England, England... Le Figaro Magazine, By Nicolas Ungemuth and Fabrice Demessence.
"Weller? It's an old man and he plays music based upon guitars, very boring.... It's a bit the new Clapton: he's getting older in a very bad way and he's embarassing. We listen Blues, rythm and blues of the late 50s, ska and soul..."
"Weller? It's an old man and he plays music based upon guitars, very boring.... It's a bit the new Clapton: he's getting older in a very bad way and he's embarassing. We listen Blues, rythm and blues of the late 50s, ska and soul..."
12 comments:
Ouais, le dilemme habituel: "papa" est trop vieux, donc j'écoute la musique de "grand-papa".Je reste dubitatif. Je n'aime pas tout ce que Weller a fait en solo, mais cette tendance à brailler du "c'était mieux avant " me sort par les trous de nez.
C'est tout l'inverse d'une pensée moderniste. On peut évidemment s'inspirer de ce qui a été fait pour faire du contemporain, mais n'écouter QUE de la musique faite il y a près de 50 ans ....misère!
Cordialement,
Karl.
Vous ne comprenez pas. Les "Neomods" veulent etre differents de tous les autres de leur generation. La musique "plein des guitares" et de Weller contient rien de nouveau pour eux, et ils veulent etre differents. Comme il n'ya pas de musique nouveau pour eux ils ont trouve un dans le passe. Tous leurs contemporains ne comprennent pas... alors c'est Mod. Un autre groupe guitare? Razorlight? Oasis? The killers? The Enemy? pfffff c'est le meme vieux chose..
Very interesting, Jeff and you're right in a way. ;) Thanx. So they're going to go further in the past? Anyway, That's a bit what we did when we were the young boys. A bit direspectful for Weller but it's a part of the game I think. Hard to think than the future of music is the fifties' one but you're right about the lack of new things in music. By the way, The "new Clapton" label is a very very old title of Q magazine...All the very best and thanx for your comment. Don't know if I'm a mod now... ;)
You want to discuss in English? (its easier for me!).
I think you must be of a similar age to me. I became interested in Mod in 1979, in an era when Rock music could still be "new" and "dangerous" (it is not now). Like the Punks a few years before us we were trying to turn back time 15 years or so to a time when we believed music was better. In the beginning we ignored the Soul and RnB the original Mods listened to and the focus was on bands like The Who and Small Faces. Why? because we knew little of this music even then.. You have to accept we (and Paul Weller) are old now (it is more than 30 years since the Mod Revival!). It is a different time and era and many things have happened in music since then such as Hip Hop and "Dance" music. The views we held then are no longer relevant to younger people today. Old Soul and RnB music however is a completely different thing. Not only do most (not Mod) young people today know nothing about it, but most of our generation know little about it either. A non Mod going to a Mod club today would not know a single tune played I'm sure. None of it is available on any kind of commercial release - it is truly mysterious to most people and impossible to find in a normal shop. In a strange way the old music has become newer than the new music! Even the Mods of the 60's would not have heard most of this current Mod music which has been sourced from the depths of black America and was unavailable even in the UK at the time! This music is more different to the majority of young people today than Punk was in our time. These kids are more rebellious in an original way than we ever were.
As for whether you are a Mod or not, we are all Mods in our own way and based on our perceptions and time. It is an evolving thing and a young Mod today is a different animal to the Mods of Britpop, who were different to Mods of the Mod Revival, who were in turn different to those of the 60's, who were different to the creators in the 50's... In my opinion to be a Mod you have to be obsessed with music and clothes, which music and clothes is largely up to you. There are a few common threads but they are vague, attitude and style is what it is about..
By the way "respect for Paul Weller"? Why? He is only a musician, not the God of Mod..
I should also point out that every Mod's view is different, there is a range of different views amongst those in the photograph that would keep them "discussing" for many years...
Hello Jeff, A quick one, it's early and I'm in the morning rush time! You're absolutely right about everything and Yes, Weller is NOT god, I'm very upest by that kind of thoughts if it's serious. I didn't want to slash Ryan you know, I don't know him and It's pretty normal to try to get some distance with the father's role model. Thanx for taking time to discuss and to write ii in a very good french! Would you please Write me there: yviseur@free.fr
All the best! :)
The funny thing is, what Ryan, 17, says about Weller today is basically the same thing that Weller used to say about Townshend when he was 19 back in 1977. At this age, I think it's healthy not to pay any kind of respect to the old idols.
Nicolas Ungemuth
Absolutely right! I didn't want to offend Ryan at all and the legendary Weller / Towhnshend meeting is there to prove it.;) I was exactly the same at 17 and discussed hours and hours with friends to know if it was just ALLOWED to listen some kind of music. That's why I've said that, not to be wicked or insulting. The Who, when I was 17 were the "Face dances" one, etc, completely out. ;) And we NEED angry young men with taste! We could mix the past and the future this way. And those never ending discussions are one of the best things in our music freaks pleasure, isn't it? Send me your top ten Ryan, please! :)
It doesn't really matter what music you like as long as you have style, taste and FUN.
Pour Nicolas U.
Je suis d'accord avec toi, il y a toujours une phase "post ado" où l'on est exaspéré par les "vieux" (...en gros, plus de trente ans!) Mais c'est juste mon opinion, je trouve que cette reflexion de Ryan était un peu triste dans le sens elle bloque d'office toute prise de risque musicale. C'est vrai que Weller vieillit et que parfois sa musique souffre de "gras" sur lequel il aurait vomi il y a trente ans. Mais tu le sais, Weller ne s'est jamais arrêté en 1965. S'il s'est largement inspiré du modernisme, il a aussi écouté progressivement beaucoup d'autres musiques. Même si All Mod Cons est mon album préféré des Jam, son ouverture d'esprit musicale nous a laissé "Sounds Affect","Our Favorite Shop" et "Heliocentric". Ces albums n'auraient pas vu le jour s'il n'avait écouté que de la musique des années 64-66. Et je pense que c'est pour cela qu'il est resté sur le devant de la scène. Quel sera, sur le plan musical, le leg de ces "Neomods" ? S'il reste bloqué sur qui a été fait, il sera égal au leg philosophique de BHL: à peine au dessus de zéro. Et cela me chagrine.
J'attends la prochaine sensation musicale d'inspiration mod, celle que je pourrai ranger à coté des mes vinyles des Small faces ou des Impressions.
Cordialement,
Karl
PS: Tu as oublié Long John Baldry et les Zombies dans ta rubrique "Swingin' London"....Argh! Pardonne, mais n'oublie jamais !
Karl, c'est toi qui est coince au passe. La musique Soul etc contient des choses beaucoup plus profond que bang bang sur une guitare...
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