Deconstructing White Zombie

>Newsgroups: alt.fan.howard-stern
>From: zmax@world.std.com (D W)
>Subject: Re: Stern shatters another myth . . .
>Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
>Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 19:50:53 GMT

cheezeface@aol.com writes:

>Next, we turn to 
> who adds:

>>Youre a fucking idiot.>
>I'll leave that one alone.

:)

>>If you dont hear a melody in American Nightmare you are a tone deaf "musician">
>Well, I listened again and realized I'm wrong.  While I detest that "tune" it 
>CAN be written down on a staff.  it DOES constitute notes.  

I think I know what you mean and although the "melody" is not
complex but simple, this type of "music" is more
textural and environmental than linear. I think that is 
what you are objecting to. You prefer linear as opposed to
textural music. 


>Yes . . . I am.  But my jealousy does not change my opinions.  
>I fully acknowledge there are many brilliant and sucessfull 
>musicians who can play rings around me; musicians I will NEVER be as good as.  
> But White Zombie is not among them.   I have NOT heard them do 
> ANYthing I couldn't learn to do in days -- if not minutes.  

But why does that not make what they do music or be any good? 
Nonobjectively speaking of course?
Yes I know what you recanted but thats not what I mean.
What is wrong with them making music that you couldnt learn to do
in days or minutes? Some of the most brilliant pieces 
of music were created very quickly and could be 
duplicated as such. How about Zep's Whole Lotta Love?
There is a certain brilliance to the simplicity of
some music. There is also something to be said  for the 
chemistry of the musicans involved that come together to
make that music. That is also a crucial factor. You can
have a great melody or texture or whatever but if
you dont have the right chemistry of musicians or
producer to make it come out on record, its moot.
Add to that what is going on within the music.
How much of it is derivitive and where it comes from
and is there something original about it that is not
blatantly like something else?

The great thing about Zombie is not only its simplicity
and chemistry but how they brought together different
styles and melded them into something very good
and something their very own and not blatantly
cliche'd. 
WZ could perhaps be seen as the Dada art of rock music.
An anti-traditional rock movement. Music that is 
not traditional yet pays homage to their musical
forebears while also being self-depracating and satirical.
Just look at their CD covers and liners!

Jimmy PAge, Van HAlen, Rhoades were all masters of guitar
melody, virtuosos who played and created brilliantly
what had not been done before. But that was the 70s
and 80s. Things are different now. Music took
a direction from the complexity of AOR to the simplicity
of derivitive grunge and metal dance music etc. 
Everything now is some way or another is all derivative. 
Its all been done. And when that is the case,
where do you go from there?
When I learned to play guitar I thought in order to be good and
create music I had to be like Van Halen and Page. But I found
that is not the case. Sometimes simple does it best. 
And it from simple that you can go on to more complex things.

Things also changed with CD's. CDs rendered recordings 
much more sterile and clear. Given that musicians and producers
had to find a way to get a distorted rock sound to
work within that. Hence Nirvana and WZ.
 
THe true test of great music is how well is stands the test
of time. If White Zombie is played as much by teens 10 or 15 years
from now the way they play Led Zep and Van Halen, then 
that says it all.

>As "high brow"  or "elitist" as it might sound, I firmly believe we 
> MUST label things properly to communicate.  If we start calling Howard's 
> Radio show a bluegrass and opera show, or if I start calling an 
> automobile a bar of soap,  
>that's gonna make communication pretty much impossible. 
> Nobody will know what the fuck anybody's talking about. 

Actually labeling tends to kill things. Once grunge was labeled Grunge
that was the beginning of the end. 


>  Perhaps my insisting that melody is a requirment of music is wrong.  
> I'm willing to be flexible.  If  I'm wrong, how, then, would others here 
> define music? (and remember, such a definition must differentiate music from 
> everything ELSE in the known universe, or there's no way to discuss it).

See above. Texture and environment as opposed to linear.
In the case of WZ. 

David

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