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You mentioned David Bowie as a original and I agree. He famously said once something to the effect that art is not refusing to steal, but knowing what to steal.
Mary, as a singer-songwriter for a couple of decades, I haven't "written" a single string of five notes or more (on any instrument) without feeling certain that I've hijacked it from someone.
I've always liked your music, but this video is brilliant, especially the "originality versus authenticity" conclusion. You certainly have mastered this medium. 👏
Yes, there's no other purpose in life than to find your own. Don't compare yourself with others. Don't let success or failure be a factor in your own enjoyment.
"It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief" 'The Fly' - U2
Prince was the original artist as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His albums were usually credited as "produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince *except where indicated which meant usually a saxophone player. Besides he didn't care too much about his commercial success after "Purple Rain" album, but his focus was in music.
Bowie, Queen, Leonard Cohen, Lowell George,Booker T and the MG's, early Steve Miller, Steely Dan and the amazing Brian Wilson...all amazing and unique...
Bowie was the G.O.A.T .... there won't be a nother one like him .... but he went up to other peoples expectations when he did " Let's Dance" and regretted that 'till the end ....
5:35 - "I'm singing about me and my life, and if it's relevant for other people's lives, that's alright." (John Lennon) In junior high school, I began writing songs, and it became _therapy,_ a way to express my perspective on the human condition...and to process my own emotional reactions to it. Surprisingly, this _introspective_ exploration of _my_ experiences helped me to connect with _others_ who have had _similar_ experiences, allowing _them_ to feel better understood, too! As Bowie noted, _not_ pandering generates the best (and sometimes most successful) art! Now, the degree to which _my_ art ultimately contributes to the culture in which I live...well...it will likely be small, but if _one_ person feels less alone because of a song I wrote, _that's_ success!
Mary, if you have made someone’s day better with your music and you can sleep soundly at night… You’re not only good enough… you’re better than the majority.
bowie was an early hero, in the right mode- in that he challenged his listeners to emulate his example rather than his style. to become one's own creative fount, and not just copy or parrot Bowie. I love hearing how he and Eno thought they were done Scary Monsters, had a master ready to turn in, but then heard The Walker Brothers Nite Flight, just released, and realized there were similarities- so they went back into the studio, trashed some of it, rewrote and reworked others, and wrote new... they thought they'd pushed an envelope, only to find Walker Bros were already there... love it. if you are to be influenced by others, it should be in opposition or competition, not hollow and cheap emulation
I love David Bowie, one of my heroes. Absolutely destroyed, in disbelief when I’d learned he’d passed. Had just listened to his last album, Black Star, for the first time, when I heard the news. I’d cried listening to it, because I could tell something was wrong. Like he was saying goodbye. Sure enough. Only got to see him live one time, on Moby’s Area 2 tour, funnily enough 😅 Bowie was masterful, a true magician of sound and vision. If there had to be a modern artist that is currently carrying on the Bowie tradition, if there could be such a thing, is Kevin Barnes from the band Of Montreal. Guy is really original, very talented songwriter and performer. Great live shows.
The second you think that you are good enough, that's the same second that you stop progressing, stop innovating, stop trying; all the things you do so well... You do you, Mary, because everyone else is already taken.
Great video, Mary, about an important topic. Reminds me of two things. 1) What’s that old joke? “Your music is both good and original…but the bits that are good are not original, and the bits that are original are not good.” We all, as creatives, struggle (unknowingly or not) with that old joke. 2) The founder of IBM once said something like “don’t worry about anyone stealing your ideas: if they are original you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.”
Just discovered your channel. You can thank Ren because I’m a huge fan of his and your video about him turned up in my feed. I think Ren might be our new David Bowie but only time will tell and they are huge shoes to step into. I’m off to watch your back catalog now. So pleased to have met you 😊😊😊❤
As a 63 year old, Bowie had a huge affect on my teenage years and every year since. A few weeks ago I found a song on UA-cam and like Bowie did in the 70's Hi Ren by Ren has done the same now, and I constantly play his work and each time I find something new which I love. He has opened up a whole new genre and type of music to this old git.
Pop music not just rock is on borrowed time. It's impossible mathematically to be original to infinity without completely evolving into something else entirely. And that's what we do as humans. We evolve.
The conversation about contemporary music running out of originality has been a long-time topic, as when I worked in record retail [US] in the late 1970s with disco being very popular in the US, the employees in the store wondered if pop/rock music had run its course and was at a dead end. Then the 1980s came along.
I remember in 1980 Robert Fripp played with both David Bowie & Peter Gabriel on Scary Monsters & Melty. He also announced the reformation of King Crimson. Quite a legendary year for him ..a legend.
G’day Mary. If you ever quit your day job, you’d make a hell of a writer. You have such insight. I have played with so many musicians and artists over the years that did exactly as you described. One in particular, is in his mid 70’s now and still cranking out his own thing, still working the clubs in Burbank and Santa Monica. I always believed he was before his time. One of his mates, who frankly wasn’t as good, made it big in Nashville during the mid 90’s. My mate kept true to himself and never ever got so much as a nod from anyone in the industry. Another mate lost out on a world tour with a reasonably famous 80’s band to one of his band mates who frankly, sucked. Compared to the 60’s 70’s, there are exponentially more musicians and songwriters than there were then. Everyone wants a shot. Eurovision, American Idol and The Voice make it look easy. But there are rarely originals. (Maybe I should talk to Simon about that) When I was your age, ( likely before you were born ) we had no internet and couldn’t imagine anything like YewChube. This is such a fantastic platform. The fact that you can reach three quarters of a million people with your channel is a game changer. I think that if you were my age, your voice ( as magnificent as it is ) would get lost before it reached the end of the drive. Keep doing what you’re doing and keep true to yourself.
Wow! Now that's a comment that deserves vastly more likes than it's had up to now... what's the matter folks? Don't appreciate the truth when you read it?
She really should be a professor in the faulty of music, no one would miss a class and the classes recorded for online uses like Khan University or Corsera ...she would not have to give up her day job but she would gain a lot more fans for sure.
