The needle and the damage done

Times Herald ^ | 8/27/06 | Gordon Glantz

[qam1]

When Syd Barrett died earlier this summer, you would've thought I was a personal friend or relative. My wife called. Co-workers asked if it was going to inspire a column. Old friends sent e-mails. If you don't know - which is no crime, trust me - Barrett was a founder of the classic rock band Pink Floyd in the mid-1960s.

He only stuck around for one full album before a drug addiction made him an impossible creative partner for a group that went on to do tremendous things in his stead. Some of Pink Floyd's best work - songs like Wish You Were Here and Shine On You Crazy Diamond - were inspired by Barrett's purported deep psychosis spurred by excessive LSD use. All you have to do is hear the song See Emily Play to know Barrett had potential, but he sold himself - and many others - short.

They say he somehow influenced other rockers with musical gibberish released on a pair of hurried solo albums, but that's a major reach born out of the mystique of his unfulfilled potential. It's kind of like when a bunch of ersatz art experts go to see some modern art that stinks and everyone says it's great because they either feel compelled or don't want to break ranks and risk sounding dumb.

While I was flattered to have been the immediate classic-rock go-to guy when Barrett's tortured existence came to an end this July, I could barely manage a shoulder shrug. I try to pride myself on not being easily cast under unworthy spells. I see the undeserved mystique we attach to people who have not upheld their ends of the unspoken contract they sign with those who help put them in the driver's seat of life's Rolls Royce and, well, it makes me want to vomit.

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the collective works of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Tim Hardin, Phil Ochs and countless others. But each loses points on my scorecard for depriving us of their magical skills for the long haul.

Another example for the generation more or less after mine would be Kurt Cobain, the front man for the grunge band Nirvana. Once upon a time, I had a good ear for emerging talent. The first time I heard U2, I knew they were special. Ditto for REM. I have obviously since lost my touch, as I can't understand why this Pete Yorn kid isn't a deity and why hip-hop is considered music, but I digress.

The first time I heard Nirvana, I heard great potential. Nothing more, nothing less. Greatness was years away. And that potential for greatness went through the 27-year-old Cobain's brain in the form of a self-inflicted gunshot in 1994. Calling Cobain a tortured artist is giving him too much credit. He was just a heroin addict who took his life, leaving behind a growing following starved for a lead voice that was not borrowed from the record collection of their older siblings or even their parents.

The reaction to Cobain's deadly action was for music critics and assorted others to attach a ridiculous mystique to his memory. He has been called the John Lennon of Generation X. If true, I truly pity that generation. Actually, I pity the dimwit who tagged him as such. Because it's not true.

He was, at best, the Syd Barrett of his generation. Some of you older folks - assuming you made it this far into a column strewn with names you don't know - are not immune.

The wife and I recently dialed up the movie about Johnny Cash, Walk The Line, on Pay-Per-View. It was a little too long, but a good flick. I give it three Stars of David out of a possible four. It included outstanding performances - particularly by the darling Reese Witherspoon, who deservedly won the Oscar for her portrayal of June Carter Cash.

But it only confirmed my belief that the myth and legend that swirls around Johnny Cash are largely unwarranted. Many ardent admirers of Cash may not realize that he didn't even write a lot of his most noteworthy songs and, considering how drugged up he was most of the time, it's no wonder.

But since he dressed in all-black outfits and played concerts at prisons - thus, adding to the overall mystique the falsehood that he was some hardened ex-con - there is a disproportionate aura. I'm not saying Johnny Cash was a bad guy. His heart was in the right place, but give me a break. A lot of younger people have oddly fallen under his spell, too.

There was a former editor here - an exceedingly bright young lady - who would go on and on about how Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young are old and tired and should never write or sing another word.

I may be blinded by the light when it comes to Springsteen, but he steered clear of drugs for the stated reason he didn't want to risk losing everything he had worked so hard to achieve. Guys who were in some of his early bands have recounted how they would be in one room partying while he'd be in another writing songs.

Young's song The Needle and the Damage Done is one of the best anti-drug anthems ever written and was inspired by the drug-induced deaths of a band member and a roadie. Young, whose lyrics were quoted in Cobain's suicide note, also eulogized Cobain in the song Sleeps With Angels. But Springsteen and Young should hang up their guitars and go home to their rocking chairs?

