Can Death Be A Good Thing?

Right now Amy Winehouse has a song at number 24 on the iTunes music chart. My prediction is that her songs will probably do nothing but get more and more popular in the upcoming months following the loss of Winehouse last weekend. It is a known fact that when someone famous dies "before their time" they somehow rise in fame with literally zero effort (no pun intended). Look at how many more kids these days listen to Michael Jackson. My little brother, who just turned 14, would have no idea who Michael Jackson was. Well, I guess I can take that back because he had definitely heard me playing Jackson's tunes in my car before his death, but none the less, all of my little brother's friends went through their Michael Jackson phase after his death. They purchased his records, looked up his Youtube videos and are now extremely familiar with Jackson's material. Now, don't get me wrong, in no way am I attempting to belittle the death of Jackson, Winehouse, or anyone else for that matter, but it is a known fact that before her death, Winehouse was thought of as a talented artist, but was known more for her heroine addiction and obscure personality. Jackson was known to be a talented genius (and he damn sure was), but let's be honest, we all heard more child molestation jokes than we did his hits on the radio during the months leading up to his death. I also don't want it to be misunderstood that Winehouse is anywhere close to the genius that Jackson is, she is simply the most recent example and therefore my motivation for writing this blog. My point is that death is the best thing that can happen to one's career in any field, especially if the individual dies young, which raises the question of "why?".

Looking back at history, musical artists that die young are some of the most well known and most respected artists of all time. Look at Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Janis Joplin, Kurt Kobain, Keith Moon and John Bonham. All died before their time but they are now some of the most influential figures of all time. Why? Why does dying help your career so much?

The first way dying helps is because it allows media (magazines, movies, television, news of any sort) to build you up to be an icon by focusing ONLY on the positive things. The deceased obviously has no more say so in the matter and can no longer "tamper" their image. Death allows the mass media to focus SOLELY on the positive things the deceased has done in their lifetime, and allows only these achievements to be recognized. Drug addiction, child molestation, suicide, gang wars, and alcohol addiction are looked past and the public begins to focus on what these people were able to create and achieve in their lifetime.

The second way dying can help is because it allows the artist to go out in their prime. Lennon died being (debatably) the smartest Beatle without ever creating a bad album. John Bonham died when Led Zeppelin was in their prime, and therefore is considered the best drummer of all time. Tupac and Biggie died when gangsta rap was in it's prime and are therefore thought of as the two greatest rappers of all time. Jimi Hendrix died at 27 and is therefore thought of as the best guitarist of all time. I would make the argument that they went out in their prime so death builds them up as individuals, but I would also make the argument that the deaths cause people to build up their institutions more. Because John Lennon died early, his later albums are considered better because death causes people to analyze them more, as well as the Beatles' albums. Because Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac died young, it caused gangsta rap to rise in popularity in the early 90s. Because John Bonham died it made Led Zeppelin seen as a better and more "legendary" band. Because Kurt Kobain killed himself, it allowed Nirvana to stand as one of the greatest bands of all time (even though they only released 3 studio albums). Nirvana became a symbol for the misunderstood and confused. Because Jimi Hendrix died when he was 27, he is considered one of the best guitarists of all time. Death allows people to go out in their prime before they put out any material that is not as good, and therefore causes them to fizzle out or fade away. Death allows these individuals to go out with a boom while they are on top and end their legacy has a better chance of living on. When you go out on top, you are going to do nothing but become some sort of legend and rise even higher.

With these things being said, I am not trying to take away from the fact that these deaths are extremely unfortunate, and tragic events. At the same time, I think they play into the fact that everything happens for a reason. Jimi Hendrix could have lived to be 70 but I would make the argument that if he had, he would not be as well known as he is today because somehwere along the way he would have made a "bad" album. Same with Nirvana, Tupac, Amy Winehouse and the others listed above. This is not to say that they would not still be considered great, but probably not AS great and as legendary. We are lucky to be blessed with the music of these fallen individuals. Even though they are gone their music, but more importantly their legend, will live on forever. And I bet this legend would not be as well known had they not died early.

Why LP Albums Should (and might) Make A Comeback

I have always enjoyed the idea of the album as a work of art. Albums can conglomerate songs into a one solid entity of art that is designed to be listened to in a particular order. This careful selection of songs and order, combined with album cover art can create a mood, a theme, or even a concept. In 1967 the Beatles allegedly created "The First Concept Album" when they carefully strung 13 new songs together in a particular order that was reminiscent of a concert or show. They created album cover art that did not just depict themselves, but instead created an entire psychedelic atmosphere, with beautiful colors and cardboard cutouts of all of their inspirational figures. With this came the idea that albums can create an entire theme, and these themes can inspire many people, and even generations. Much of today's technology and culture surrounding music is destroying the idea of an album.

Today kids carry iPods, and on these iPods they may have Beatles songs. Some of these songs may be from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. I would make the argument that very few actually have the album in its entirety. This is an utter shame if you ask me. In my opinion this is like cutting out your favorite part out of a Picasso painting, then proceeding to carry it around in your pocket claiming, "Look how much I LOVE Picasso!" No you don't! If anything, you are destroying one of his fabulous master pieces by segmenting into pieces of your choice. The painting is a whole, and when you experience that painting, you take every part of it into consideration. You don't buy a piece of a painting, you buy an entire painting. Where am I going with this? What I am saying is that the same respect should apply to an album. One should not simply buy a song here and a song there from this album or that album. It is cutting a piece of art into separate pieces, and there is no way to fully understand a piece of art if you do not take its entirety into consideration. If the artist wishes to segment his art himself by releasing singles, I think it is perfectly acceptable to buy those individual songs because at this point, that artist is releasing that song as a piece of art in itself.

It is a deeply rooted personal belief of mine that artists (that are worth listening to) create albums for us to listen to, and that is why I am extremely happy to see old LP vinyls making a comeback. The old man hidden deep inside of me bought a record player a couple summers ago and upon this purchase begun buying records. Musicians worth listening to have begun releasing their new albums on vinyls. Within these vinyls they are releasing an mp3 download so not only do you get the record, but you can also put the album onto your computer and portable mp3 device. The reason I enjoy records so much is because they were the fundamental centerpiece for how the album became pieces of art. These LP's are BIG. The album art is like a painting or a work of art in itself. Usually the albums open up to display the lyrics and many include artwork which was done by the artist. One is able to open up the record, put it on the turntable, and explore its contents while listening to the tracks IN ORDER. The reason I put so much emphasis on listening to the tracks in order is because if anyone has dealt with a record player, you will know it is almost not worth the effort attempting to select a particular song in the middle of the record. It is much easier to put it on, and let it play through. Once it reaches its halfway point,if you don't get up and turn it, it is going to simply sit there. This shows dedication to persist through the album by the listener. It can then be flipped over, and the rest of the album can be listened to IN ORDER.

I think that it is great how vinyls are making a comeback, at least within the market of good music. It has become a tradition when I go to a concert to buy the artist's newest album on vinyl. I usually come back after the show and have an entire experience sitting alone or with friends examining the album's contents and listening to each individual track in the order they were meant to be listened to. Albums are a great thing and the longer they stick around the better it will be for the beauty of music. The reason that albums should be listened to as a whole is the fact that we all owe that respect to the artists who created them. They were going through a certain time in their life when they created it and most are attempting to portray a certain mood. With giving them this respect and listening to albums in their entirety (instead of simply taking the easy road and paying .99 cents for the single) we can have our own experience which can be gained from their experience. Now I just sound like I am rambling, which I am not.

Go listen to an album, and enjoy the experience!