Everything you said also applies when choosing material to cover for a live performance. It is always better to choose something you really love or something you feel needs to be heard, rather than play to the room. Let’s face it - if you cater to an audience of drunk people, They will all have forgotten you by morning. But make a strong impression on one sensitive listener, and they’ll remember you for a lifetime.
John Lennon had to pay out with a musical trade for lifting the Chuck Berry line, " Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly" for the Beatles Come Together.
I think all of Western culture is in a creative lull. Look at movies. Remakes, live action of a previous animated movie or sequels. Music is not as bad but in a similar rut. The best music is written for yourself but everyone else can relate to it.
This is one of the most important topics for creatives to tune in on. Adam Neely's video "The Grotesque Legacy of Music as Property" is a well-documented pillar in support of the philosophy that seems most realistic going forward. I'm sure you've seen it but it's worth watching again. Your followers may enjoy it as well. Thank you for weighing in.
The time that these periods of creativity is critical as well. The 50s isn’t the 60s involved a demographic boom of teenagers who were rejecting their parents culture (as teenagers are prone to do). Added to the mis was the Civil Rights movement, an assassination of the American president, assassinations of other social and political leaders, protests against the war in Viet Nam, and then the blatant criminality stemming from the president himself (watergate). This all contributed to how people wanted to express themselves and also how audiences wanted to be made to feel.
also, the last 2 decades were a big boom on rap instrumental innovation, same for genres related to it. metal also innovated quite a bit but then followed by waves of bands then imitating those fresh takes to the point the market was flooded with the trend to exhaustion.
Two things: First, David Bowie has been an inspiration to me ever since hearing Fame on a jukebox as a kid while visiting (of all places!) North Carolina. He's also my patron saint of karaoke -- his unusual vocal range is just about the only one I can comfortably sing in. Second, WHEN IS THAT UPSIDE-DOWN-BLUE-STAR STREAMER GOING TO SUPPORT COMMENTS?!? ;-) I watched this over there, but had to come here to comment!
Just got my autographed copy of Super Sexy Heartbreak in the mail. Absolutely beautiful packaging and booklet with lyrics!! So well done which was no surprise with your attention to detail and care with this work. Time to play the whole thing through.
This is why I never took music lessons or covered too many songs. I never wanted to be too heavily influenced when writing my own music by other musicians styles or riffs. Have I limited myself in my musical ability? Sure. Do I still write great songs? Indeed!
Bowie proved it right down to the end - "Lazarus" - the song and the video is, for me, one of the great works of art. He used his own impending death to push the envelope. I don't know how anyone can push it any further - it was a step beyond Johnny Cash's Hurt which also got its intensity from impending death. But there are still people who do things that move the dial without the need for death - for example Daniel Herskedal's work with the Tuba - see 'the Mariners Cross' from the album 'Harbour' - that sets a sense of place like no-one else - I was lucky enough to see him live , knowing absolutely nothing about him or his music and feeling transported somewhere completely new. I have spent 6 decades listening to music - there is always something new - you should never feel that we are reaching the end.
Personal time. I got disillusioned with music-making in the early 2010s. This was due to an overall depressive episode. But specifically with music making, I became convinced that 1) I will never worthy of the music that I love or inspired and 2) other people can do what I wanted to do better than I ever could. To elaborate more on the first one, I could hear the “influences” and this alone told me that I am not truly original and just a “fourth rate imitation” of my music collection. For the second one, there was music that expressed so well and perfectly my own personality and view that I could never ever top it. It was listening to vaporwave that my music-making mojo back. I could tell a lot of artists were listening to the same kind of music I was listening to growing up. I also enjoyed very much the creative daring. Call it a DGAF attitude. Finally, it reminded me of why I wanted to make music in the first place. Because of all of this, I realised that there was no reason why I couldn’t be a part of it. But what was incredible about it was I didn’t have to do anything differently than what I was already doing. I didn’t have to be like any of those artists at all. I could be “myself”. So going back to what I had thought ten years ago, I can refute those points better now. There is no denying you are the result of numerous influences. But what makes you different is your life experiences and the choices you make. You will never ever be those artists, but that’s also not the point. And even if some other piece expresses something inside of you so well, never let it stop you from saying what you want to say. In fact, you could be saying something that someone else needs to hear. So yes, I totally absolutely 100% agree: authenticity is key. I would go further in including genuineness, sincerity and honesty. Make music that you and you alone can make. I think that “originality” is less about “breaking new ground” and more about giving fresh air to something or standing out in the crowd. And if something seems confining or restricting, seek out a workaround. And finally, you can stand behind what you make against “all the haters”, then you made something genuine and sincere. I don’t believe my own music will appeal to everyone. But I am not embarrassed or ashamed by it because it was what I wanted to make and I am happy for it. Godspeed, Mary. Keep flying =]
I agree authenticity is the future in many mediums. Writers sometimes forget what connects with others are our loves and hates because we all love and adore or distrust. Our inner world has more in common with others than we imagine, share that.
It was always impossible -- look at British rock bands and their Mississippi Delta Blues influence going back to Robert Johnson. Bowie was also inspired by Little Richard.
Yes, and if you don't adhere to the formulae look out. As an example, look at what used to happen at Arnold Schoenberg string quartet performances around 1910.
This was an important video, thank you! I heard someone say that when you are creating, if you know the outcome in advance it isn't art. He said it was propaganda. I would temper that a bit, and say it's craft, not art. My favorite trick when a song is sounding too derivative is to pick a random element and force something new in, like one bar of 5 in a 4/4 song, or non-diatonic chords, or a key change that is distant. It presents a puzzle that might sound like crap at first. But in the moments when I am surprised, game on! It's the surprise I'm looking for. It takes me out of genre, so my music goes places I could never go by "thinking" my way through. Thanks again!
Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is on a different path with their own goals. Are you happy? Do you feel accomplished? Focus on the things you *can* do instead on things that are out of your control.
thanks, mary. there will never be another David Bowie, but... there are still musical innovators alive & working today, and there will be more tomorrow.
2nd Album? Can't wait. The first is in the post,so I have been informed. Love listening to your opinions. So much intelligence with your experience and presentation.
