Punk And Poetry.

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A couple of years ago, I was in my last year of university. Struggling to think about what to do my final project on. I was heartbroken and I was consolling myself by getting drunk and watching The Wire. I went to the occasional gig to attempt to pick myself up again. So, I had some kind of brainwave one night as I was listening to Morrissey. I decided to do my project on lyrics. One article in particular was on Punk and Poetry. The link between the two has always owned my heart. Punk music and poetry are two of my greatest loves and throwing myself into an article where I got to express my love, and just listen to music in such great detail meant a lot to me. We had to send the articles off to get published, and as ever- I was rejected. So, I might aswell put the article here :

When you think of Punk, what is your first thought? That all Punks were not educated and spat in the streets? That all Punks beat up folks and started riots just for the hell of it?

If it is, then I wish to enlighten you. Punk music was one of the most influential genres of music. The passion, the angst, the love, the despair- everything about it seemed so raw and beautiful.

One of the biggest influences of artists such as Iggy Pop, Patti Smith and Richard Hell was the French 19th Century poet, Arthur Rimbaud. After reading a lot of his work, it is plain to see as to why he was such an influence.

His words had love, hate, disgust and despair. As I am quite crap at reading French, I managed to stumble across some (accurate) translations of Rimbaud’s work. This is poetry that should be studied in schools. This is poetry that comes straight from the heart. Reading his work, it’s plain to see as to why he is such an influence on the mentioned artists.

Take, Night In Hell for instance, “I have just swallowed a terrific mouthful of poison. –Blessed, blessed, blessed the advice I was given!” It probably reads better in French, but how great is that? A Season In Hell is probably Rimbaud’s best work, it is so good

Richard Meyers became Richard Hell. However, the influence did not just end there, oh no! His band mate (and front man) from Television, Thomas Miller became Tom Verlaine, after Paul Verlaine whom Rimbaud had an affair with.

Labelled as the “Godmother Of Punk,” Patti Smith has mentioned Rimbaud numerous of times in both songs and poems. Land is one of her greatest songs. The way it is free flowing is just magnificent, it is a truly remarkable song- and poem. Throughout the song, you can hear “Go Rimbaud, go Rimbaud.” Reading through Patti Smith’s song lyrics, it is easy to see why and how she loves Rimbaud’s work.

Without Rimbaud, would there Patti Smith? Who knows, regardless of who has influenced her- she is still a motivation force to many female singer/songwriters today, and not just songwriters, poets too.

Godmother, or Goddess of Punk- whatever you wish to call Patti Smith, you cannot deny just how relevant she will always be. Her words, whether in song or poem, hypnotise you and send you to another world.

Although Because The Night was originally by Bruce Springstein, he couldn’t find a place for it on his album. Luckily Patti Smith took it and made it not only one of the best love songs ever, but it reads as a beautiful poem.

Imagine someone being so in love with you, that they recited this song to you. Astounding.

She has influenced a vast amount of people from Shirley Manson to Morrissey, who is known to occasionally cover Redondo Beach at some of his concerts.

If Patti is the Godmother of Punk, then who is the Godfather? Lou Reed or Iggy Pop? Everyone has their own opinion on it, maybe there’s no right or wrong answer. Both are equally as influential as each other.

Lou Reed’s Heroin is punk at its poetical best. Not moved by it as a song? Then read it, you will see just how heartbreaking it is but at the same time, it is a fine piece of poetry. Picking out a standout line from Heroin is hard, every line moves into another perfectly, so to just pick one is probably going to cause me another headache! I think, “I have made the big decision, I’m gonna try to nullify my life” may just sum up the whole song. It’s so sad, especially that line.

Some may say Lou Reed’s music is an acquired taste, if that’s the case then I urge anyone who dislikes his songs to just read the lyrics. Read the lyrics and you will see that this man is a poet, and not many can compete with his writing ability- especially nowadays.

Say what you want about Iggy Pop (would you buy car insurance from him?!) but the guy is timeless.

The Stooges were THE best punk band, and the opening riff to I Wanna Be Your Dog will always be the best intro to a song ever! God Bless you Ron Asheton.

Iggy Pop may not have created poetry in the same sense as Patti Smith or Lou Reed, but the guy has given us a lot of one-liners that just take you by surprise, like “Did HE just say that?!” His on stage (and off) antics may have caused some to immediately dislike him, but Iggy is charming. You can tell just by reading his lyrics. I will declare my love for I Wanna Be Your Dog for the rest of my life, so I won’t bore you right now with it. The Passenger as a song is Iggy at his best, read it lyrically and you’ll see just how good a song writer he is, a flawless piece of music and words.

