I feel a little slow on the draw on the things I’m particularly interested in doing. I feel like they’re slightly out of my skill set, but that generates this very powerful hunger to overcome that and I think I’m turned on by seeing the hunger—that’s what makes other people’s art compelling to me. The ease with which Paul McCartney did everything that he did is fantastic and I’m inspired by it to a certain degree, but I’m much more compelled by John Lennon, who was just darker and hungrier. Things were less easy for him and you can feel that pulling, that tension in his music. So, I’m frustrated creatively, but I think that’s how it works.
The Beatles were certainly an influence. I listen to Revolver and The White Album often.
David Bazan interviewed on The Great Discontent
Entirely off the Beatles topic, but are you doing FAWM this year, Matt?
ReplyDeleteI can sort of see where he is coming from with this statement. Even Dylan says that McCartney is the best at writing melodies. It is something that he just seems to find naturally, even if he often misses with the lyrical side of things.
ReplyDeleteLennon does seem to be pushing and forcing things more to get to that place, but in so doing his lyrical side is often more interesting that McCartney's, because he had a playful side with wordplay.
Their songs didn't always make sense though, but where very rarely uninteresting.
I forgot to say that I always admired Lennon's playfulness with time signatures and tempo as well, because they seemed so natural and instinctive, rather than forced like a lot of other people can put into their song writing.
Delete@Geordie - yes and no. I'm recording an EP and as it's my first commercial solo release I'm having to build all the infrastructure as well as record the darn thing (CD Baby account, website, FB artist page etc). So I can't really go all out. Options are to just put up a songs I write with pupils or write any old rubbish to keep my composing skills from rusting out. Latter might be good as 2 of my best songs on EP were quick FAWM songs!
ReplyDelete@Marv - I think he's saying (as you point out) that Lennon's inventiveness is stemming more from raw experimentation and a lack of knowledge as oppsed to Macca/Brian Wilson style 'master plan'
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