Roger used to lie under the flight path at LAX and mimic the sound of jet planes on his electric guitar ~ trying to be like Woody Guthrie who captured the sound of railroad cars on his folk guitar. Although he couldn’t jump a plane and ride it the way Woody could a freight train ~ he must have dialed into something receptive in the social psyche ~ Roger went on to become a major force in the world of music with tunes like ‘Eight Miles High’ and ‘Mr. Spaceman’ ~ I love the guy. He’s also a major contributor to my ‘theory of music’ ~ It is my belief that popular music, like other forms of art, comes about by mimicking advances in the field of transportation and technology. Sound absurd ..? Not when you consider that Art Deco ~ a popular style of architecture and design in the 1920's and 30's ~ was influenced primarily by the look of an ocean liner. I don't think it's a coincidence that 60's rock music arrived on the heels of airline and space travel ~ I can hear it in the sounds of Roger McGuinn and Jimi Hendrix ~ or that advances in data processing and satellite communications preceded New Wave music ~ I can hear it in the sounds of Devo and Pet Shop Boys.
3 comments:
I agree with you. Jimi & Roger, both fascinated by technology, yet very artistic and sensitive. Interesting combination.
"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" is an example of this mix. What a great album! I prefer McGuinn's influence in the Byrds rather than Crosby's, although they're both splendid.
"The Notorious Byrd Brothers" ..what a sweet mix indeed ..!
They're the best!
'In nineteen and ninety-six we ventured to the moon
Onto the the Sea Of Crisis like children from the womb
We journeyed cross the great wall plain beneath the mountain range
And there we saw the pyramid, it looked so very strange
This beacon had a field of force, that circled all around
And not a man could get inside, no way could be found
It was here for thousands of years before our life began
Waiting very patiently for evolving man.....'
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