Have to agree with Bowie...
At GenCon, watching American TV in the hotel room (that's funny, 'cause 95% of the TV we have in Canada originates in the US, but this was a show we don't get often!), I saw Carson Daly interviewing David Bowie.
Bowie was asked about American radio, and he said (paraphrased):
His favourite American band was the Pixies. The problem with American radio was that they never played them, and the band broke up and went away. Here is band that inspired so many others - including large movements in music by the likes of Nirvana - and they never had success on American radio. This was a band that everyone in the music industry knew, and most of the bands that would become prominent "alternative" artists were fans of, but they never got the support from radio that they deserved.
And now it's happening again. (According to Bowie) the two most important bands in American music today are The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. The Lips have had a small amount of radio play, but nothing compared to what they deserve. And Mercury Rev, despite their albums making it to the "Most Important Record of the Year" for every single release in the UK still haven't found much in the way of success in their homeland. And it would be sad to see these two very important bands, who will shape the music of the future, break up and go away like the Pixies did...
- Anyway, I thought it was kinda cool, 'cause I really like the Pixes. But, more than that, I love LOVE the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev.
So, after all of that pre-amble (can you tell that I don't get to post nearly as much as I'd like and it all comes spilling out in one moment?), here's my current list:
Currently, I'm loving The Strokes. It's fun driving music.
Best of All-Time: Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips, and I have to admit that I'm a huge fan of The Wedding Present.
Grew up with: The Fall, The Cure, Skinny Puppy, Ministry, the entire Industrial scene of the 80s and early 90s, Pavement (the good stuff), etc. etc.
- James
