Whoa, big news. Bauhaus may be supporting Nine Inch Nails (which I find criminal, but, whatever) for a portion of their summer tour. Two shows in Cali, sweet thang! And I'm there.
Yes, I've said I'll never do the Shoreline again (ironically, saw NIN there the last time, eh, was it 1998?) but it's Bauhaus for god's sake. And Irvine *shudder* But again, it's Bauhaus, baby!
This could really open them up to a young audience -- I mean, the little goths, punks, and emo kids who don't know them already. This is how you get MTV rotation for your new album and video. They really deserve to have huge success, but it's going to be hard for a bunch of almost fifty-somethings to connect with 16 year olds for any long amount of time in this fickle music industry that can play on heavy rotation something as god-awful as Coheed and Cambria. Bands that surge in popularity are so heavily packaged -- hip to whatever is cool right now, with lyrics that speak to sex or melodrama w/o being so deep as to make people say "huh?" And Bauhaus have made and will make people say "huh?" Also, it's not often you'll see an older band making it big, especially second time around. All these things don't bode well for the Bauhaus I know becoming humongous after the release of a new album. I do want them to have commercial success, but I'm concerned at what cost.
There was an interview with Daniel Ash and David J recently where Daniel commented on how he hates being considered part of a cult band and he's frustrated that they haven't had success -- "where's my swimming pool?" seems to be his catchphrase. This really stuck in my craw since reading the interview. The thing that gets me a little about Daniel's comments is that it's the "cult" bands that have the enduring following that almost never ceases, and which picks up new converts along the way. I don't see the Backstreet Boys having a forum full of dedicated fans and a super successful reunion tour 25 years from now, or even a slot supporting a gigantic band with huge name recognition. Yeah, so Nick Lachey (he's a Backstreet Boy, right?) has more money than he deserves, but he will fall into oblivion in 5 years, tops.
I think being a "cult" band and having a dedicated fan base that has stood the test of time and continues to add new members, albeit slowly, is better than a swimming pool and recognition ($$, Grammy, whatever) from a fickle record industry. They all made a choice to follow the creative spark and fuck the benjamins. They are well-respected musicians who are cited by so many musicians as an influence. So, there's no swimming pool. Please. Good choice to me. I will take integrity over money every time, no joke. And I won't respect a band that sells out like that.
I have a feeling this is the rub as to why they haven't completely fucking destroyed the musical industry with their brilliance. A few Bauhaus songs and a good bit of David J's solo work revolve around the price of fame; also, Peter Murphy has been very adamant about his spirituality for some time now -- which I'm sure has it's antagonistic points to the fame thing. This has to be the nail in their proverbial coffins each time. Their internal struggles which blow up into band squabbles about integrity and the realities of trying to make money with the music. Yet, publicly, they are so eager to talk about how much they want commercial success. I feel you, guys, but life is full of hard choices. Sometimes you have to make a decision, run with it, and find peace in it, or you'll never be happy. I have faith in them following their souls. Something as electrifying and distinct as Bauhaus doesn't happen every day, and when you're that remarkable its almost out of your hands as to what path you take.
But I digress..a lot...
Bauhaus, on tour, this summer, with NIN. Get your booty out there before they're so huge David doesn't send personal packages to fans anymore unless you're Coheed and Cambria.
Yes, I've said I'll never do the Shoreline again (ironically, saw NIN there the last time, eh, was it 1998?) but it's Bauhaus for god's sake. And Irvine *shudder* But again, it's Bauhaus, baby!
This could really open them up to a young audience -- I mean, the little goths, punks, and emo kids who don't know them already. This is how you get MTV rotation for your new album and video. They really deserve to have huge success, but it's going to be hard for a bunch of almost fifty-somethings to connect with 16 year olds for any long amount of time in this fickle music industry that can play on heavy rotation something as god-awful as Coheed and Cambria. Bands that surge in popularity are so heavily packaged -- hip to whatever is cool right now, with lyrics that speak to sex or melodrama w/o being so deep as to make people say "huh?" And Bauhaus have made and will make people say "huh?" Also, it's not often you'll see an older band making it big, especially second time around. All these things don't bode well for the Bauhaus I know becoming humongous after the release of a new album. I do want them to have commercial success, but I'm concerned at what cost.
