OT: Unpopular Opinions

OT: Unpopular Opinions Mar 7, 2018 8:02:50 GMT

Quote

Post by Arlon10 on Mar 7, 2018 8:02:50 GMT

Mar 6, 2018 13:38:07 GMT Eva Yojimbo said:

Mar 6, 2018 12:03:50 GMT Arlon10 said:

   Yes, I see your point. I'm still certain Porter Wagoner was a band leader (of the Wagonmasters) with significant knowledge of all the instruments in the band.

   He was also a prolific song writer. Does that change anything?

   I think "Porter Wagoner and the Wagon Wheels" was at least an informal name of his band at some time. I'm not certain why I remember that expression, but I do.

   I doubt many on this board are old enough to remember Porter Wagoner's television show. I didn't watch it much, but that's how I know who he is, not by the radio.

   Although Bob Dylan certainly was a "musician" by the definition of being a guitarist and harmonica player or "intrumentalist," I think of him more as a "poet" because his music was never as popular as his words.

I also consider band leaders/conductors and songwriters different than musicians. They're all distinctly different skills, and even though one may be involved in all of them (including singing), they usually tend to be more focused/gifted in on area.

I know of Wagoner thanks to my extended family who are all country fans. I grew up with a lot of the old stuff and still have a nostalgic fondness for it, even though I'm not really a country fan myself now.

To me, Bob Dylan was the definitive songwriter precisely because he made the words as important as the music, but I wouldn't say MORE important. I don't think many would read Dylan the way we read Wordsworth or Shelley; but without his lyrics, his music definitely loses much of its impact. It's a true marriage of the two. Dylan was also a master at knowing how to shade lyrical meaning via music, so what might seem dry and dull on the page is given power and potency in song. One also shouldn't discount how musically versatile Dylan has been, from folk, to rock, to psychedelia, to country, to gospel, to new wave, to blues. He's a sonic chameleon, and yet has been able to make worthwhile contributions in every genre. Since Dylan, I think the only artist whose come close to his monumental legacy is Tom Waits; and as much as I love Waits, I still think there's a huge chasm between the two.

Remember Bob Dylan's Nobel prize was for literature, not music.

Not being a music specialist, I am just going to use "musician" to refer to anyone who makes a living at, or could reasonably make a living at, some musical performance. The person who has special skill as a guitarist is a guitarist, the person who has special skill as a singer is a singer. If their skill is exceptional that would be a virtuoso guitarist. The general public is going to take words for their own use and there isn't much you can do to stop it. They are going to use "virtuoso" to describe athletes, politicians, chefs and and all sorts of things not musical.