"OK, what about Johnny Cash?" I asked.

No hesitation.

"Oh yeah, he's cool," she said.

True story.

I'm not saying we should start a bonfire with works of art from those who compromised their abilities through fatal addictions. But understand that they broke a bond with society because they could have and should have given us more.

[ViLaLuz]

Oo oo that smell.
Can't you smell that smell?
Oo oo that smell,
the smell of death around you.

[phoenix0468]

Whatever, he was right on. Johnny Cash is a great artist (con artist that is). He portrayed himself as something he wasn't to sell records. He took ownership of music he didn't write.

I'll tell you two of the greatest losses in popular music, and they died from accidents. Jim Croce and Harry Chapin. Both sang songs that told stories. Some humerous some serious, but most politically and religiously secular. They were truly great artists, IMO.

[dennisw]

Inneresting about Eric clapton!

[phoenix0468]

Wow, you missed the point completely. He was not judging their art at all. In fact he described almost every one of the individuals as "good" or "great". His issue was their selfish choices that took them and subsequently their art from us. Those of us who made them the popular artists they were. They took our money and spent it on poison that eventually killed them. His point is that they may have been great artists, but they were very selfish people. And I agree.

[grellis]

I don't go much by the faces, just the music itself, and I'm just one of those folks who are drawn to somber music. More recent artists didn't invent it, and most of them are pretty awful at it when they take a stab. Nobody could convey alienation and loss like Floyd, though. It all comes down to taste, doesn't it?

I've long been a fan of swing, too, but for the past few years I've been listening, mostly, to classical, bluegrass and an occasional klezmer tune.

[phoenix0468]

Ok, let's see, most of Johnny Cash's hits were written by other artists or June Carter. Whereas Bruce Springsteen wrote EVERY ONE of his songs. BTW, in many peoples opinions, Bruce's political philosophies aside, Cash couldn't hold a candle to Springsteen.

[phoenix0468]

I agree. It is hard to separate the artist from his art. But if you give the art it's own identity, it's not hard. Most of Young's and Springsteen's early stuff was somewhat apolitical. Yes, they both wrote or sang songs that had a leftist message, but they had enough good stuff to justify listening to it, ignoring the personality behind it. But that's just my opinion.

You could say similar things about some of the great artists of the past. Composers, painters, sculptors who used their art to send secret messages to their countries enemies because they didn't believe in their own country. It happened quite often actually. Nevertheless, great art was born despite the ulterior motives of some of the artists.

[Riverman94610]

I hate heroin.Can't stand to be around junkies or alcoholics for that matter.
But the lyrics to the song,Heroin?
Truer words were never spoken!

[Screamname]

Am I right or am I right? Was this idiot not promoting his kids death for a buck at every opportunity or what? This kid was a whiskey kid by the way, one that came out of a drunken night, and all the Hollywood liberals completely kissed his arse, giving him awards and grammys when he didn`t give one flying f- about this kid. He is an absolute and utter SCUMBAG! There is nothing "blues" about him... He is a PHONY, nothing more than a punk from England who has had his arse kissed his entire life from day one, from head to toe from the time he was a teenager till now and all because he did nothing more than rip off blues musicians from blues records he probably ripped off as well. I just love it when I see pics of his concerts and his "guitar tech" must bring his guitar out to him on this "holy pillow". Oh, how "blues" of you Eric. Screw Clapton, let him die!

[ClearCase_guy]

Did I miss the point?

Calling Cobain a tortured artist is giving him too much credit. He was just a heroin addict who took his life

He's not calling Cobain a great artist there. How about Johnny Cash? He seems to judge Cash largely based on the movie "Walk the Line":

But it only confirmed my belief that the myth and legend that swirls around Johnny Cash are largely unwarranted.

That's a putdown. Why? Because he used drugs. He's not complaining that Cash might have given us more, or given us better. No. Cash's fame is "unwarranted". Why? Becuase he used drugs.

Give me a break.

[gonzo]

"... (See the post I was responding to.)..."

Roger that! My bad! Now...I'll put The Everly Brothers - "Pass The Chicken And Listen" album on and groove. Stay well...........FRegards

[MarkL]

Kurt Cobain is the most overrated rock star ever. You couldn't even understand the guy's lyrics.

