Fwd: Now Now bios
Posted by: Shannon in Uncategorized, tags: event, music, politics, sound, sound & fury, wtf?Just received a strange email:
The following is from an unnamed Sydney musician…
I compiled some of my fave quotes from the bio page:
“Sydney-based musician and sound artist working with
whatever comes to hand” aren’t we all?
“He has made his own unique mark on the art-world
while never pandering to its politics” he was always a
wanker but now he actually belives his own crap, why
can’t he die instead of Derek Bailey?
“… he creates an ambiguous and beguiling sound world
” …poor deluded cunt
“… the most intellegent human being to ever play a
turntable ” they couldn’t spell intelligent right
“the most important musician in Sydney” - poor Matt,
the Dim Jenley curse….
“Media artist who works across music, radio,
Internet, film/video and installation” he’s a nice
bloke, well meaning, this sounds like an arts grant application
The last bit refers to me. Looks like I got off lightly!
(Yeah my bio is bland, but I hate writing bios (that one has been recycled (too) many times). Anyone want to write one for me?)
Scene politics, eh? ;)
January 25th, 2006 at 11:39 pm - Edit
Geez, i got sent that one too… Circulation must have been wide!
Bios are a funny thing, aren’t they? Shannon, I like yours… very business-like and modest in relation to your level of activity.
Just for fun, the bio hyperbole count is…
master(ful)- 6
great - 4
force(ful) - 4
dedicated - 4
foremost - 3
astounding - 3
creative - 3
complex - 3
delicate - 3
unique - 2
inspired a generation of - 2
virtuos o/ic - 2
intensity - 2
passionate - 2
genius - 1
seminal - 1
legendary - 1
and my favourite….
abscesses (@#*&^?) - 1
closely followed by…
‘metaphorically pertinent’
but then, maybe i am just a whinger because in the 4 odd years of nownow/we like you (encompassing hundreds of gigs), i’ve only been asked to play once - which was a duo. They must really friggin hate my stuff, that’s all i can say. Ha!!
January 27th, 2006 at 7:09 pm - Edit
Nice analysis!
It’s funny, Adrian and I were talking at the festival about how we’re ‘leper musicians’. We’re too well informed to be genuine ‘outsiders’ yet we nevertheless remain outside of being truly embraced by anyone. No one writes about us. No one wants to collaborate with us. No one wants to record us.
I’d hope that people would realise that in our own ways we have as much skill and knowledge and as distinct ideas and aesthetics as any number of musicians who are much more fashionable… but what can you do, short of the undignified path of self-promotion?
Frankly, after 15 years of being treated as insignificant (with occasional flashes of interest) there’s not much we can do except wear it as a badge of pride.
I remember when I met Clayton at one of the early IYLIMWLY gigs at Space 3 and introduced myself, mentioning my history in improvised music. He seemed interested but I didn’t get a gig for a long time.
I think the turning point was when I got involved in the Splinter Orchestra. Just having a presence there seemed to make a big difference.
Still, I’m not exactly a regular at IYLIMWLY (I think I’ve played twice outside of Splinter). And while I was grateful for the opportunity to play with Rik and Garry at the festival, it did kinda feel like lumping the outsiders together.
The NOW now is a scene, like any other, except the borders are more porous, it’s more inclusive, and there is more good will than in most scenes with which I’ve associated. I do feel loved in that scene, albeit not really understood.
(I believe there is a desire for understanding in that scene, but we’re not quite there yet. eg I have a problem with the organisers’ description of the Splinter Orchestra as a “combination of Sydney’s most dedicated improvisers and electronic musicians” as if an electronic musician can’t be a dedicated improvisor. The distinction is simply not useful, IMHO. In practice, when the Orchestra is playing well, there is no distinction anyway.)
I reckon (and I also said this to Adrian) that if you really wanted to play at their events you could, you just need to make that clear to them, or find some way of making them consider you, as I did by joining Splinter.