[quote="kimmy"]As for the embarrassment of 'Hi I'm DirtyMartini' Stewart would just reply 'Hey I love your poetry on my website' Wouldn't that just bowl you over!![/quote]
Heh -- if by "bowl you over" you mean "make you wet yourself and knock you unconscious," then absolutely.
But thanks for the vote of confidence, kimmy.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Doors-ish concert did indeed put thoughts into my head,
but now you'll need to forgive a bit of soapbox this morning:
this is, of course, just one bard's opinion,
so take this as your Grain of Salt Warning.
(And give your bard a bit of latitude;
she promises this ditty has a Policey mooring.)
Stewart, Thank Copeland that Doors-ish tribute band
reunionish concert tour thing didn't float;
legal and physical pains notwithstanding,
I am officially relieved that you got off the boat.
The gig last night was absolutely fun,
but the performance (solos aside) mostly rote;
I can't help but feel like adding you to the mix
would be like watching you stuck in a moat.
Without a boat.
In a housecoat.
Up to your throat
in coyotes.
(Or perhaps scapegoats.)
As a performer, you are way too compelling
to fit into Ray and Robbie's second-string cage;
indeed I'd imagine they may have had some worries
that their spotlights would get upstaged.
To be fair, that thought would have been sage.
The drummer playing last night was instantly forgettable;
in fact, I've already forgotten his name.
Even though he was working really really hard,
he just wasn't vital in the main.
Had I been rather altered at the time,
I'd probably have been thinking (or not thinking) otherwise;
but as I was (un)Stone(d) Cold Sober,
my brain just couldn't help but theorize.
This Doors-ish-ish band isn't quite trying to be a band
so much as sound like a band -- in particular, like an old dead band;
they were isolated players without much cohesion,
which meant the performance was rather unmanned.
Don't get me wrong -- everyone played hard
and at times they played really well;
but there was an obvious absence of chemistry
that kept the whole gestalt ungelled.
And there is something really kinda creepy
(at least to this music listener's ear)
to have an audience scream-sing an entire show through:
the singer could have literally disappeared.
If the crowd would have noticed remains unclear.
So really why am I telling you folks about
the Doors-ish-ish concert I saw last night?
Because it made me realize how glad I will be
whenever I hear that The Police are having a musical fight.
As friends and brothers, of course, I hope they remain close-knit;
but as a band, man, there needs to be some grit.
Not because strife is good in itself,
but cuz it shows that the band is still giving a shit.
If the guys aren't fighting and nit-picking and adjusting and re-working,
it suggests at least one of them has checked out;
and last night I witnessed first-hand how rather unsettling
a muscle-memory performance turns out:
it becomes an experiment in mimicry,
of individuals with no whole,
buying time between showboat solos
in which half the players are sadly optional.
So the next time you guys disagree, SC,
and you need to kick Stingo's ass,
please hear me quietly thanking you
for having the brass
to actively be A Band. Today.
rather than The Ghost of Police Past.
I know some folks only want to hear the hits
exactly as they've known them note for note for note;
and of course, they've got every right to that vote.
But they're going to have to find their own poetic keynote;
cuz me, I'm reminded of why I'm glad to hear
that The Boys are finding new tricks for the old dogs *
to keep things vital, modern, and alive
rather than stuck in a nostalgic bog.
Otherwise, the show becomes a memento mori
rather than a looking-ahead;
and in order to mark and meminisse (remember) their passing,
the band would first have to be, well, dead.
And though it may have been sleeping awhile,
this beast doesn't seem to have kicked the bucket just yet.
So SC, if you haven't heard me say it before, I again say Screw it!
Go fucking crazy with your experimental set!
Derange every song from top to bottom!
Trade in your tube socks for fishnets!
I personally encourage you to try and make people upset.
It's so much more dynamic and invigorating than just hitting Reset.
But whatever you guys do, I'm glad your
current-day-selves are re-making this stuff as your own,
creating rather than just re-creating
as a diversely experienced unit rather than a peglegged clone.
I do encourage folks to see The Doors-ish-ish for kicks
and to see Krieger's amazing fingers,
though I highly recommend a hit and a shot beforehand
if on the big picture your brain tends to linger.
As for you, dear Stew, grab some stockings and start making yourself pretty
cuz, Silly Rabbit, you don't want to be late.
We've got a very important date
in Vancouver IN ONLY 8!!!
* Keep your shirt on. Old dogs = the songs, not the band members.
Dramatic highlights & a unique musical cosmos. Guaranteed.