One of my favourite doubting my originality stories is from Tony Banks, keyboard player with Genesis. He'd just composed the track Afterglow for the Wind and Wuthering album and "a couple of days afterwards I suddenly thought, shit, what I've done is I've written Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas again. It was a terrible thought. So I listened to that particular song and realised it wasn't the same and I could get away with it. But it was a terrible moment".
Do you want a hit song Mary? Try this, write a song. Standard 4/4 time with a good hook. Take that song. Re-write every measure in odd structures. Measures in 2,3,5 repeats. Then give that song three high points. Building it up to that final high point. Quit crying and write me a good friggin song.
Fiona Apple is unique, I believe. Obviously, I haven't heard all music, but "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" sounds like nothing I have heard before. Go with your heart. If it's real and true, it will touch those it is meant to reach.
Very good. In the 70s I was an organ/music comp major. Everyone was talking “originality” and sounded dead. I found a book “Bach the Borrower” and it opened my eyes
Interesting how while listening to “Road to Joy” by Peter Gabriel, I could immediately hear “Kiss That Frog”. Artists even borrow chord patterns from their own songs to great effect. 😄
MAAAAARRRRRYYY!!!!!!! Perfect!!!!! I LOVE YOU/your analysis!!! I'm so lucky you are here to talk about all this in a honest way! I show this to my students! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
I’m only on the receiving end, listening quietly to what others create. Hearing Tool, 65 Days of Static, King Crimson but also Phil Ochs, Cohen or Arvo Pärt for the first time are the things I won’t forget, but if you want to get rich and famous, you better not stray far from the beaten path. Music evolves and like everything else evolving, it’s the popular and not the most ingenious idea that survives. Finding the balance between both ends seems to be the trick.
There'll never be another Bowie, Beatles, Stones whatever... That period in music history, in that last 50 years of the 20th century, is like the film industry of the first 50 years of the 20th Century. We will always have music, of course, but it won't have that fresh 'wow factor' that huge, dramatic changes in our culture music used to represent. The 90's was an echo of earlier decades, like the 60's. It was a period showed we were coming to the end. Music is a still a wonderful experience to be experienced live but because we can access music so readily now, we are never looking for the 'new thing'. Hard to explain to a modern audience.
This idea comes down to Roland Barthes 1967 essay "Death of the Author", in which he argues that there is no such thing as the "Author" but only a compiler of text and an editor of text. The fun part is in bringing together different ideas and their traditions into a whole - in Bowie's case, marrying glam rock with performance art. Good video. Thanks for posting.
Such needed words and good development, loved it ! I'm a photographer mostly, who does music from time to time, and I can relate to that constant battle between originality, authenticity and audience-pleasing in my field. which can drive loss of creativity in the end. So again, great to see those kind of videos!
'HI REN' by Ren is calling you! Independent, authentic, multi-talented, super creative, takes the music video to a new level. First artist that has really engaged me for decades. Not saying he's a new Bowie but I think he will make a big mark. BTW his new album has just entered the UK chart at no. 1, by word of mouth from fans who have largely discovered him on UA-cam.
"Innovators" or risk takers are naturally going to be harder and harder to find as more and more people participate in the creative world. This is magnified by the dilution or homogenization of music as the general public clamor for everything to be free, labels continue to offer unfair compensation, and artists end up with fewer and fewer options to support this difficult career choice. I fear this will fully open the door for AI to wedge itself into popular music and offer generic, unoriginal, uninspired music to the general public who won't care as long as it has a beat and doesn't cost them anything. The truth of the matter is that costs them (and us) everything.
I loved this subject matter, particularly as a young musician. I’ve stopped releasing music for a few years now because I feel I was borrowing too heavily from my favorite artists. It’s frustrating because I think part of it was just me not being trained in music theory enough and not being good enough at my instruments (I still can’t perform), but maybe when I’m making proper pop music (unless I go completely microtonal with my music, which I might in the future), I won’t have to worry so much about making it sound as poignant and idiosyncratic as the overall vision will be. I have the vision, I have the vision, and maybe that’s enough. Maybe, I, am enough the way I am.
hey cute Mary Spender. One thing Id say about David Bowie and musicians of that time is there was what.. 5 tv channels.. Certainly under 10. A couple of radio stations in the entire world. So the masses all basically were looking in the same place. Super focused. Lets say add in the news paper. Now add in multi million dollar record stores. But there were all plugged into the same cohesive business machine. They could a take a guy like David Bowie and make him an overnight hit. On literally every medium instantly that every one saw. But now were all on social media. anybody who wants can get on there.. There's millions of common videos tick tok etc.. So I think guys like David Bowie today.. even though brilliant might have gone unknown.. Or had to have a UA-cam channel like Mary Spender.. Who back in David Bowies day would be a house hold name.. Just on the music. Cool topic. Thanks for the content.
One person I know said recently that relationships, (and there is a relationship between artist and audience) can be consciously or unconsciously based upon expectations. If you step outside of those expectations, there can be disappointment from the other person in the audience etc. But do you need to take responsibility for that persons disappointment? As an example, if Mary Spender decides to create a new album dedicated to say bubblegum music or heavy metal, some may become disappointed due to their expectations on what they want to hear from Mary. In that situation, Mary does not own or is not responsible for that disappointment, that disappointment belongs to the individual who has a particular expectation! I am sure there have been many artists that started out or got their foot in the door and then as they grew, progressed and aged, their music changed and that may have disappointed some. How many artists started as sweet good ol country and western singers/performers only to end up going mainstream/pop!! Reckon some would have been disappointed due to their expectations of that performer, but the performer does not own that disappointment! Just a thought!
Bowie is something we all have in common!!! He sparked MY imagination at 13 years old. Time Warp 1974. I wanted the album just because of the awesome cover: Diamond Dogs For this thought there were the Three B's. Beatles, Beck, Bowie. YOU FIND THAT YOU LOVE MUSIC AND WORDS above all else. No matter what you're feeling, or where you are in life's path. There IS a song or entire album that helps you take Your next step.
