McNelly.ES@XEROX.ARPA (12/05/84)
Hey, we're having a rather heated debate over here at Xerox about the definition of "New Wave." Anybody care to join the fray? -- John --
dht@druri.UUCP (Davis Tucker) (12/07/84)
Pigeonholes are for pigeons. Labels are for morons. Definitions are for wimps. In other words, it don't matter *what* it's called so long as it's good. But if you really want to know, call up a big-time readio station and ask them - I'm sure they've got all the labels ready-made for you, straight out of "Rolling Stone". BEST LABEL EVER - RANK AND FILE described in RS as "Country Punk". HAH!
rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (12/08/84)
> Hey, we're having a rather heated debate over here at Xerox about the > definition of "New Wave." > > Anybody care to join the fray? Simple. It's a stupid name invented by the "music industry" (mass production for mass consumption) to pigeonhole and categorize new music artists (including but not restricted to "punk" music, whatever that was/is) so that they could place them in special record bins in the stores and (they hoped) make money. Basically, the category consisted of anyone who didn't fit in to existing categories like Adult Contemporary (music to buy cuisinarts by), Rock (i.e., metal geeks and glitter stars), AOR (manufactured pre-fab so-called music specially tailored and designed---like the performers who played it---for maximum monetary potential and mininum creativity and intensity level), etc. Why, just listen to the obvious similarities between Talking Heads, Devo, Blondie, the Ramones, the B-52's, Gary Numan, the Clash, the Banshees, the Buzzcocks, Generation X, Lene Lovich, Elvis Costello, etc. Isn't it obvious that they all sounded alike and needed to be put in the same category so that unwitting zombified consumerized teenagers wouldn't accidentally buy something that wasn't well controlled in the marketplace? (Is a sarcasm indicator really necessary?) What they DID all have in common is that they were NOT a part of any of the stupid categories designed by marketing consultants on B-arks (and on coke). Bless 'em all. They blazed the new music trail so that the marketing gurus could make new wave what it is today: just another category. -- "Be seeing you..." Rich Rosen pyuxd!rlr
lund@ucla-cs.UUCP (12/18/84)
I don't think the term has to apply to the "type" of music, but can be
applied to when and how the music evovled, became popular, was produced,
or whatever you want.
Back in the 70's I was listening mainly to AOR (Genesis, Jethro Tull..).
By about 1980 I began to grow tired of it. I don't think I was the only one.
I listened to some Jazz and classical for a while, sort of looking for
something new. Well, I eventually wound up listening to a station here
in L.A. called KROQ which was mostly reponsible for popularizing the "New Wave"
of different music in L.A. One reason I think it was called a "wave" is
because it all sort of rolled in at once. Many of the groups that started
the new wave were around in the 70's (Talking Heads, Cars, Blondie), but
got little top 40 play. A lot of good music had been produced and few
people were playing it so what happened is a few people discovered
it and it spread rapidly. I think another place that the term "wave" might
be applicable is the music coming from the U.K.
Laurence G. Lundblade
UCLA CS Dept.
{ihnp4,cepu,sdcrdcf,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!lund
"This is only one possible model for reality - You may choose you own"strock@fortune.UUCP (Gregory Strockbine) (12/19/84)
>I don't think the term has to apply to the "type" of music,
I've also seen the term applied to movies as in the
"French new wave film directors" only here it has nothing to
do with music or fashion. Just a way of categorising these
films as being different then what was the present norm.mwm@ea.UUCP (12/22/84)
> Hey, we're having a rather heated debate over here at Xerox about the > definition of "New Wave." > > Anybody care to join the fray? From the SF new wave era: A lot of little wavelets, all going there own way. In other words, as rich rosen put it, anyone who has enough talents, guts and imagination not to follow the herd. <mike