I usually lean more on Rollins side with this argument, though not that it applies to all DJ's. I've met some DJ's who were able to create something truly mindblowing and can say that the muisc is THEIRS; those are musicians. But many DJ's just slap together a bunch of popular songs to cater to the crowd, and they get a good response, but are ultimately empty. A lot of DJ's nowadays don't even use vinyl and turntables anymore, which is a damn shame... To illustrate the point on what isn't a musician : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK4jyOII67U
great thread i have seen tons of terrible dj's who just put a cd in cdj or worst is the digital dj who have pre recorded and edited some of there sets and cuts and paste live PA is cool though (ableton is such a fun program to use) though iihave seen z-trip and was a really great show complety crowd pleasing mixing hip hop into classic rock have never seen shadow though he is on my the top of my list would love to see him spin and all 45 set (wich i think the hard sell tour was) i mean to put the time into digging and puting a set like those together and spinning just the break of records(i mean that is how it got started) if you havnt see dj shadow- in tune and on time where he use 2 table 2 cdjs 2 efx processors and an mpc and recreates his tracks live craze and all those turntablist i feel the same way about they put in alot of effort i mean look at the x-ecutioner they have 3 of them and have to practice that routine for month ala a band "vinyl for life whether its toys of records" giorgio mordor does rock BD
Ever seen a $50 million dollar record collection? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j7F_4S2lgM (same tired story with all the NYC shops too, fucking ipods, pod people.
You've got that right. Pre-Rollins was dynamic, exciting, and concise, everything the Rollins era lacked.
I have a folder on my computer called "My Music" and anyone that's in there aside from comedians, spoken word performers, or audiobook narrators are "musicians" to me. I figure if you pay your bills with recorded music you get the title. It's pretty simple to me. I can see someone else's point of view too. I've heard a similar version of this argument called "are chiropractors really medical doctors?" The only ones that seem to be really irked by this are doctors that have busted their humps through medical school. I think the same goes for traditional musicians who feel like they have to call out DJs. Despite my disagreement with some of Henry's opinions, I love his spoken word shows. Never been crazy about his singing. The Rise Above benefit album he put out is pretty fun though. Various vocalists like Tom Araya, Mike Patton, and Iggy Pop lending their takes on Rollins-era Black Flag joints. I will also +1 the props for Shadow, Krush, Z-trip, and Cut Chemist. I've had as much fun at their shows as I've had at punk shows. Here's another favorite of mine. This is a routine called Drunk Trumpet from Kid Koala. I've seen him do this song at least five times over the years and he always adds a little improv to make it interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbFIGFv4GLQ
Wow this thread took a spin. Great times seeing Cut Chemist, Koala, Krush and others at the Troubedor here in LA back in the mid 90's but I wouldnt say you have to be a turntabalist to be a good dj. Thats like saying only a jazz musician is worth his salt and punks sucked because they only knew three chords. Damn did I love those three chords though. As long as a dj makes good choices in what he plays all night I am happy. Like Digweed. Knowing how to blend harmonies and beats along with reading your audience is whats important.
Medical Doctors practice medicine based on science. Chiropractors do not. MD is not a title you give yourself, it is an accreditation earned for knowledge of medical science. It carries legal credibility and responsibility. DJ and musician are subjective titles not Medical Doctor. Now you can call yourself a doctor. Like Doctor Teeth, Doctor Who, or Doctor Henry Rollins but not Medical Doctor (or at least not legally).
I saw oncl' Hank stand-up shows a couple times. He was funny and did'nt come of as a douche. On the other hand, I never liked Black Flag (early covers artwork were great but I mean, come on, stop the wanky melodies and play faster dudes..) and even less Rollins Band. That said, screaming your lungs off enter the musican categorie for me. Growling has been studied and apparented to a kind of chant link to what Tibetan monks do!
Totally disagree with most calling out Rollins. For starters, you know what he meant regarding DJ's and I am sure it was not as general of a statement as it is being made out to be. Everyone here can agree that a dude with records is not a musician, just as I am sure Rollins would agree that a great DJ can be a musician. He IS a DJ for gods sake. He has a fantastic radio show every Saturday on KCRW, and while that doesn't make him a musician (but I do think the whole "being a singer for 30 years" thing does), it proves he has a better record collection and a more open mind than most of us And Black Flag changing in their later years was all Ginn wanting to be in the Grateful Dead, not anything Rollins was doing. Anyone who saw them can attest that he was an incredible frontman and as much as I liked all of the prior singers, trying to compare Keith Morris, for example, and Henry is like apples and oranges. One was funny and bitingly sarcastic. One was absolutely terrifying. Both were great. Henry Rollins worked hard, before and after Black Flag, to help create the alternative non-corporate music scene that exists in this country. And he worked harder than most. Anyone into punk or hardcore that doesn't appreciate the guy is ungrateful and should be sentenced to 10 years of hard listening to your local soulless modern pop station. And his post Flag career? He is bright, funny and very well politically versed and we could do worse as far as talking heads go. I'd rather have more Henry Rollins on TV than Ann Coulter. And as I said before, his show on KCRW is fantastic. The IFC show was good as well, no other US talk show has had that quality and diversity of guests since the 70's or early 80's tops, with the exception of Charlie Rose, which is quite a different show. If we're going to talk trash on old members of Black Flag, how about Dez Cadenza who is now in that abortion they call The Misfits. Maybe they can do another terrible doo wop record.
