Archive for the 'Does It Offend You, Yeah?' Category

Does It Offend You, Yeah?

‘The measure of a good record is if you like it.’ - Morgan Quaintance

For some reason I was expecting a bunch of fucked up, lucky guys in their early 20’s who had no idea how the they got where they are and not in a bad way, but in a ‘I don’t give a fuck’ way.

Maybe it was because of the visceral nature and power of their music or because I read some lame story on them that misrepresented who they really were. Whatever the case, I was wrong. They’re smart guys who understand the industry, music history and most importantly, what it means to be an ‘artist.’

I feel bad. Although it might not be obvious by watching the interviews, I wasn’t feeling my best. What I thought was some divine everlasting hangover, a direct punishment from some god I don’t believe in, for drinking a few measly beers at Hot Chip the night before, I later realized, was actually a full blown stomach flu. I spent the entire interview trying not to puke on these guys and my attention span was nil.

So thanks for ignoring my distracted presentation, gentlemen, if you noticed at all.

One more thing before we begin though, about something that ‘offends’ me. What offends me is that certain venues, once known for exposing local acts to the industry populous and hosting many out-of-town acts during their ascent to the stratosphere, now want to charge guys like me, who are trying to promote good shit out of the goodness of their heart, for shooting this good shit.

It’s very short sighted. I shoot a band at your venue for free and make no money off of it. The band gets more exposure. The band returns to your venue and sells it out. You make more money.

MONEY. MONEY. MONEY! You sell tickets, booze, even snatch a piece of the artist’s merch money, and guess what, Greedy Mcgreederson, I still make nothing.

By allowing yourself to be crippled by fear of the possibility that I might just make 53 cents in ad revenue off this clip some years down the line, and forbidding people like me to shoot at your club, you reduce exposure to the bands that play there (however small that reduction may be), and inevitably impede the upward trajectory of the careers of the bands performing in your club which can only harm you in the end.

If a tree falls, people…

So instead of rolling in with a couple of my regular camera setup, I had to sneak shots with a shitty still cam set to video. The show was epic. I liked this band going in, but I left loving the shit out of them. I have never seen a band light this particular club up the way DIOYY did that night.

There was a point, about mid-way through the show when a tiny girl was floating safely upon the hands of the raucous crowd. A security guard wandered into the crush of bodies and I was struck by the thought that he might not make it back alive, creating a feeling for me that anything, be it horrific or triumphant, could happen.

And it is that type of danger that keeps rock n’ roll alive.

So thanks for a great Monday Does It Offend You, Yeah?. I will be back. (hopefully with a real camera next time)


beats - hooks - success - celine dion - song writing - happiness


first memory - first album - solder - cities - fans - electro

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