Hi Mary! I really enjoyed this video because I've been having similar thoughts and conversations with others. I reached a point where I thought that I was getting jaded and closed minded when it comes to new music. I felt like I had heard and seen it all at this point and I was attributing that to my age. Then I discovered Band-Maid from Japan. Then thru Band-Maid, I discovered other bands and artists from Japan, and it has been a musical epiphany. The J-Rock scene is everything we wish for in terms of originality and artistry. I then realized that it wasn't just me becoming old and curmudgeonly. Everything coming out here right now really does just suck. There's a reason why 60-year-olds playing 40-year-old songs are headlining all of the festivals. The discovery of modern J-Rock, especially Band-Maid but others also, made most modern artists coming from the west look unoriginal, uncreative, lazy, superficial, and musically illiterate. There is actually a lot of great music coming out and I feel that the future is actually very bright, creatively speaking at least. You just have to look to the far east right now because in the 2020s, western and English speaking music is in a horrible slump.
I personally prefer Wagakki Band to Band-Maid, but your point is... on point. (See also Ningen Isu, these 60 year old dudes who are suddenly exploding in the West.) But the same type of thing is happening in other cultures as well. Bloodywood from India and Alien Weaponry from New Zealand (who sing many songs in Maori) are both working to redefine metal. One of my favorites is Stromae, a Belgian artist who is somewhere in between the chansons of his countryman (and acknowledged influence) Jacques Brel and electronic hip hop. I'd suggest the tracks, chronologically, Alors En Danse, Tous Les Memes, and L'Enfer. My point is just there is so much incredible music out there, and, sure, it's not topping the charts, but the best stuff for the discerning music lover doesn't always appeal to the lowest common denominator. In fact, I would be happy to make the argument that pop music qua pop music has been all downhill since the Beatles and ABBA. And I'm not even the biggest fan of either of them. Oh, and one of the big reasons why these 60 year olds are headlining festivals is because tickets are a few hundred bucks, and the only people who can afford that shit are middle aged.
@@MatthewCrocker Your point about 60 yr olds is an astute one. Also, thanks for naming some other artists that I haven't heard of. I'm going to check them out. Cheers!
@@_rafael_b I am a firm believer in what is known as Sturgeon's Law - coined by the SF writer Theodore Sturgeon. He was speaking about science fiction specifically, but it applies to any field. It goes, generally, like this: "90% of science fiction is crap, but, then, 90% of everything is crap." I am thrilled to be alive now, when nearly every piece of music ever recorded is available to me at nominal cost instantaneously.
Great piece. I really liked it =] I have always loved Bowie since I was a kid and now he’s one of my sons favorite artists too. I remember thinking, back when I was a teenager that Bowie had changed the world with his art. It’s the first time I’d ever thought something like that. “It’s a very modern world “ Fantastic Voyage 🌊🏄♂️☀️🪷
Good advice Mary. I'm a great believer in remaining true to yourself, as you said, authentic. What we produce as individuals will chime with some people and not with others, nobody is going to win over everyone. If what you produce is genuinely from your heart and soul you will perform it much better than something put together because it might be commercially popular. Keep on doing what you do best.
Back in the 70's, Guitar Player Magazine did a mini exposé on Rory Gallagher. It mentioned he had a Les Paul shaped swim pool and has played every note that can be played on a guitar. ( Little tongue in cheek). To me Pete Townshend surpasses Bowie as a song writer. once is a lifetime talent could come up with Tommy & the failed Lifehouse to. Quadrophenia.
About 30 years ago a highly intelligent and very well educated friend of mine, Cobus, expressed the opinion that all significantly distinct musical variants had been "used up" as he put it. At that time I was intrigued by his comment, and it stuck with me over the next decades. After much thought about this issue, and a lot of exploration into the complex implications, I have concluded that he was right, in essence. Although minor "new" variants may be released, it seems to me that all of the truly original and meaningful ideas have been "used up". I think the Ed Sheeran issue is an anecdotal justification of this idea. Note that I am of course excluding strings of notes which are non-harmonic or non-melodic. There are vast numbers of permutations of those, but I don't think they are relevant.
A mention to axis of awesome and a philosophical take on music.... This maybe my most favourite video ever from Mary. Keep up the good work Mary, your videos may lean a little more thought provoking than heartstrings (most of the time) but it is greatly appreciated.
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SIGNED CD (delivery December 23) - bit.ly/supersexyheartbreak
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You mentioned David Bowie as a original and I agree. He famously said once something to the effect that art is not refusing to steal, but knowing what to steal.
Which was a reinterpretation of Picasso: “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”
If you're ever sad, just remember that the Earth is 4.5 Billion years old and you were here at the same time as David Bowie.
Brilliant
And Donald Trump. 🤡
@@johnnyxmusic For every silver lining, there's a touch of orange.
@@Peter_S_ 🤣😂😅
@@Peter_S_ Bowie also had his orange phase.
Mary, as a singer-songwriter for a couple of decades, I haven't "written" a single string of five notes or more (on any instrument) without feeling certain that I've hijacked it from someone.
He and prince were truly unique, one of one artists
I've always liked your music, but this video is brilliant, especially the "originality versus authenticity" conclusion.
You certainly have mastered this medium. 👏
If the globalist new world order types get their way, AI will be the future “rock stars”…yay.
Yes, there's no other purpose in life than to find your own. Don't compare yourself with others. Don't let success or failure be a factor in your own enjoyment.
"It's no secret that a conscience can sometimes be a pest
It's no secret ambition bites the nails of success
Every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief
All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief"
'The Fly' - U2
Prince was the original artist as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His albums were usually credited as "produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince *except where indicated which meant usually a saxophone player. Besides he didn't care too much about his commercial success after "Purple Rain" album, but his focus was in music.
Bowie, Queen, Leonard Cohen, Lowell George,Booker T and the MG's, early Steve Miller, Steely Dan and the amazing Brian Wilson...all amazing and unique...
And Tom Waits. :)
and the beatles?
@@casaraku1not to mention the Ruttles
Hey Mary, Let’s Dance, put on your red shoes and dance the blues!
