Good music is like a drug. Or, at least it always makes me want more. When it peaks its inebriation, you want to start a fight, steal someone’s girl and slam another drink. You want to rage your own way into infamy with a bad-ass soundtrack. Good music does this, but good music will not be found tonight at the McDonald Theatre, when the Dandy Warhols come into town.
You see, this alternative rock band from Portland is actually a pop group from Europe, the only place they have enjoyed success. Lead singer Courtney Taylor claims “I sneeze and hits come out.” And true enough, he has written at least one hit. Take for example “Bohemian Like You,” a song made wildly popular by the cellular phone company Vodafone in its commercial. It talks about eating vegan food or something like that, I don’t really remember. My cell phone is T-mobile.
Strangely enough, the Dandy Warhols’ career has paralleled a good band called The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The two started as fans of each other’s early work and collaborated, pushing their creative styles. But, the Jonestown boys simply are on a plateau far beyond anything the Dandys will reach. Look at their names: one choosing to play off pop icon Andy Warhol, the other combing its name with original Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and the notorious mass-cult suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. We could leave it at that, but let’s not.
The Dandys produced an early hit titled “Not if you were the last junky on earth,” which claims “heroine is so passé.” At this time, BJM was actually doing the drugs the Dandys were singing about, yet they were also creating ripping rock songs. I’m not saying that heroine should be considered an illicit creative injection, but it worked for them like Jimi. In response, BJM hammered out “Give it back!,” an album which they responded to the Dandys with “Not if you were the last Dandy on earth.” Comparing the two songs is like caffeine to cocaine. The latter is just heavier.
Deep rifts and wild energy power through the Jonestown albums, while the lyrics of BJM frontman Anton Newcombie resound classic hits. He puts the tattered band within the talents of Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. Yet I’m sure many of you are still wondering who the hell is the Brian Jonestown Massacre? Why haven’t I heard of them?
While heroine is not quite passé, it is incredibly destructive. The Jonestown boys have always been riddled with drug addiction and drama. Incredibly, the band has always been able to produce fantastic albums, topping nearly a dozen albums thus far. But beyond music, they really aren’t fit for society. Most of the performances seem to end in a fist fight between the members, and two-dozen musicians have joined and then left the band.
Genius, however, is often marred by mental illness. Most well-adjusted people don’t create amazing music; they drive Volvos. Most talented artists aren’t smart; they’re genius. BJM will never gain money or fame, but they have already cemented infamy.
I don’t mean to hate on the Dandy Warhols so much. The band has its own style and makes music, just not good music. If one is trying to find a sound that dances in the blood and courses through your soul, go down to the House of Records and pick up any BJM record. Buy the documentary “DiG!” that profiles the two bands. Listen to any cut you can find from BJM. Or perhaps, if you do make it to the show tonight, you could request, “Not if you were the last Dandy on earth.”
That’s good music.
[email protected]