FEATURE:
Sleeping on An Icon
IN THIS PHOTO: Paul Simon/PHOTO CREDIT: T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times
Why We Need to Cherish and Share Music Legends Whilst They Are With Us
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RATHER than this being grim…
PHOTO CREDIT: Diana Onfilm/Pexels
and talking about the mortality and lifespan of musicians, it is a plea to music fans out there. Specifically younger listeners. Those who maybe ignore an artist because they are ‘before their time’. I think this is a real problem. Others might be too involved with modern music to really appreciate those who have inspired these current greats. What happens when we lost an amazing artist that has been recording for years is that many people come out of the woodwork. They will express their sadness and write how big a loss it is. How they love that person’s work and that this is a huge tragedy. I don’t know how genuine this is. Whether you get this rather phoned-in or copy-and-paste reaction to death. If you pressed a person, would they really have that knowledge and relationship with that artist?! It does seem morbid. I think that we do need to investigate and spend time with icons now. Rather than leave things until they pass and we express how much that artist meant to us – when they probably didn’t really -, there needs to be more of an attachment to these legends. It does come back to that thing as to whether we are led to same-sounding music. If algorithms and streaming services point us towards music that is quite similar. If we get caught in this cycle of being recommended daily playlists on streaming services and will always listen to what is suggested. In terms of the mainstream and what is around now, there is a lot of samey music. Not enough diversity and range within. This might also affect what we listen to and how we approach music. If we stick with a very similar sound. There is a generation that grew up on icons and that is what they listen to most. I am conscious that there are generations that either do not know about these artists or listened to them when they were children or teens - and they have now put them aside. Because these people are not recording or not as frequently as they used to, we tend to forget. Everything is about the new and upcoming. I do feel that we slip by older artists.
Think about some of the true greats who, in a decade or so, might not be with us. Possibly less. Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan. Maybe they need not be as huge as them. These are artists who have given so much and I don’t think we should leave it there. Recognise how important they are now and what they have given to music. It makes me wonder whether there needs to be documentaries about these artists. I have been thinking about artists like Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. These amazing songwriters who might leave us in the next decade. It is not too late for people who maybe have been sleeping on these icons to do something about it. We are in a culture where older music is not as recognised and recommended as it should be. There is this thing about what is new and current being trendy and preferred. There is a whole generation of musicians that are almost being ignored. Assumed their day is done. Even someone like Madonna. Popular when she goes on tour, yet I wonder whether there are generations that should be picking her music up and talking about it more. As she is not recording at the moment, she is seen as less relevant as a modern-day great. There aren’t really documentaries or anything new about these legends. If I think about these icons that are still with us and we need to celebrate, there is not really a lot of new investigation and appreciation. Making sure that young generations know about them. That those who briefly engaged with their music know more. It is quite sad to think that we will loss some great artists and many people will post half-hearted or cliché reaction – and they would have missed out on so much.
We do need to appreciate these artists whilst we have them. It is quite sad when we see this parade of famous people come out when an artist dies and say how they have always been fans or it is a massive loss. How sincere that is. Maybe time is against some of the oldest artists who might leave us shortly, but not necessarily so. There is this archive for each of them. In terms of the music itself and interviews with them. Again, I think we are driven in modern culture to listen to what is new. A lot of what sounds similar. We really do have to get out of that habit. It is so important to cherish some of these magnificent and decades-long artists who have given us so much. Really understand how much they have contributed. Without them, so much of what is around today would not exist. There are studies that show how we explore new music less as we get older. It might mean that people who grew up with music greats are less likely to move forward and may stick with what they know. I am talking to those people who have either overlooked a great or did not grow up around them. This feature was inspired by a phrase in the recent book, Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan. Written by Alex Pappademas, it is a book about the characters in Steely Dan songs. Pappademas was writing about the death of Walter Becker in 2017 and how all these celebrities came out and expressed how much he meant to them. How inauthentic their words were. How, as he said, they “slept on an icon”. Missed out on someone great whilst they were with us. It is the way with many artists we have lost. It was that way when Amy Winehouse died in 2011. It is quite sad that we miss out on so much. That thing when we loss great artists and didn’t really spend enough time getting to know their music. Rather than leave things until then, we need to spend time away from what is new or in our collection and embrace these legends. The media and filmmakers doing more to highlight these artists and putting something out that will engage with younger listeners. Rather than rely on a certain generation(s) keeping this music alive and it being assumed icons are cherished by all, I don’t think that is the case. So many are being overlooked. We need to talk about them now and tell them how much they mean to us…
BEFORE it is too late.