"What's your favorite band??" Answers to an Annoying Question

I've been guilty of it too-- the ubiquitous, annoying, get-to-know-you question, "What's your favorite band?" It impossibly simplifies an immensely complex and loaded question for any musician with any self respect, and probably for any mature music-listener. So when someone asks me, and they actually seem the least bit interested in my answer, I go off on my five minute lecture that follows:

You see, being an immensely complex question that truly has taken years to formulate an answer, I cannot honestly tell you one band or artist that has inspired me, entertained me, and fulfilled me enough to be considered "my favorite." And what's more, the particular band or artist that at any given moment is topping my iTunes playlists or is stuck in my head or infecting my thoughts and actions or reflecting in my guitar playing, is always changing-- that comes as a function of being a living, breathing, human being. But, rather than leaving you with this arrogant little speech demeaning your simple and well-intentioned question, I have taken the time, in my head, over a period of time spanning long before you ever intended to ask me this question, to formulate a, somewhat concise, but, holistic response to this question that, at least for a good amount of time, should be a more-or-less unchanging and consistent answer.

My response is broken into five categories, as there cannot be one, true "favorite" artist. They are as follows:

The most cohesive and functional band (favorite band), The most effective and moving artist (favorite artist), the most talented songwriter, the best mind for creating rock and roll music, and the band most competent at performing music. The winners of each category are as follows:

Band: The Beatles. For me, personally, the Beatles have an especially important place as they were the band I listened to during my "musical renaissance," an awakening that opened my eyes to music and, for the first time, made me truly listen to music. My informed opinion about them still holds that they are the most cohesive and functional band, meaning that as four musicians banded together to create music, they do a damn good job of it. They produce variety, which creates interest, yet they have a trademark sound and an awfully high percentage of their songs have a great deal of soul and meaning. So as a young, first time listener, they win this category, and as a more mature, well-rounded listener and musician, they still win. Notable songs: Here Comes the Sun, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Blackbird, Two of Us

Artist: George Harrison.  As a subsection of the last category, George Harrison held a particularly important place, seeing as he penned the songs from the aforementioned that most deeply effected me. As I have dug into his solo material, the resonance his songs have with me grows deeper with time. I cannot express in a short blurb the power George's songs have had in affecting, changing, and shaping my life, both as a musician and a person. Notable songs: Beware of Darkness, My Sweet Lord, The Light That Has Lighted the World, Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)

Songwriter: Bob Dylan. This is obvious. You probably saw this coming. Do I really need to explain this one? I listen to Dylan all the time, he never gets old. His songwriting is masterful and can hold new meaning with each listen. Notable songs: Hurricane, If Not for You, Simple Twist of Fate, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Rock and Roll mind: Elvis Costello. Not to be confused with Elvis Presley. This guy can write a rock and roll song like no other. He knows the difference between rock and roll and pop (this could lead to a music theory discussion), understands its roots and influences, and has been forging a fresh path for a genre that should always be pioneering for his entire career. Notable songs: Peace Love and Understanding (yes, I know Nick Lowe wrote this, but Elvis just kills it), No Dancing, I Want You, Uncomplicated

Performance: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. See my post from a year ago on The Boss. Basically, this guy, and his band, know how to put on a show because they play from the soul. Its never just about the music with these guys. And that's why, in one show, I'm moved to tears (from emotion and also laughter), screaming with joy, dancing till I drop, and singing till my lungs give out. Notable songs: Thunder Road, Jungle Land, The Rising, Land of Hopes and Dreams. This guy's not too shabby at songwriting, either. 

Artists that didn't make any particular category but should have: Paul Simon, M. Ward, Johnny Cash, Neil  Young, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joan Baez, Glen Hansard, Stevie Wonder

I hope that answers your question.

Lessons from the Boss

I am enamored by Bruce Springsteen... and I've put a lot of time into figuring out why. Few other artists have made me cry so many times, laugh so many times, and inspired me as much as he has. I think part of the key to this ability is that for Bruce, its not a one-trick game. Its not just the songwriting, not just the showmanship, not just the craft, not just the sound. Music is a confluence of all of the emotions, talents, and abilities of his mind, body, and soul as well as those of the musicians he plays with. And it appears as though he approaches his music the same way he approaches his life-- there isn't an "on" switch he flicks when he goes on stage or into the studio. He's just Bruce Springsteen, all the time, which lends his craft authenticity.

But tactics aside, it is the result of this process that is what has captured me and countless others: When the man goes on stage, he exudes energy, appearing to be bursting out of his own skin ignited by the Holy Spirit of all things musical, emotional, powerful; and everyone around him-- the musicians and audience alike-- can't help but get caught up in that same spirit. For those moments of ecstasy I experience listening to the Boss, I am at once free of the things that bring me down, and intimately in touch with the things that I love.

The feeling I come away with, after the ecstasy, on the drive home from the concert or at the end of the album, is one of admiration, especially as a guitarist, songwriter, and performer; and a nagging question of "how can I become more like this man that I admire me so?" But lets look at the facts: what I like so much about Bruce is the way he approaches what he does with every ounce of his body and soul. Throw your heart and soul into it. This is something I can do. Now, there tends to be a notion of intangibility when you look at celebrities and admire them. But its important to remember that celebrities are just samplings of people, and that there are people who aren't celebrities that have these same qualities. There is nothing about being a "celebrity" that implies that their qualities are intangible.

I think when we allow ourselves to become so absorbed by a celebrity, we have the tendency to let ourselves down. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with celebrities, or admiring them, but its important to keep our heads in reality, looking out for those qualities we admire in the stars, in real people that we see on the streets, at school, or in our groups of friends. Its people that we admire, celebrities and those around us alike, that inspire us and allow us to grow.

This video clip is from his second appearance on Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... and is a great example of how his energy fuels the band and audience alike. As much as I love the E Street Band, I like how this isn't the E Street Band-- it's Elvis's band-- because it shows how Bruce can fuel any band to play with that kind of energy. Enjoy!