Ephemeralism revisited

Ephemeral - definition

1. Lasting for a markedly brief time: “There remain some truths too ephemeral to be captured in the cold pages of a court transcript” (Irving R. Kaufman).
2. Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do.

n.

A markedly short-lived thing.

Or in other words, the shelf life of most modern bands/singers/artistes. And what's more its trendy to be an "ephemeralist". Yeah thats right. It's hip, it's funky. In fact looking throughout "blogland" it would appear that to be anything other than an ephemeralist consigns you to the scrapheap of life. It means you've lost the plot and settled into middle aged complacency, happy with what you like, sad in the fact that you have discovered what is good, what is to your taste. The ephemeralist movement is made up of bright young "Nathan Barley" types, or ageing faux-academics desperately trying to hang on to their youth by being "down with the kids". By putting a spring lamb suit over their increasingly largesse mutton interiors. Not me though. At 44 I love my increasingly jowly, spreading mutton interior, masked only by fading cockney cheeky chirpy chappy charm.

I love being the founder of the GoGB and revel in my increasingly unwitting cynicism and curmudgeonliness. My lack of "ephemeralism" as a primary guiding force in my life means I can appreciate great things from the past, things I discovered through trial and error.

I don't feel obliged to sit in a dinner party and rave about Norah Jones (dull, dull, dull) or harp on about the breathtaking talent of Pete Doherty (the single most insulting thing music has endured recently - a talentless, self-absorbed, lowlife piece of shit). I KNOW I don't like Dance or Hip-hop. I know I detest Drum 'n' Bass. I don't want to force myself to listen to bilge just in order to find some merit in it. You see, most of these bands will not last. Their future lies in the path of a moderate hit album, some critical acclaim, a hit album, some critical disdain, loss of record deal, gigging in pubs, capped off with an appearance on the "guess who" section of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. Should an act reach the dizzying heights of critical acclaim and hit albums then in the world of ephemeralism they are dead. I have my ephemeral moments of course, that's the nature pop music. To occasionally dig out some gem from an unknown. It's sad to say that I discovered The Killers because 5-Live or BBC-1 used the intro from Smile Like You Mean It as a trailer for one of their programmes. Whatever, it is unorthodox but it worked for me. I sought it out, listened, liked, downloaded, bought.

But what I'm talking about this the current trend to constantly be listening to and talking up "new music" whilst denigrating talented bands simply because ....well for no other reason than the fact is that through hard work and talent they have become successful and have made a successful career from music. Hence the current trend to dismiss Coldplay......"so much yesterdays thing daaahling don't you know...." The trend and peer pressure that says " Oh......yah, I downloaded the latest album by Fiery Ringpiece and the Anal Fissures" or similar bollocks simply to show just what a cool and deep thinking person you are is just another insidious weapon in the armoury of Faux-snobbery. Another way to try and make an impression of yourself that says to others "Hey , I'm cool...I'm contemporary.....I'm BETTER than you because you don't know who I'm talking about and therefore you are IGNORANT. "

It's fine to say you like an album or song from obscure artists...no problem, but to then summarily dismiss a band or artist simply on the ground that success has tainted them shows a level of arrogance that insults the millions who may enjoy that bands output. In the ephemeralists world Populism is almost the equivalent of getting your tackle out at a lesbian wedding and saying "anyone want to put their gums on these plums?". It's demonstrated usually by sad little fuckwits desperately trying to lift their status in order to give their lonely little lives a lift.

I love the fact that a band can make three or thirty albums and actually maintain or increase the quality each time. Thus I say step forward Coldplay, a band who make fucking good music, with good lyrics and great tunes aligned with excellent musicianship. A band that actually cares about its output, tries to live a good life, tries to enstertain and take its music to the fans (note the number of festivals they did this year). Stand up U2. Welcome Oasis. Come back Pink Floyd. All bow to the Manics (Lifeblood was triumphant in my view...more of the same..the stuff that works). I could go on naming bands or artists that still knock out good stuff. They may not be trendy in Lundun-innit. It may not be innovative, but just how much innovation is left? Antony and the Johnsons? Music for necrophiliacs. Babyshambles.....hmm just Shambles would suffice. James Blunt anyone? James...well something that rhymes with Blunt anyway. How much in music hasn't already been done? If you sell truckloads of stuff, why tear the formula up? Why deliberately seek out obscurity in order to satisfy some unwritten decree of Artisticness that says only obscurity means credibility? Why try to alienate the very people who gave you the success you so obviously craved by being a musician anyway? Oh yeah, of course they didn't care about the fame did they....nah...that's why they went into the most celebrity obsessed, star-struck industry of all.....but that's another rant.

Crush Ephemeralism. Long live talent.

Long live longevity.

Later, GrocerJack