Bowie was the G.O.A.T .... there won't be a nother one like him .... but he went up to other peoples expectations when he did " Let's Dance" and regretted that 'till the end ....
5:35 - "I'm singing about me and my life, and if it's relevant for other people's lives, that's alright." (John Lennon) In junior high school, I began writing songs, and it became _therapy,_ a way to express my perspective on the human condition...and to process my own emotional reactions to it. Surprisingly, this _introspective_ exploration of _my_ experiences helped me to connect with _others_ who have had _similar_ experiences, allowing _them_ to feel better understood, too! As Bowie noted, _not_ pandering generates the best (and sometimes most successful) art! Now, the degree to which _my_ art ultimately contributes to the culture in which I live...well...it will likely be small, but if _one_ person feels less alone because of a song I wrote, _that's_ success!
Mary, if you have made someone’s day better with your music and you can sleep soundly at night… You’re not only good enough… you’re better than the majority.
“Fame” is my favorite song. Courtesy of Carlos Alomar
More than a feeling is WAY deeper than smells like teen spirit.
bowie was an early hero, in the right mode- in that he challenged his listeners to emulate his example rather than his style. to become one's own creative fount, and not just copy or parrot Bowie. I love hearing how he and Eno thought they were done Scary Monsters, had a master ready to turn in, but then heard The Walker Brothers Nite Flight, just released, and realized there were similarities- so they went back into the studio, trashed some of it, rewrote and reworked others, and wrote new... they thought they'd pushed an envelope, only to find Walker Bros were already there... love it. if you are to be influenced by others, it should be in opposition or competition, not hollow and cheap emulation
I love David Bowie, one of my heroes. Absolutely destroyed, in disbelief when I’d learned he’d passed. Had just listened to his last album, Black Star, for the first time, when I heard the news. I’d cried listening to it, because I could tell something was wrong. Like he was saying goodbye. Sure enough. Only got to see him live one time, on Moby’s Area 2 tour, funnily enough 😅 Bowie was masterful, a true magician of sound and vision.
If there had to be a modern artist that is currently carrying on the Bowie tradition, if there could be such a thing, is Kevin Barnes from the band Of Montreal. Guy is really original, very talented songwriter and performer. Great live shows.
The second you think that you are good enough, that's the same second that you stop progressing, stop innovating, stop trying; all the things you do so well... You do you, Mary, because everyone else is already taken.
Great video, Mary, about an important topic. Reminds me of two things. 1) What’s that old joke? “Your music is both good and original…but the bits that are good are not original, and the bits that are original are not good.” We all, as creatives, struggle (unknowingly or not) with that old joke. 2) The founder of IBM once said something like “don’t worry about anyone stealing your ideas: if they are original you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.”
Just discovered your channel. You can thank Ren because I’m a huge fan of his and your video about him turned up in my feed. I think Ren might be our new David Bowie but only time will tell and they are huge shoes to step into. I’m off to watch your back catalog now. So pleased to have met you 😊😊😊❤
"We can be heroes....just for one day. ."
As a 63 year old, Bowie had a huge affect on my teenage years and every year since. A few weeks ago I found a song on UA-cam and like Bowie did in the 70's Hi Ren by Ren has done the same now, and I constantly play his work and each time I find something new which I love. He has opened up a whole new genre and type of music to this old git.
What kind of Scouser says "git"? 😼
It's "GET" lah! GET!
@@philmckenna5709 hush softlad
Pop music not just rock is on borrowed time. It's impossible mathematically to be original to infinity without completely evolving into something else entirely. And that's what we do as humans. We evolve.
The conversation about contemporary music running out of originality has been a long-time topic, as when I worked in record retail [US] in the late 1970s with disco being very popular in the US, the employees in the store wondered if pop/rock music had run its course and was at a dead end. Then the 1980s came along.
I remember in 1980 Robert Fripp played with both David Bowie & Peter Gabriel on Scary Monsters & Melty. He also announced the reformation of King Crimson. Quite a legendary year for him ..a legend.
G’day Mary. If you ever quit your day job, you’d make a hell of a writer. You have such insight. I have played with so many musicians and artists over the years that did exactly as you described. One in particular, is in his mid 70’s now and still cranking out his own thing, still working the clubs in Burbank and Santa Monica. I always believed he was before his time. One of his mates, who frankly wasn’t as good, made it big in Nashville during the mid 90’s. My mate kept true to himself and never ever got so much as a nod from anyone in the industry. Another mate lost out on a world tour with a reasonably famous 80’s band to one of his band mates who frankly, sucked. Compared to the 60’s 70’s, there are exponentially more musicians and songwriters than there were then. Everyone wants a shot. Eurovision, American Idol and The Voice make it look easy. But there are rarely originals. (Maybe I should talk to Simon about that)
When I was your age, ( likely before you were born ) we had no internet and couldn’t imagine anything like YewChube. This is such a fantastic platform. The fact that you can reach three quarters of a million people with your channel is a game changer. I think that if you were my age, your voice ( as magnificent as it is ) would get lost before it reached the end of the drive. Keep doing what you’re doing and keep true to yourself.
Wow! Now that's a comment that deserves vastly more likes than it's had up to now... what's the matter folks? Don't appreciate the truth when you read it?
She really should be a professor in the faulty of music, no one would miss a class and the classes recorded for online uses like Khan University or Corsera ...she would not have to give up her day job but she would gain a lot more fans for sure.
Everything you said also applies when choosing material to cover for a live performance. It is always better to choose something you really love or something you feel needs to be heard, rather than play to the room. Let’s face it - if you cater to an audience of drunk people, They will all have forgotten you by morning. But make a strong impression on one sensitive listener, and they’ll remember you for a lifetime.
John Lennon had to pay out with a musical trade for lifting the Chuck Berry line, " Here come old flattop he come grooving up slowly" for the Beatles Come Together.
I think all of Western culture is in a creative lull. Look at movies. Remakes, live action of a previous animated movie or sequels. Music is not as bad but in a similar rut. The best music is written for yourself but everyone else can relate to it.