I’m Sick Of You is the perfect “leave me alone, I can’t stand you” kind of song. For the angst side of punk, Iggy And The Stooges blessed us with a number of songs releasing their frustrations and disappointment with every day life. In a few weeks Iggy will be putting out a new album which is like nothing he has done before- it’s self described as “quieter album with some jazz overtones.”

There will never be another genre of music quite like punk, just like there will never another Patti, Lou or Iggy- and that’s just fine. They’re all in their 60s now and still going, something tells me they will still be an influence to so many regardless of what they do, and the type of music the ones they influence do.

Punk may be dead, but it’s still relevant.

DJ AmyB.

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Over 3 years ago I met a person who pretty much changed me and my life. She instantly became one of the best human beings I know. Sadly, she’s pissed off back to London and abandoned me (GUILT TRIP!!!) But it’s okay. Hand on heart, she’s amazing. She’s my best mate and just like a sister to me. We’ve bonded over Florence & The Machine. We’ve interviewed and met some of our favourite artists. Personal favourite was meeting Florence.

That person is…..

DJ AmyB

She’s a bloody brilliant DJ…she’s yet to play Bros in her sets, but if I annoy her enough with my requests, she may cave in and play some. She’s hard-working and utterly passionate about what she does. I highly recommend you go see her DJ. Tell her Olivia sent you, and she’ll buy you a shot.

You can also follow her here on her Facebook page.

And on Twitter.

I’ve basically given you everything you need to stalk her….apart from her phone number, BBM pin and address. It’s okay- when she becomes famous I am selling her details to various publications 😉

 

The Jesus And Mary Chain- Psychocandy.

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I change my mind about a lot of things constantly. I find it impossible to stick with certain things. However, I think I am pretty much certain with this.

A year before I was born, one of, if not THE greatest debut album was released. Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain started this sound that is just beyond words. The dark and intense feeling you get from the Reid brothers is astounding. You can listen to as much deep, dark songs as much as you want but none will capture that atmosphere as well as The Jesus And Mary Chain did. Personally, choosing to revist this album at 2am when I can’t sleep is not a waste of time. It totally justifies me having a beyond awful sleep pattern. The main issue being I don’t have a sleep pattern.

Just listening to songs such as The Living End and Taste The Floor just makes you wish new bands had something to offer like this now. But alas, they don’t. Obviously there are artists that do create such an intense powerfuk sound (personal favourites are The Horrors and Zola Jesus.) The production on Psychocandy will always amaze me. Everything just sounds like it is played and created out of frustration and despair- two things which create the best music.  Extracating such feelings and producing a masterpiece, a work of art. Well, I’m not entirely sure if it has been done this well ever since.

I don’t hold any personal feelings or thoughts with the album(yet) which is quite rare. I just listen to the songs. Take in every single word in. Embrace every single dirty, grimey guitar sound and just feel utterly lost in it all. You can easily lose youself in Psychocandy, but at the end- you are found. I just love that every single song just sets fire to your soul and this wave of feeling alive takes over. Seriously, the most cold and dead inside person could listen to this album and be utterly moved. If they aren’t, well I guess they’ve missed the point really.

The subject matters in most of the songs aren’t always the most cheerful but to be honest most of the greatest songs ever written aren’t exactly about sunsgine, rainbows and kittens are they? The album is raw, real and unmerciful. It’s just a sheer explosion of excellence. I paved the way for how a debut album should sound. It captures you straight away wanting more and more, I suppose that’s how some view romance.

If I was musically inclined, I’d want to create an album that was on the same level as this. It’s just a whole different world. There is something so beautifully eerie about this album. It is creepy, it is terrifying- it is the best thing your ears will ever be exposed to. It changed my life the first time I ever heard it…lord knows when it first was, but it just blew my mind. Since then I only vowed to listen to music that made me feel like this. I’ve stuck to my word. It’s just quite simply the best debut album ever and one of the greatest albums ever created.

The Importance Of Patti Smith.

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Writing about Patti Smith is quite pointless of me really. Why? Well, no words are going to be good enough to describe how vital she is to music. No words are going to do her justice at all. She is just the ideal performer to look up to. Her words have taken over hearts and found lost souls. Her music means the world to so many of us.

There are no words that could possibly express all of this. However, I’m going to give it a go.

The amount of nights I have fallen asleep listening to her music or just gone for walks listening to her music. There is something so deeply empowering about Patti Smith. Her lyrics feel like a protest within you and you just have to get all of these feelings out, somehow. Someway. She starts this fire within you, and I’m pretty sure if you are one of the lucky ones to have been around when she first came out- you’ve still got that fire burning inside of you. I know if it was me, I would. But sadly, I was born in 1986.

