency when it should be passed its use-by date; hackneyed is an understatement. It must be another case of no one wanting to risk being called a fool for saying the emperor’s naked. It might also be a case of PoMo’s counter-intuitive abruptness and shock value being fallbacks for the content deficient

As for the music/theatre dichotomy, theatricality is inherent to any live musical performance; when you’re on stage and people are looking at you, you need to be sensible to how you come across visually. But, since music is, or at least should be, the primary medium for musicians, the theatrical element at a concert needs to be played down, relegated to a secondary position. To do the inverse reeks of being apologetic, of apologising for a lack of musical substance. To bolster this apology with PoMo makes the reek a stench.

The main act vindicated our lines of thought. There were no images projected on a screen, they wore plain dark clothes and they played music. In short, they simply followed their job description. The difference between the two acts was emphasised most when Antony let his musicians – including him as a pianist – rest while he carried a song solely with his gem of a voice and his sense of melody. If I didn’t know Antony to be a genuine sort of person, I could forgive myself for suspecting he had Coco Rosie play before him in order to throw his superior approach into stark relief.

I guess I don’t need to say I haven’t bothered listening to the Japan link.

PS Curb Your Enthusiasm hasn’t been on here for over a year. Not even on cable. The last one I saw was when he was being kamikazied by the old guy in the wheelchair. I wonder if it’s on in the US. If I find a relevant post on this site, I’ll relate some Larry Davidesque transactions I’ve been involved in.

Zolton said | 13 July, 2007

Hey Tim, they are some interesting observations you make. I saw Coco Rosie supporting Anthony on the same tour when they played the State Theatre together in Sydney. While I agree that they were very elaborate in their stage ornamentations and outfits, I didn’t see that as detracting or distracting from the music. It was certainly more performance art than just music, but is that a bad thing? Think back to the Split Enz days, and to bands like The Flaming Lips. They take the conventional parameters of the live realm and stretch them for all its worth. For one night’s entertainment, I kinda enjoy that. There’s also an argument to be made for knowing what to expect. Coco Rosie are a performance art band. Check their album artwork and band pics. They clearly offer more than just a musical experience. I may be a little biased though as I’m a big fan of their music anyway. For what it’s worth, I thought Anthony’s set that night was wonderful too.

In regards To Curb, I have a friend who works at HBO in New York who tells me that they are hard at work creating what will be its final series. You can get DVDs for all the series’ to date. Watched one after the other (just as all true Curb obsessive should) they make for consistently brlliant viewing. There’s a post on Lost At E Minor featuring an interview between Larry David and Ricky Gervais: http://www.lostateminor.com/2007/05/19/when-ricky-met-larry/

ZZ

Tim said | 3 August, 2007

The Split Enz days. Hey bro, how did you know I watched Countdown? I think I remember their stage performances on that show for Six Months In A Leaky Boat and I Got You. I found the theatrical element did indeed add something, but I reckon the songs were strong enough to stand on their own. I think the whole emphatic stage thing on Countdown was a product of the times and circumstances eg perhaps colour TV’s novelty; I’m not sure a show these days would get away with what that one did.

By the way, there’s a great book about Countdown called Glad All Over. As the title suggests, the author was, despite being very affectionate and grateful towards Molly and the whole shebang, relieved the show and the era it was involved with came to an end.

Now, having recently had an enlightening experience, I can better take your point about there being an argument for knowing what to expect. Last Friday I saw a Melbourne-based band of Japanese (?) guys called The Five Venoms. It was thoroughly explained to me in advance that they are worth the squirt for their live act. Despite their singing in incomprehensible English and their being rather raucous, I have to admit I enjoyed their collective visual persona, which was a fusion of Kiss – think thrusted, vertically-held guitars, Van Halen – especially the hair – and a slight-but-definite touch of Skid Row (nice call on this from John Guida). I think the FVs’ performing in a smallish space where there was a bar and a few lounge chairs also made an argument for having an appropriate venue; you felt you could take it or leave if it got too unremmitingly confrontational. In a concert hall, though, one is obliged to either face the music, as it were, or to step outside for a break. The Cocos might have gone down better in a more intimate relaxed venue.

So I guess I can go a bit of perf art but not all; I’d say I prefer it visceral, non-cryptic, in an appropriate venue and with forewarning.

As for Davidesque transactions, a mate and I walked around a popular inner Melbourne street the other day. The plan was to communicate with fellow pedestrians both in sign and orally about the delicate, intricate matter of crossing-button-pressing etiquette, ie/eg whether to give a waiting ped credit for having pressed and, if not, ascertaining their having-pressed status via sign if they’re on the other side of the road. That day, however, we were distracted by a separate mission, which obliged us to dash across the road wherever we could so we didn’t get much action on the whole – just some sign-based interaction with a few fellow motorists when we were in the car – but we’ll have another stab soon and post the results.

Tim