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Why Do Performers Wear Black


DennisMiller

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The best band I've seen in the past coupla years

wore all matching outfits ..... boots, camo, and

berets. They were from the Army, the Aberdeen

Proving Grounds .... and if your band is half that

good, it's prolly another military band !

 

 

 

 

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The best band I've seen in the past coupla years wore all matching outfits ..... boots, camo, and berets. They were from the Army, the Aberdeen

Proving Grounds .... and if your band is half that good, it's prolly another military band !

The military bands are good. There used to be a pretty big air show at the field near our house and while there one time, the Navy had a 5-6 piece rock band on the back of a trailer. They were more professional than some of the big name bands whose songs they covered.

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Devo huh? I was kind of thinking about containing my poll of players wearing black to those from planet Earth.

 

I actually used to like Devo. Their music was more novelty than anything, but there were obvious exhibitions of enormous talent there. I always wondered how well received they might be if they played it straight.

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I've worn black and other colors. Never thought about it much except, as has been written, it gives you "shape" but not an emphasis on some of the physical appearance.

 

At least,if you're male. <grin> (See avatar.)

 

I have a vid of a lady singer/guitar player I like to listen to who's wearing a black dress and it's a different sort of look from anything I'd wear. <chortle>

 

Seriously, I think it puts emphasis on the face and an instrument.

 

I keep teasing that some day I'd like to put on a black tshirt with a pack of Luckies rolled up in one sleeve, tight black jeans (I can still get away with both in spite of a creasy face), the Guild SG clone and that big mamma-jamma tube amp that usually never leaves home, put it up to the max and play Link Wray's "Rumble." Actually I'm not really kidding, but I don't see such an opportunity. @#$%#$%@

 

m

 

You most certainly should, old boy. Playing that sacred, primal song so loudly that your leg hairs get blown down flat THROUGH your vibrating jeans does wonders for the spiritual well-being. Remote wildlife within a 2-mile radius of that big mamma-jamma tube amp as well. Earplugs recommended. It's enough to feel the big E5 resonate your chest cavity.

 

Enjoy today... we die tomorrow. Heard that on The Thin Man last night, what the hell I'll steal it.

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Brun...

 

Dambetcha...

 

Yeah, I know I'm the one always harping about using a PA, ensuring decent eq across whatever is being played and getting away from the much worse overall sound of the era I played in rock bands.

 

But... It's been a long time. It'd be fun for a bit of return to those thrilling days of yesteryear... with a hearty heigh-yo Silver and a blast from two 12-inch speakers at 120 tube watts just behind my pantslegs, too much reverb and hitting the button for trem as things proceed...

 

<chortle> And what are earplugs? Never useta use 'em when I was playing that stuff. <LOL>

 

Hmmmm. On the other hand, come to think of it, ain't seen Luckies in ages, either. Alas... Perhaps in a sense it's the feeling of Kipling's Chant Pagan converted to that of music:

 

"Me that 'ave followed my trade ... In the place where the Lightnin's are made..."

 

Ah, well... Retro-think strikes again.

 

m

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Dennis...

 

Yeah... I remember gigs where even after a cupla hours driving home, I still couldn't hear the water running when I'd take a shower before beddie bye.

 

But I'm not sure how much to blame that or various firearms ranging from .22 rimfires up to 155 mm howitzers, or some pretty loud engines, or...

 

That stuff all can put a callus onto one's hearing apparatus at best...

 

Too soon oldt; too late schmardt.

 

m

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Why does practically every star performer in a band wear black? I've watched a lot of concerts on television and in person in recent months and there were times I could barely find the star on stage.

 

What's up with that?

 

If I was a musical star, (presumably with the ego to match), I would wear road worker orange so nobody would mistake me for the lighting tech.

 

I agree. Bring back the Nudie suit! That was when you knew who the star was. :blink:

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I agree. Bring back the Nudie suit! That was when you knew who the star was. :blink:

I learned about Nudie suits at a very early age. My father had car lots in Louisville, Kentucky and he advertised primarily on country radio, WTMT AM...

 

When the country stars would come to town on what was then known as the Phillip Morris Tour, he was always given VIP passes by the radio station and we got pictures taken backstage with all the stars. Dad hung the pictures in the contract rooms at the car lot and it was amazing how often I heard people say, "I want to shake the hand of the man who shook hands with Johnny Cash." Insert your favorite star, Conway Twitty, Minnie Pearl, whomever. Unfortunately, while I lived in Jamaica during the 70's, those pictures were stored in my uncle's basement and a broken water heater flooded the whole place and ruined all of them.

 

Honestly, even though I could see myself in the pictures I don't remember much of it, other than thinking my father's friends had really ugly clothes. I was about 5 years old at the time and and was apparently capable of a very astute satorial observation.

 

About the only star I remember much of was Pee Wee King. (real name Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski)... He and my Dad went into some business together, primarily dry cleaners and laundries in Louisville. They remained friends until my Dad died in 1966 and PeeWee was a pallbearer. When Pee Wee died in 1999, I was a pallbearer at his funeral.

 

If you aren't familiar with Pee Wee King, he co-wrote Tennessee Waltz. I guess knowing him was my 15 minutes of fame. Hasn't been much since then...

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Brun...

 

Dambetcha...

 

Yeah, I know I'm the one always harping about using a PA, ensuring decent eq across whatever is being played and getting away from the much worse overall sound of the era I played in rock bands.

 

But... It's been a long time. It'd be fun for a bit of return to those thrilling days of yesteryear... with a hearty heigh-yo Silver and a blast from two 12-inch speakers at 120 tube watts just behind my pantslegs, too much reverb and hitting the button for trem as things proceed...

 

<chortle> And what are earplugs? Never useta use 'em when I was playing that stuff. <LOL>

 

Hmmmm. On the other hand, come to think of it, ain't seen Luckies in ages, either. Alas... Perhaps in a sense it's the feeling of Kipling's Chant Pagan converted to that of music:

 

"Me that 'ave followed my trade ... In the place where the Lightnin's are made..."

 

Ah, well... Retro-think strikes again.

 

m

 

 

Trust me, they sell Luckys. I do the earplugs, me. A few too many nights without and my ears ring me to sleep every night... probably for the rest of my days.

 

And trust me, you should go for it...

 

D, D, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

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Too soon oldt; too late schmardt.

m

 

Wow! DEVO and tinnitus in the same thread! I honestly think that my tinnitus is due to sticking my head right in front of a PA speaker at a DEVO concert around '78 just to prove I could do it. "Y'all watch this!"

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Nobody thought about ear plugs when I was doing Rock and loud saloon country.

 

Darn it. And we were loud as we could be, pretty much. Still, even that didn't hurt as much as a 155 SP going off while I was maybe 15 feet in direct line with the muzzle brake. <grin>

 

I guess I take playing Rumble that way as just a dream. I'm a lot more likely to do little solo gigs, I think. Who knows, though.

 

Still make Luckies? Sheesh. Who'd know. Don't smoke regular ciggies any more. They burn too fast. Little cigars... cigarette size... It ain't real blues anyway unless it's in a smoky saloon and half the time half the band has a smoke goin'. I know... now I'll catch whatever... It still ain't, though. The mentality has changed...

 

m

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