She is not just a singer or a poet or whatever you want to call her. She’s everything, she’s an artist. A true artist. She is the Godmother of Punk- the most vital music genre of all time. The most powerful and rawest kinds of music ever created. The sheer angst and honesty in this genre mixed with love, passion and daily frustrations is something that anyone can relate to. Now, whether or not they allow themselves to be exposed to this is a different matter.

Patti is someone I personally I regard as the most important female in music. You see, a person’s gender is not important but sexism has and always will be around in music- and daily life sadly. However, Patti is this strong figure that I feel more and more females should look up to and admire. She never had to expose herself to be heard. She never had to sleep with the CEO of a record label to make it. All she did was do something she loved with no compromises. All she did was work hard and never gave up. She never took the easy way out. She stuck at it and in the process become so important to so many. This something that should be praised not ignored.

When I think of Patti I think of someone I hope I can sort of be like. I don’t mean being the founder of a music genre or famous- but strong. I’m fully aware that this contradicts my article on looking up to famous people but let me explain.

Patti is a figure that I feel anyone can relate to- so to see someone like her still going after all these years- that is something to be admired. Her strength, her words, her art- it’s a lifeline for most. Myself included.

Her music is a crutch. Her music opens you up into a world that you could possibly be forbidden to visit. The world she has created with her art is something many have tried to do, but not quite got there.

You sit back and listen to her music and you just go some place. It’s astounding.

I remember watching Dream Of Life and just being in awe of her. Her presence affects others in this angelic way. It is almost as if she is super-human. Maybe she is. She has influenced so many from Shirley Manson to Morrissey to Michael Stipe- all three remarkable musicians who are equally as important to the music industry as Patti is.

There will always be another *insert generic pop singer’s name* but there will never ever be another Patti Smith. Who else could possibly do what she has done again? Nobody. See, she’s that special and that well respected that folks know it just cannot be done. It’d be rude to even attempt to do so.

One aspect of Patti that I adore the most is her poetry. For my dissertation at University (2009) I wrote and article on Punk and Poetry. A lot of Patti was mentioned; a lot of Arthur Rimbaud was mentioned. The way she writes is so eloquent, so pure, and so true.  I adore her book, Auguries Of Innocence. The words she uses and how she uses them is utterly enthralling. You feel as if you are in a different era when reading her work in the book. It is just glorious.

Her poetry should be studied in schools, colleges, universities. Her words are like a spiritual guidance at times- not only with her poetry, but her songs.

The songs she has covered from Gloria to W hen Doves Cry, the way she sings them- she makes them her own. That is what makes a cover acceptable and genuine. That is what makes a cover work. Her cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, for me- is out of this world. I was never a fan of Nirvana, but her cover is so passionate. Kurt sang it with frustration, Patti sings it with passion. You believe in all the words that fall so freely and gracefully out of her mouth because of all the heart and soul within them.

So many musicians have over and over again proven to be hypocrites who do not believe in the words they give us.

This isn’t the case with Patti. If religion is something that you believe in to have your soul saved- then Punk did that for me. There’s no doubt about it. It is the only genre that has truly grabbed my heart and kept it. I couldn’t imagine feeling this way about another genre. Yes I adore all kinds of music and singers- but Punk is the one that just makes my heart skip a beat, like a lover is supposed to.

Fall in love or lose myself in Punk? Give me the latter.

Thank you Patti for being an inspiration. Thank you Patti for Punk and poetry. Thank you Patti for your words and music.

Seapony.

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Some may call it “dream-pop” or “surfer-pop.” Such silly lables really aren’t they. Personally, I’d just call it MUSIC. We don’t need to sub-catergorise music to justify it. It is what it is. So, how would one go about describing Seapony? Well, listen to the following and you can make your own mind up 🙂

Listening to their music just makes you feel like you are floating away from eveyrthing and into the unkown but it is entirely relaxing and comforting. They are the perfect band to carry with you all throughout the summer. Even if you are currently being exposed to torrential downpour. Oh England, how you let me down every summer!

If you enjoy the music of Best Coast, The Drums, Dum Dum Girls, Beach House etc then you’ll love Seapony (or at least you should!)

Cults.

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Again, I am giving you more proof as to why bands with only two members are fascinating.

Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin aka Cults have put out a brilliant debut album this year. There’s hardly any information about them, but really that’s not needed. All you need is their amazing music. Enjoy! :

I love the 60s girl group feel to this.