This is one of the most important topics for creatives to tune in on. Adam Neely's video "The Grotesque Legacy of Music as Property" is a well-documented pillar in support of the philosophy that seems most realistic going forward. I'm sure you've seen it but it's worth watching again. Your followers may enjoy it as well. Thank you for weighing in.
Ren…..Fred Again…..Rania Hani…..Mary Spender…..The Warning from Mexico…..lots of good things happening 👏👏👏👏🥂
Think everybody is influenced by... Everyone. The magic happens when you create something new and enjoyable with all the pieces you found.
Just got my CD (Super Sexy Heartbreak) today. Thank you.
The time that these periods of creativity is critical as well. The 50s isn’t the 60s involved a demographic boom of teenagers who were rejecting their parents culture (as teenagers are prone to do). Added to the mis was the Civil Rights movement, an assassination of the American president, assassinations of other social and political leaders, protests against the war in Viet Nam, and then the blatant criminality stemming from the president himself (watergate). This all contributed to how people wanted to express themselves and also how audiences wanted to be made to feel.
Clutch is the most original band in rock 'n' roll music, once they get on the radio the mob will go wild!
Mary Spender is original. There will not be another Mary Spender. Prince took 5 albums to get to his first hit album, 1999 with two hit singles.
also, the last 2 decades were a big boom on rap instrumental innovation, same for genres related to it.
metal also innovated quite a bit but then followed by waves of bands then imitating those fresh takes to the point the market was flooded with the trend to exhaustion.
Two things:
First, David Bowie has been an inspiration to me ever since hearing Fame on a jukebox as a kid while visiting (of all places!) North Carolina. He's also my patron saint of karaoke -- his unusual vocal range is just about the only one I can comfortably sing in.
Second, WHEN IS THAT UPSIDE-DOWN-BLUE-STAR STREAMER GOING TO SUPPORT COMMENTS?!? ;-) I watched this over there, but had to come here to comment!
Just got my autographed copy of Super Sexy Heartbreak in the mail. Absolutely beautiful packaging and booklet with lyrics!! So well done which was no surprise with your attention to detail and care with this work. Time to play the whole thing through.
You cannot imagine how much I adore David Bowie!!!
The Pac-Man GAME OVER sound effect was a nice touch 🙂
Thank you Mary!! Out of the park once again...Cheers
“She gave me money for my TVC15..” --David Bowie ..RIP
This is why I never took music lessons or covered too many songs. I never wanted to be too heavily influenced when writing my own music by other musicians styles or riffs. Have I limited myself in my musical ability? Sure. Do I still write great songs? Indeed!
All approaches are valid. Rock on! 🎸🎸🎸
Bowie proved it right down to the end - "Lazarus" - the song and the video is, for me, one of the great works of art. He used his own impending death to push the envelope. I don't know how anyone can push it any further - it was a step beyond Johnny Cash's Hurt which also got its intensity from impending death. But there are still people who do things that move the dial without the need for death - for example Daniel Herskedal's work with the Tuba - see 'the Mariners Cross' from the album 'Harbour' - that sets a sense of place like no-one else - I was lucky enough to see him live , knowing absolutely nothing about him or his music and feeling transported somewhere completely new. I have spent 6 decades listening to music - there is always something new - you should never feel that we are reaching the end.
Personal time.
I got disillusioned with music-making in the early 2010s. This was due to an overall depressive episode. But specifically with music making, I became convinced that 1) I will never worthy of the music that I love or inspired and 2) other people can do what I wanted to do better than I ever could. To elaborate more on the first one, I could hear the “influences” and this alone told me that I am not truly original and just a “fourth rate imitation” of my music collection. For the second one, there was music that expressed so well and perfectly my own personality and view that I could never ever top it.
It was listening to vaporwave that my music-making mojo back. I could tell a lot of artists were listening to the same kind of music I was listening to growing up. I also enjoyed very much the creative daring. Call it a DGAF attitude. Finally, it reminded me of why I wanted to make music in the first place. Because of all of this, I realised that there was no reason why I couldn’t be a part of it. But what was incredible about it was I didn’t have to do anything differently than what I was already doing. I didn’t have to be like any of those artists at all. I could be “myself”.
So going back to what I had thought ten years ago, I can refute those points better now. There is no denying you are the result of numerous influences. But what makes you different is your life experiences and the choices you make. You will never ever be those artists, but that’s also not the point. And even if some other piece expresses something inside of you so well, never let it stop you from saying what you want to say. In fact, you could be saying something that someone else needs to hear.
So yes, I totally absolutely 100% agree: authenticity is key. I would go further in including genuineness, sincerity and honesty. Make music that you and you alone can make. I think that “originality” is less about “breaking new ground” and more about giving fresh air to something or standing out in the crowd. And if something seems confining or restricting, seek out a workaround. And finally, you can stand behind what you make against “all the haters”, then you made something genuine and sincere. I don’t believe my own music will appeal to everyone. But I am not embarrassed or ashamed by it because it was what I wanted to make and I am happy for it.
Godspeed, Mary. Keep flying =]
I agree authenticity is the future in many mediums.
Writers sometimes forget what connects with others are our loves and hates because we all love and adore or distrust. Our inner world has more in common with others than we imagine, share that.
Play What Touches You! If it goes Deep you can Touch Others. What Makes Ya Boogie? What Makes Ya Think or Cry! Nothing New Under the Sun!
It was always impossible -- look at British rock bands and their Mississippi Delta Blues influence going back to Robert Johnson. Bowie was also inspired by Little Richard.
Yes, and if you don't adhere to the formulae look out. As an example, look at what used to happen at Arnold Schoenberg string quartet performances around 1910.
Bowie was a genius
This was an important video, thank you! I heard someone say that when you are creating, if you know the outcome in advance it isn't art. He said it was propaganda. I would temper that a bit, and say it's craft, not art. My favorite trick when a song is sounding too derivative is to pick a random element and force something new in, like one bar of 5 in a 4/4 song, or non-diatonic chords, or a key change that is distant. It presents a puzzle that might sound like crap at first. But in the moments when I am surprised, game on! It's the surprise I'm looking for. It takes me out of genre, so my music goes places I could never go by "thinking" my way through. Thanks again!
There will never be another Bowie..
