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The Afterword #72 : Does music matter?

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Twang, Ganglesprocket, Feedback File, TR Magic Words and Tiggerlion assemble in the pod, adopt “The Thinker” posture and get deep and philosophical on the weighty topic of whether music matters? Did it ever? Has the age of music being central to everything gone? Was John Miles right? Listen and find out.



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  3. It was a good listen, particularly for the erudite monologue from Tiggerlion. Thanks to you all for making it happen.

    No music from Macclesfield, though? My first thought was, of course, the Macc Lads, but it turns out Ian Curtis, Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, as well as John Mayall were all born there. Not a bad crop, really.

  5. Turned out alright then. As ever I sounded like was talking from under a blanket in the toilet. Well done Twang for hosting and producing the final output. Also sorry (tee hee) that we gave you such a hard time over the sampling debate !

      • I’m glad you did, it’s an important aspect of what you were discussing.
        I’ve got every respect for properly skilled musicians, but listening to what Tigs was saying I think using technology and sampling means more people can be creative and join the fun even if they can’t play a traditional instrument.

        I can see Twang’s viewpoint which I think is about the fact that sampling isn’t the same as the craft and musicianship that requires years of practice and learning, even just to copy old Blues standards. I can just about busk it on bass guitar and rudimentary two finger keyboards but I want to make tracks – so I use sampling and computers. I’ve got a “band” with a mate who isn’t a musician but is a DJ and diehard crate-digger (which brings ideas that a musician might not have)- so between us we try and create music with his ideas and samples and I add bits of rudimentary keyboard and beats and we try and create something new. We try to avoid relying too much on samples – they’re often the jumping off point for something else and taken out their original context. We have a ton of fun doing it and if anyone spots the samples I’ll be impressed and happy to share the 10p royalties from Spotify.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdVdzAQpoQc

        • Thanks Doc. It was my inept attempt to not make it all about guitars and I’m glad I slipped Gangle a fiver beforehand to hold me up on it now 😀
          On reflection I think I was wrong actually, clearly it’s a creative thing though not the same, as you say, as achieving your creative goal via a guitar or mandolin or whatever.
          Nice track btw!

        • Well, I spotted “Family” by Hubert Laws off of the great 80’s jazz-funk comp “Bitter Suite”, but nowt else (part of the main hook is a tiny bit like “Tears” by Satoshi Tomie, but it’s not it).

          Good track though – liked it a lot.

  6. Well that was fun. And wasn’t Tigger the lion? A voice for voxpop if ever, a cross between Prof Brian Cox and Neil Tennant. And a what contrast with Gangle’s Peter Mullan on full sinister crossed with the sparkle of Frankie Boyle. Lovely stuff.

  7. Just finished listening. Thoroughly entertaining chaps. Music like all artistic expression is fundamental to life and happiness. Without wishing to sound like a cheap slogan earth without art is just eh.

    • Well said. This is another reason to dislike the Trumps, the Farages the Johnsons & the Tommy Robinsons of this world (along with the racism, hatred, stupidity and a million other things) it seems that there is no Art and Music in their lives. There is none of the joy that it brings in their personalities or what they say or do.

      Sorry about the politics!

      • @ip33 – you may have something there. You can be absolutely at the top of your game as a politician but that can be all-encompassing – and then when someone starts to talk to you about something else, there can be an uncomfortable silence while they desperately try to think of one pop song or one book or one painting.

        David Cameron can’t talk easily about The Smiths, Gordon Brown doesn’t have a clue about the Arctic Monkeys but they both felt pressure to say something – probably with help of advisers. If Cameron’s eyes light up and he talks fondly for a couple of minutes about Hatful of Hollow then fair enough – but they won’t because he can’t.

      • Not sure it’s a right wing thing. I very much doubt Corbyn, McDonnell, Owen Jones or Seamus Milne have much love for music or art. Dour, grey faced hateful people.

        • I thought they all love Billy Bragg and Rober Wyatt. And Corbyn is besotted with ‘World’ music, isn’t he? 😳

          Didn’t The Tories have a boys weekend at the Wagnerfest recently?

        • The FT describes Seamus Milne as ‘a massive Beatles fan & keen guitar player’ & he’s a Liverppol FC supporter, Corbyn’ s fave band is The Animals & his fave track is ‘Imagine’ (ugh) – he also knows the difference between Oasis & Blur & is an Arsenal season ticket holder. His fave authors are Flaubert, Maya Angelou, Oscar Wilde & Ben Okri & his fave poet is WB Yates.
          All questionable in terms of taste, but definitely not bland, ‘taste by spin doctor’ or indicative of a ‘tanky’ mindset.
          As for Owen Jones, well he’s a gay bloke from Sheffield, son of a Shop Steward who went to State school, who’s done pretty well for a youngster, so I imagine he’s read a fair bit & not just stalinist propoganda.
          Don’t see much evidence of greyness or dourness there.

        • I know that Corbyn is keen on some classical music – he’s a big Mahler fan for example. George Bush and Barack Obama love their music. Ted Heath obviously did. Michael Gove is definitely Interested in the arts. But it’s certainly hard to imagine Donald Trump having the emotional intelligence to respond to any kind of art whatsoever.

          There s this weird thing in British politics which isn’t replicated in Europe whereby any politician acknowledging a love of any kind of ‘high’ art is ridiculed in the press. Cameron’s cabinet was effectively banned from being seen at the Opera, and I suspect Blair’s was as well. It’s pathetic and I wish more politicians did more to be seen to enjoy whatever music and art they damn well please.

        • So what do we know about the musical and other cultural tastes of Vince Cable, Nick Clegg, Tim Farron, Ed Davey etc.?
          And does any of it really matter, when it comes to what our politicos and their parties stand for in their policies on more pressing things?

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