There was an interview with Daniel Ash and David J recently where Daniel commented on how he hates being considered part of a cult band and he's frustrated that they haven't had success -- "where's my swimming pool?" seems to be his catchphrase. This really stuck in my craw since reading the interview. The thing that gets me a little about Daniel's comments is that it's the "cult" bands that have the enduring following that almost never ceases, and which picks up new converts along the way. I don't see the Backstreet Boys having a forum full of dedicated fans and a super successful reunion tour 25 years from now, or even a slot supporting a gigantic band with huge name recognition. Yeah, so Nick Lachey (he's a Backstreet Boy, right?) has more money than he deserves, but he will fall into oblivion in 5 years, tops.
I think being a "cult" band and having a dedicated fan base that has stood the test of time and continues to add new members, albeit slowly, is better than a swimming pool and recognition ($$, Grammy, whatever) from a fickle record industry. They all made a choice to follow the creative spark and fuck the benjamins. They are well-respected musicians who are cited by so many musicians as an influence. So, there's no swimming pool. Please. Good choice to me. I will take integrity over money every time, no joke. And I won't respect a band that sells out like that.
I have a feeling this is the rub as to why they haven't completely fucking destroyed the musical industry with their brilliance. A few Bauhaus songs and a good bit of David J's solo work revolve around the price of fame; also, Peter Murphy has been very adamant about his spirituality for some time now -- which I'm sure has it's antagonistic points to the fame thing. This has to be the nail in their proverbial coffins each time. Their internal struggles which blow up into band squabbles about integrity and the realities of trying to make money with the music. Yet, publicly, they are so eager to talk about how much they want commercial success. I feel you, guys, but life is full of hard choices. Sometimes you have to make a decision, run with it, and find peace in it, or you'll never be happy. I have faith in them following their souls. Something as electrifying and distinct as Bauhaus doesn't happen every day, and when you're that remarkable its almost out of your hands as to what path you take.
But I digress..a lot...
Bauhaus, on tour, this summer, with NIN. Get your booty out there before they're so huge David doesn't send personal packages to fans anymore unless you're Coheed and Cambria.
posted by Ammie at 10:35 PM
3 Comments:
AMEN.
you're absolutely right... but I think that Bauhaus (esp David and Peter) have such subterranean looks and images that they will hardly be a success among 16 year olds... I was a NIN fan when I was 16, but the music which Reznor does is much more understandable. as for Bauhaus, people need a big cultural background to understand their music as it SHOULD be understood. for example, on the Bauhaus forum there are many really intellectual topics... there are two possibilities: the prospect of Bauhaus getting world-famous with the help of NIN fails => the Bauhaus fan commune stays as it is now, the boys never record their new album because of problems with getting signed etc, and get back to making music for TV series. The next possibility - they become a huge success, people who go to NIN gigs buy all their albums => the boys record a conformist album, embark on a world tour, have their vids (with cheap horror content) played on MTV, Danny buys a mansion, they finally come to Russia in 2016... (as "old-fashioned hit things") god help us all))))) They want money and they've got to do smth with it... Danny needs it before his judgement day, so he can run away. Maybe he's jealous of Damo Suzuki, who likes to walk barefoot in the Sahara desert. Romantic. but for this, they need to work like shit(((
about old-fashioned freaks... Boy George and Marc Almond come to our little town almost every year, and they get a lot of cash from promoters who bring them here as reminders of their freaky youth... I don't want Bauhaus to be like this. they're too old to be Interpol or Franz Ferdinand either, sorry... well, Bauhaus should invent a new way to gain public attention and not to lose their "art spirit", I'm sure))
Hey Bradly thanks for the comments. I like what someone said on the Bauhaus board today: "they will wear their fame brilliantly." I have faith that this is true.
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