That descending pattern in White Room has been used so many times,.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone is on a different path with their own goals. Are you happy? Do you feel accomplished? Focus on the things you *can* do instead on things that are out of your control.
thanks, mary. there will never be another David Bowie, but... there are still musical innovators alive & working today, and there will be more tomorrow.
Much more a performer who knew how to entice an audience than a fantastic musician...
2nd Album? Can't wait. The first is in the post,so I have been informed. Love listening to your opinions. So much intelligence with your experience and presentation.
One of my favourite doubting my originality stories is from Tony Banks, keyboard player with Genesis. He'd just composed the track Afterglow for the Wind and Wuthering album and "a couple of days afterwards I suddenly thought, shit, what I've done is I've written Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas again. It was a terrible thought. So I listened to that particular song and realised it wasn't the same and I could get away with it. But it was a terrible moment".
Do you want a hit song Mary? Try this, write a song. Standard 4/4 time with a good hook. Take that song. Re-write every measure in odd structures. Measures in 2,3,5 repeats. Then give that song three high points. Building it up to that final high point. Quit crying and write me a good friggin song.
if there is one thing I learned in life is that ppl generally only know if they are good after they die. and that is especially pertinent in music..
Fiona Apple is unique, I believe. Obviously, I haven't heard all music, but "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" sounds like nothing I have heard before.
Go with your heart. If it's real and true, it will touch those it is meant to reach.
I couldn't have said any of this better myself. What is art if it isn't true to the spirit of the artist?
Very good. In the 70s I was an organ/music comp major. Everyone was talking “originality” and sounded dead. I found a book “Bach the Borrower” and it opened my eyes
…how?
Interesting how while listening to “Road to Joy” by Peter Gabriel, I could immediately hear “Kiss That Frog”. Artists even borrow chord patterns from their own songs to great effect. 😄
Right on!
MAAAAARRRRRYYY!!!!!!! Perfect!!!!! I LOVE YOU/your analysis!!! I'm so lucky you are here to talk about all this in a honest way! I show this to my students! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Thank Mary 💗
I’m only on the receiving end, listening quietly to what others create. Hearing Tool, 65 Days of Static, King Crimson but also Phil Ochs, Cohen or Arvo Pärt for the first time are the things I won’t forget, but if you want to get rich and famous, you better not stray far from the beaten path. Music evolves and like everything else evolving, it’s the popular and not the most ingenious idea that survives. Finding the balance between both ends seems to be the trick.
Authenticity, if you can fake that, you have cracked it.
That's funny, I was in the gym a couple weeks ago too and thought to myself, "Wait, that's 'I'm Blue."
There'll never be another Bowie, Beatles, Stones whatever... That period in music history, in that last 50 years of the 20th century, is like the film industry of the first 50 years of the 20th Century. We will always have music, of course, but it won't have that fresh 'wow factor' that huge, dramatic changes in our culture music used to represent. The 90's was an echo of earlier decades, like the 60's. It was a period showed we were coming to the end. Music is a still a wonderful experience to be experienced live but because we can access music so readily now, we are never looking for the 'new thing'. Hard to explain to a modern audience.
"'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is basically 'More Than A Feeling' sped up."
They're not even all the same chords.
This idea comes down to Roland Barthes 1967 essay "Death of the Author", in which he argues that there is no such thing as the "Author" but only a compiler of text and an editor of text. The fun part is in bringing together different ideas and their traditions into a whole - in Bowie's case, marrying glam rock with performance art. Good video. Thanks for posting.
Such needed words and good development, loved it ! I'm a photographer mostly, who does music from time to time, and I can relate to that constant battle between originality, authenticity and audience-pleasing in my field. which can drive loss of creativity in the end. So again, great to see those kind of videos!
'HI REN' by Ren is calling you! Independent, authentic, multi-talented, super creative, takes the music video to a new level. First artist that has really engaged me for decades. Not saying he's a new Bowie but I think he will make a big mark. BTW his new album has just entered the UK chart at no. 1, by word of mouth from fans who have largely discovered him on UA-cam.
"Innovators" or risk takers are naturally going to be harder and harder to find as more and more people participate in the creative world. This is magnified by the dilution or homogenization of music as the general public clamor for everything to be free, labels continue to offer unfair compensation, and artists end up with fewer and fewer options to support this difficult career choice. I fear this will fully open the door for AI to wedge itself into popular music and offer generic, unoriginal, uninspired music to the general public who won't care as long as it has a beat and doesn't cost them anything. The truth of the matter is that costs them (and us) everything.
I loved this subject matter, particularly as a young musician. I’ve stopped releasing music for a few years now because I feel I was borrowing too heavily from my favorite artists. It’s frustrating because I think part of it was just me not being trained in music theory enough and not being good enough at my instruments (I still can’t perform), but maybe when I’m making proper pop music (unless I go completely microtonal with my music, which I might in the future), I won’t have to worry so much about making it sound as poignant and idiosyncratic as the overall vision will be. I have the vision, I have the vision, and maybe that’s enough. Maybe, I, am enough the way I am.
Great video essay, Mary. I always look forward to your videos. Can't wait to share this one with our philosophy club.
hey cute Mary Spender.
One thing Id say about David Bowie and musicians of that time is there was what.. 5 tv channels.. Certainly under 10. A couple of radio stations in the entire world. So the masses all basically were looking in the same place. Super focused. Lets say add in the news paper. Now add in multi million dollar record stores.
But there were all plugged into the same cohesive business machine. They could a take a guy like David Bowie and make him an overnight hit. On literally every medium instantly that every one saw.
But now were all on social media. anybody who wants can get on there.. There's millions of common videos tick tok etc.. So I think guys like David Bowie today.. even though brilliant might have gone unknown.. Or had to have a UA-cam channel like Mary Spender.. Who back in David Bowies day would be a house hold name.. Just on the music.
Cool topic. Thanks for the content.
