I was in a band in the early Eighties, which shall remain nameless, and one day we were sitting around my house watching MTV. MTV was new then and we aspired to be video stars. Our lead singer was getting more and more agitated watching a New Wave band performing and kept asking, “What’s he got that I ain’t got?”
He was referring to the band’s lead singer on MTV and he kept saying things like, “Why is he on MTV and not me?”
I started to find this a little annoying as all his rhetorical questions concerned his not being on MTV and not “we”. He never said, “We’re better than this band, why aren’t we on MTV?” Only; “I’m better than that singer, why aren’t I on MTV?”
This guy was new to the band and I didn’t know him very well but he annoyed me enough to make me stop and seriously consider his questions. Finally I said to him; “Well, would you dress like that guy?” The singer on MTV had on a leopard skin leotard, wore woman’s makeup, had a weird New Wave hair cut, was doing a choreographed dance while he sang and was singing a very popish tune in a funny voice.
“Hell no,” replied our singer.
“Would you wear that outfit?” I asked.
“Hell no,” replied our singer.
“Would you cut your hair like that?” I asked.
“Hell no,” replied our singer.
“Would you wear makeup like that?”
“Hell no.”
“Well, would you learn to dance like that?”
“Hell no.”
“How about singing that song?”
“Hell no.”
“So, in other words,” I said trying to sound as if I was seriously trying to answer his questions, “you refuse to do any of the things that the band that is on MTV had to do to get on MTV. Maybe that’s why they’re on MTV and you’re not.”
He didn’t last long in the band and as far as I know never joined another band again. It reminds me of Warren Beatty’s line in Ishtar to failed musician Dustin Hoffman; “You’d rather have nothing than settle for less.”
Keith Richards in his autobiography noted the widespread disease of LVS - Lead Vocalist Syndrome - sounds like that guy had it as well.
ReplyDeleteI sort of see what he was saying - happened to hear the Jagger-Jackson quote - classic - unquote "State of Shock". WTF?
Keep rockin'!