Since I first saw the video, I thought that Weird Al Yankovick's spoof on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ("Smells like Nirvana")is far better than the original, both the song AND the video! Here are the lyrics:

What is this song all about?
Can't figure any lyrics out
How do the words to it go?
I wish you'd tell me, I don't know
Don't know, don't know, don't know, oh no!
Don't know, don't know, don't know...

Now I'm mumblin' and I'm screamin'
And I don't know what I'm singin'
Crank the volume, ears are bleedin'
I still don't know what I'm singin'
We're so loud and incoherent
Boy, this oughta bug your parents
Yeah!

*belch*

poing!

It's unintelligible
I just can't get it through my skull
It's hard to bargle nawdle zouss
with all these marbles in my mouth
Don't know, don't know, don't know, oh no!
Don't know, don't know, don't know...

Well, we don't sound like Madonna
Here we are now, we're Nirvana
Sing distinctly? We don't wanna
Buy our album, we're Nirvana
A garage band from Seattle
Well it sure beats raisin' cattle

Yeah!

moo..

baa...

And I forgot the next verse
Oh well, I guess it pays to rehearse
The lyric sheet's so hard to find
What are the words, oh nevermind
Don't know, don't know, don't know, oh no!
Don't know, don't know, don't know...

Well, I'm yellin' and we're playin'
But I don't know what I'm sayin'
What's the message I'm conveyin'?
Can you tell me what I'm sayin'?
So have you got some idea?
Didn't think so
Well, I'll see ya
Sayonara, sayonawa
Ayonawa, hodinawa
Odinaya, yodinaya
Yaddayadda, yaaahyaaah
Ayiyaaaaaah!

Mark

[phoenix0468]

First of all Kurt Cobain was not a great artist. He was a popular artist, as was Andy Gibb, but great? Come on, that would be putting him in the same category as Bach or Mozart. Now they were great artists. As for Cash, he qualified his judgement by stating that he was not an origional artist. Most of Johnny Cash's hits were written by other people. Yes, his interpretations of those songs were well done, but this does not make him a great artist. I will give Johnny Cash more credit than the author did, but I won't disagree with his opinion. Yes, he pointed out that Johnny Cash was a drug addict, and that may have caused him to be unable to write his own music or lyrics, but again that is not necessarily an untrue statement.

I like Nirvana, I like Johnny Cash, but they most certainly are not in the relm of aritists such as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, or Bob Dylan. Those people wrote and sang their own songs and didn't need anyone else to underwrite their success.

[MarkL]

I hope he knows that Manfred Mann wrote blinded by the light

Sorry, but Springsteen wrote it. I was pretty sure, but just in case, I checked with ASCAP, and he's listed as the composer.

Mark

[ForOurFuture]

You missed Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

[MarkL]

A while back someone in the school paper where I teach refered to "Come Together" as an Aerosmith song.

And a young cousin who loves Peter Gabriel and Genesis was shocked to find out that Peter was in Genesis!

I think that the first Genesis song she ever heard was "That's All."

Mark

[MarkL]

please feel free to add more names to this list.

Dimebag Daryl - I wasn't a big fan, but he was a talented player. Murdered.

Jaco Pastorius, the "Jimi Hendrix" of bass. Not just an incredibly talented bass player, but one of the most innovative bassists ever, and he was able to move from one style to another completely effortlessly. An amazing side-man and composer. Like Hendrix, he did things on his instrument that had never been heard before. Bad drug problems, and died after he was badly beaten.

Mark

[Balding_Eagle]

She said "when drug addicts get cancer, there's nothing we can give them that will touch their pain." She looked down and spoke more - quietly. When she was through, I knew she seen the depths of hell...

My give a damn is busted for this one.

I, and a lot of others, made choices years ago, some of them hard to make, and we stayed away.

They made their choice too.

[PzLdr]

Both Dion [4th on the Winter Party bill with the Belmonts] and Waylon Jennings [Buddy Holly's bass player] passed on the Holly chater from Clear Lake, Iowa to Fargo, North Dakota.

I believe Bobby V was the Frago fill in after the crash.

[GOPJ]

I, and a lot of others, made choices years ago, some of them hard to make, and we stayed away. They made their choice too.

I've never had great sympathy for drug addicts - but there was something in what she said, and the way she said it... I walked away thanking my lucky stars I had never been an addict... it was chilling.