Well, I really wasn’t expecting to go down this particular rabbit hole. But that’s the internet. It started with this me stumbling upon this video:
I love Louis Cole. Along with Jack Stratton and Vulfpeck, and Scary Pockets, and a bunch of other stuff, these young cats are showing that – whilst ‘The Biz’ may now have evolved into an awful zombie monster – music itself remains alive and well.
Some of Louis’ choices don’t overlap with my own tastes that much (although they still intrigue me). But others do. For example the jazz and fusion stuff: Herbie, Billy Cobham, Miles, etc.
Interesting hearing how Cole’s fave stuff on Miles’ Live Evil is the same stuff I love best, namely the two Hermeto Pascoal ballads, ‘Selim’ and ‘Nem Um Talvez’. Hearing them, and hearing Louis talking about his love for them, I can suddenly get how they’ve influenced some of his more ethereal stuff.
Matt Berry was unexpected. I didn’t think the Yanks would know who he was. His tastes and mine overlap in several areas. And it was great to hear him talking about Zappa, and Cluster.
I’d forgotten that Rick Ashley started out as a drummer. Watching him rhapsodise about music he likes is terrific fun. And it was particularly nice to see him talking about Rock (AC/DC) and Prog (Camel and Genesis). Rick, you are a gentleman!
I was very impressed with Keanu and his Dogstar bandmates. They were the perfect mix of enthused and candid/down to Earth. And their selections were great.
Keanu himself has shot up in my estimation, having watched this. Okay, he should’ve known Neil Peart was Rush’s lyricist. But his open-minded broad-ranging appetite, not just for music, but music-related stuff (his comedy choices were fascinating!) is wonderful.
He mentioned several things, about shopping in a record store which I totally connected to: nostalgia, and connecting with the past; exploration, finding something new; and just plain enthusiastic fun.
*‘Aren’t there things you’ve heard about, but never really experienced?’
I was a little worried Lars might let the team down. But he didn’t.
Having watched all of the above, I have a bunch of stuff I feel I ought to get, from Big Star’s No 1 Record, to Def Leppard and The Cure!