Different Hours

I often have this arguement at work with Lance. He's a musician. A guitarist. A very good one. Loves Jerry Garcia and Steve Kimok. I can't say we're crazy about the same music. His idea of a really well written song is one that makes the guitar solo longer...and longer...maybe a little longer still. Me, I'm a pop music guy. I like melody and hook. Not pop as in "popular" necessarily, but "pop" as in an Elvis Costello song or Joe Pernice song or something by these guys Best Band in SF. Lance and I don't see eye to eye here. For him good music always = good musicianship. He tells me, "Kurt Cobain is a good lyricist but he can't sing for shit." Can you imagine a Nirvana song sung note perfect by Paul McCartney? It would lose something, like the anguish and the feeling. Will Oldham probably isn't the greatest musician in the world but he's got a way with his material that's original and inimitable. I could name a bunch of other examples but I still think Lance would sneer at me. Fuckin' hippies. This is the kind of guy who thinks punk was a waste of time but would poke his eyes out for a Pantera show.

He can't really get past the fact that it isn't played perfectly (or as well as he can play, I guess). Lance is in this band Grasshoppers he's the guy with the sunglasses.