One person I know said recently that relationships, (and there is a relationship between artist and audience) can be consciously or unconsciously based upon expectations. If you step outside of those expectations, there can be disappointment from the other person in the audience etc. But do you need to take responsibility for that persons disappointment? As an example, if Mary Spender decides to create a new album dedicated to say bubblegum music or heavy metal, some may become disappointed due to their expectations on what they want to hear from Mary. In that situation, Mary does not own or is not responsible for that disappointment, that disappointment belongs to the individual who has a particular expectation! I am sure there have been many artists that started out or got their foot in the door and then as they grew, progressed and aged, their music changed and that may have disappointed some. How many artists started as sweet good ol country and western singers/performers only to end up going mainstream/pop!! Reckon some would have been disappointed due to their expectations of that performer, but the performer does not own that disappointment! Just a thought!
Good enough for who? Like you said, good enough for you is what matters.
Love this, thank you Mary
Bowie is something we all have in common!!! He sparked MY imagination at 13 years old. Time Warp 1974. I wanted the album just because of the awesome cover: Diamond Dogs For this thought there were the Three B's. Beatles, Beck, Bowie. YOU FIND THAT YOU LOVE MUSIC AND WORDS above all else. No matter what you're feeling, or where you are in life's path. There IS a song or entire album that helps you take Your next step.
Keep on being you, Mary, that's what matters. All the best from Finland, you're a great inspiration!
I agree, the conversation is between you and me. That's the beauty of it. I get to interpret it. Thanks Mary!
Another fantastic / wonderful video! :D
a great book which explores this indepth and masterfully so is Rick Rubin's "The Creative Act: A way of being" - BIG tip!
Bravo. Well said.
If a song steals a moment of my life. I have every right to steal it back ;)
Loved this video Mary. Well done!!
Excellent! I’m in.
Hi Mary! I really enjoyed this video because I've been having similar thoughts and conversations with others.
I reached a point where I thought that I was getting jaded and closed minded when it comes to new music. I felt like I had heard and seen it all at this point and I was attributing that to my age. Then I discovered Band-Maid from Japan. Then thru Band-Maid, I discovered other bands and artists from Japan, and it has been a musical epiphany. The J-Rock scene is everything we wish for in terms of originality and artistry. I then realized that it wasn't just me becoming old and curmudgeonly. Everything coming out here right now really does just suck. There's a reason why 60-year-olds playing 40-year-old songs are headlining all of the festivals. The discovery of modern J-Rock, especially Band-Maid but others also, made most modern artists coming from the west look unoriginal, uncreative, lazy, superficial, and musically illiterate. There is actually a lot of great music coming out and I feel that the future is actually very bright, creatively speaking at least. You just have to look to the far east right now because in the 2020s, western and English speaking music is in a horrible slump.
I personally prefer Wagakki Band to Band-Maid, but your point is... on point. (See also Ningen Isu, these 60 year old dudes who are suddenly exploding in the West.)
But the same type of thing is happening in other cultures as well. Bloodywood from India and Alien Weaponry from New Zealand (who sing many songs in Maori) are both working to redefine metal. One of my favorites is Stromae, a Belgian artist who is somewhere in between the chansons of his countryman (and acknowledged influence) Jacques Brel and electronic hip hop. I'd suggest the tracks, chronologically, Alors En Danse, Tous Les Memes, and L'Enfer.
My point is just there is so much incredible music out there, and, sure, it's not topping the charts, but the best stuff for the discerning music lover doesn't always appeal to the lowest common denominator. In fact, I would be happy to make the argument that pop music qua pop music has been all downhill since the Beatles and ABBA. And I'm not even the biggest fan of either of them.
Oh, and one of the big reasons why these 60 year olds are headlining festivals is because tickets are a few hundred bucks, and the only people who can afford that shit are middle aged.
@@MatthewCrocker Your point about 60 yr olds is an astute one. Also, thanks for naming some other artists that I haven't heard of. I'm going to check them out.
Cheers!
@@_rafael_b I am a firm believer in what is known as Sturgeon's Law - coined by the SF writer Theodore Sturgeon. He was speaking about science fiction specifically, but it applies to any field. It goes, generally, like this: "90% of science fiction is crap, but, then, 90% of everything is crap."
I am thrilled to be alive now, when nearly every piece of music ever recorded is available to me at nominal cost instantaneously.
@@MatthewCrocker I subscribe to the 90% philosophy.
Great piece. I really liked it =] I have always loved Bowie since I was a kid and now he’s one of my sons favorite artists too. I remember thinking, back when I was a teenager that Bowie had changed the world with his art. It’s the first time I’d ever thought something like that. “It’s a very modern world “ Fantastic Voyage 🌊🏄♂️☀️🪷
The answer is yes.
Good enough? Mary, you passed good enough a long time ago. Such a deep thinking, authentic artist! David Bowie would be pleased to know you!
Good advice Mary. I'm a great believer in remaining true to yourself, as you said, authentic. What we produce as individuals will chime with some people and not with others, nobody is going to win over everyone. If what you produce is genuinely from your heart and soul you will perform it much better than something put together because it might be commercially popular. Keep on doing what you do best.
Back in the 70's, Guitar Player Magazine did a mini exposé on Rory Gallagher. It mentioned he had a Les Paul shaped swim pool and has played every note that can be played on a guitar. ( Little tongue in cheek). To me
Pete Townshend surpasses Bowie as a song writer. once is a lifetime talent could come up with Tommy & the failed Lifehouse to. Quadrophenia.
About 30 years ago a highly intelligent and very well educated friend of mine, Cobus, expressed the opinion that all significantly distinct musical variants had been "used up" as he put it.
At that time I was intrigued by his comment, and it stuck with me over the next decades.
After much thought about this issue, and a lot of exploration into the complex implications, I have concluded that he was right, in essence.
Although minor "new" variants may be released, it seems to me that all of the truly original and meaningful ideas have been "used up". I think the Ed Sheeran issue is an anecdotal justification of this idea.
Note that I am of course excluding strings of notes which are non-harmonic or non-melodic. There are vast numbers of permutations of those, but I don't think they are relevant.
A mention to axis of awesome and a philosophical take on music.... This maybe my most favourite video ever from Mary. Keep up the good work Mary, your videos may lean a little more thought provoking than heartstrings (most of the time) but it is greatly appreciated.