Why Hide Your Influences?
I was putting together some playlists for this weekend and going down a particular rabbit hole and kind of hit a very strong vein of music that I really liked.
And in the back of my mind, there’s always a concern that, hey, somebody’s gonna know, or is wil figure out, that I’m not picking this music.
But I am picking the music.
Even though I’m looking through someone else’s playlist. This is how the world works.
I think when you are doing stuff like this, writing music or picking music for a show or DJing or whatever, you do kind of have this tendency to hide your influences. I’m not sure why you would do something like that or think about it, even though I do these things. I don’t know why I do them.
The best who-cares example I can give of this is today, the Oasis documentary comes out. My wife and I are going and I am prepared to cry.
This is a very important band for so many people. Less so in the U.S., but not this U.S. person. Very important.
I’ve seen them live multiple times. Our youngest son fell in love with them so much that he is sometimes called Beau-asis. It’s his favorite band. He got to see them twice on the come-back tour. Once with me. It was magical.
And listening to an interview with Johnny Marr about it today, he said that this tour actually made the nation happier. Talking about England, that because it happened, people were generally happier and more optimistic in a lot of situations.
I believe it, because I saw it. Super, super apparent.
And this is a band that, more than any other band I’ve ever heard, wears its influences straight on its sleeve, where they can be easing into a number and they will basically play that song. Think John Lennon, “Imagine.” Think T. Rex.
It’s really straightforward. It’s incredibly honest. Charming. And it just makes for really great music.
And not only does this stuff live on, it’s only growing in stature thru the years.
So, you don’t have to hide shit, as it turns out.