Mr_Green_Genes wrote:
I sort of had this in mind when I begun the discussion: Zappa was very idiosyncratic and he did it despite knowing he would not please the masses... That is why he did it, because he could, and he wanted to play with his new toys, including the perfect drum sound (seems they spend days trying different heads, tuning, miking, etc...).
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I don't think he was as idiosyncratic as we think. I do believe that he thought the music needed to be far more different than it was, and his changing it and adding/subtracting to it all the time pretty much shows/expresses that sentiment.
The problem is, that we think he is idiosyncratic, because we do not know his thinking or feeling whenhe does it ... and sometimes there is ... NONE ... to be discussed, thus, it is much easier for us to call him idiosyncratic than anything else.
It is different, and it happens to be one of the byproducts of music in the 20th century that you can record some parts, come back and fix it, before anyone listens to it ... and now with DAW's this is even more so than ever.
Music history has given us a false impression that to make changes and do something different is not right, and this is what the 20th and 21st century in music is trying hard to dispell, and both jazz and rock are at the forefront. IF, and this could be a big
IF, this is all about the "idiosyncratic behavior ... then what are we going to say about Stravinsky and so many others in teh 20th Century? ... think about that before you reply ... because many folks, Stravinsky included were trashed for their idiosyncratic composition ... but no one today will ever say that!
It can not be "idiosyncratic" that much anyway ... otherwise there would be 100 different versions of Peaches en Regalia on the Toilet Seat ... and we would be arguing which one was better ... but when putting together things, sometimes you think that it is better with the guitar upside down here, and the drums backwards there ... so what? ... that's just the way it is ... but if all you want it top ten ... please leave Frank alone ... he ... and the fans here ... are NOT interested!
It's important that we study that ... Frank is not idiosyncratic ... at all ... Frank is fussy and detailed about his work ... and we should give him that space!