Grotesque/brilliant sleeves plus does upping the price make a ticket more desirable?
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2023
- Sizzling hot topics patted back and forth across the ping-pong net of conversation this week include …
… the republishing of Giles Smith’s Lost In Music, one of the funniest books ever written about our real life relationship with pop stars, records and being in bands. Giles - and Nick Hornby - kick-started a whole new literary vogue.
… has Cate Blanchett won Glastonbury?
… why do we update book jackets but never change a record cover?
… how the Stones’ Steel Wheels tour changed the gig economy.
… the Stackwaddy game: song titles - George Formby or Frank Zappa?
… how gigs became a status symbol and tickets a statement purchase.
... did a record sleeve ever put you off buying the album?
… what are YOU going to do with your vinyl collection? Original new “estate plans” considered.
… amusing things said by George Melly (and who was Mucky Alice?).
… Recession? What recession? 650,000 people bought arena/stadium tickets in London last weekend.
Plus Toe Fat, Blind Faith, “the Larynx on Legs”, author Giles Smith and birthday guests Blaine Allen and Richard Lewis.
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Tickets for Word In Your Ear live at 21Soho on September 25th here: www.tickettext.co.uk/1SwIYJWoHK
Here in Phoenix Arizona the local bands scene can be AMAZING! And not just in the clubs and bars but the pop up shows in houses and buildings. We don't need Wembley type venues for U2 and Beyonce. Rock on, gentleman!!!
In my day...I went to see Genesis in their last theatre tour in 1980. In the days before Ticketmaster, I remember going to the Glasgow Apollo with my friends after school to buy tickets from an actual ticket office, no pre-registration, no booking fees or anything. And we could actually see the band without the need for screens. Ah, them was the days...
Culture in the West is now dominated by the 'latest thing'. With the quality of film and music having fallen off a cliff, the only thing that is now driving the sales of new releases is the 'latest thing'. In the past, quality and genre were important so every act and genre had their separate fan bases. And those individual fan bases were naturally smaller as a result. But now the only thing that matters is the 'latest thing' resulting in vast waves of young people all 'enjoying' the same thing. And all of this new culture is being forgotten almost overnight with everyone immediately moving onto the next 'latest thing'.
I'm confused by your Glastonbury piece. That was weeks ago yet you refer to it in the present ? Particularly enjoyed the memories of George Melly.
I'm in my 20's and wouldn't pay more than about £45 for a gig. The cheaper ones are normally at more characterful, smaller venues, and there are so many incredible niche artists to see live. It's just diminishing returns.
Also, you'd think high prices would filter out the casual gig-goers, but it actually does the opposite, because many want to be seen doing something exclusive. The bigger crowds dilute the serious fans, so you get a sea of phones rather than dancing. Best gig I've been to this year consisted of around 30 hardcore punk-noise-techno fans in a small room, leaping about maniacally. Had a freshly made pizza in the same building beforehand, and a nice chat with the artist afterwards. What more could you want?
The money and gigs point struck me, I and four others attended our first Glastonbury CND Festival in 1981. Tickets £8 apiece. In fact, looking back, we formed our local branch of CND in lonely North Lincolnshire partly to find each other and plan to go to Glastonbury in 1981 as CND affiliates. The oddest point was how we got there. That year British rail had an offer via Weetabix of two train tickets for the price of one. We bought lots of Weetabix, sent off for our two-for-the-price-of-one tickets from Gainsborough to and divided the cost of five tickets between us. We went Gainsborough-Lincoln-Bristol-slept on the waiting room in Bristol-,slow morning train to Castle Cary, four miles from Glastonbury with tents, clothing and food etc, and did the same back. Life on the dole meant being resourceful. This time the slog felt rewarding. Going proved to be a rite of passage.
Electric Ladyland has covers that Jimi Hendrix did not want. The UK version was hated by him, and he didn't want the US Cover either. It was not until 2018 that they finally got the cover he wanted for the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. Sadly none of the band, or the photographer were still with us by then. Wonder if the husband and children got free copies of it?
Culture in the West is now dominated by the 'latest thing'. With the quality of film and music having fallen off a cliff, the only thing that is now driving the sales of new releases is the 'latest thing'. In the past, quality and genre were important so every act and genre had their separate fan bases. And those individual fan bases were naturally smaller as a result. But now the only thing that matters is the 'latest thing' resulting in vast waves of young people all 'enjoying' the same thing. And all of this new culture is being forgotten almost overnight with everyone immediately moving onto the next 'latest thing'.