Just a tip….be careful when you type the band’s name into Google or wherever! 😉

The Importance Of Velvet Underground.

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Understatement of the year, but there is so much music out there. You cannot subject yourself to one genre. I will always say Punk Rock owns my heart. It always has, and always will. The angst, the passion, the drive, and the lust- everything about it appeals to me. Patti, Ramones. New York Dolls, Television, Richard Hell, Iggy etc.

One band in particular has everything I love about music in one. Everything I want in a band is in this band. The lyrics, the way the vocals are delivered, the honesty, the brutality, the tragedy, the agony, the joy, blood, sweat and tears.

This band has created music that just evokes so much imagery and feeling. So much darkness, so much passion. This band makes me want to travel back in time and live in New York City.

This band of course is Velvet Underground.

The smoky bluesy guitar, Lou and Nico’s overwhelmingly powerful and enchanting voices make you feel like you are lost in a dream. Lost with no desire to ever be found because what you have found in Velvet Underground you will never find in any band or person again. What you have found is this spiritual connection. What you have found is hope and a dream. Sometimes these two factors do not work, but they do here.

Regardless of what you may think of Andy Warhol, it was he who suggested that the band used Nico on their debut album- which I (and many many others) regard this to quite possibly be the greatest debut album of all time. Their debut album offers the listener so much, and after listening- no matter when your first time was, you find it hard to believe music can actually get better than this. It’s an album you can use to escape from the world or just sit and read to. It’s unbelievable perfect from start to finish. Also, Andy Warhol allowed the band to have the freedom to do what they wanted with this album- what would it have sounded like if he was to have taken control? Would it have been so effortlessly raw? Would the production have been text book perfect? Who knows. All that matters is that their first album is quite simply one of the greatest albums ever and THE greatest debut album ever.

White Light/White Heat is a phenomenal second album, the band proved with this album that the “dreaded second album blues” was not for them. It is still on a par with their first album- a difficult thing to do, but it can still be done. Sadly, it was the last album John Cale appeared on and there was no Nico. I must add here that, Nico’s voice is constantly missed. There has never been and never will be a voice quite like her. So husky, so defiant- just beautiful.

However, I personally feel their third album is THE ONE. This could be due to my overriding obsession with Pale Blue Eyes and That’s The Story Of My Life. Or, the fact that it is actually a mind-blowing album. Velvet Underground is a band that you just cannot find any fault in at all. The consistency of Lou’s lyrics and his vocals are so perfect. So perfect. You cannot help but think he is not from this planet. He’s a machine or something.

Reason why Loaded is perfect? I Found A Reason. If I ever found some poor girl willing to spend her life with me- that song would be the song I’d play at the wedding. Followed by Cat Power’s version of it. It is a truly gorgeous song. Its how a love song should be.

The sound that Velvet Underground created became instantly timeless. A sound that so many came to adore, and from it- started their own band. One band in particular that gives me the same feelings, ideas and images that VU are The Kills. Their bluesy escapism is quite frankly the most glorious thing I have heard from a band that only has two members. Their covers of VU songs are equally as perfect as the originals. Especially their cover of Pale Blue Eyes. Alison’s voice on this cover is so haunting yet angelic at the same time- pain mixed with innocence. I’m Set Free and Venus In Furs are wonderfully covered too.

VU are a band that I wouldn’t approve of anyone covering. Just no. yet when The Kills do it, you get exactly the same feeling Lou Reed and John Cale give you- that is when a cover is well done. If a cover can make you feel the same way the original does- then it’s a bloody good version.

I love The Kills as much as I love VU, so I suppose them covering VU isn’t going to offend me at all. If only Lou Reed would cover Rodeo Town or Wait! Even better, they do a record together. Either or I’d be happy with.

Are any bands that are around now going to have the same effect on bands like VU have? Will any band ever again create a sound like they have?

Everyone’s answer is different. Mine is no. Some would say yes. Personally, I prefer listening to old bands. Bands that started before I was born. For some odd reason I feel more connection to them. Thing is, nothing is new anymore. It has all been done and there comes a time where you just have to go back to the old stuff because everything was entirely different.

Bands that were classed as Punk may have all fell into the same genre- however they didn’t sound the same. You could tell each artist apart from each other.  Whereas now, if artists all fall into the same genre- you cannot possibly tell who is different.I know living in the past does nobody any favours ever, but sometimes it is more than acceptable to go back there in a musical sense.

There will never be another Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, MC5, Ramones etc but there will always be another…well, you don’t need me to name names. It’s fairly obvious isn’t it.