My First request for a Rant goes something like this

Dear Snobby Bobby,
What is it about bandmembers that take themselves so seriously? I just think sometimes, Are you kidding me?

If you don't know, I was in a band called Stranger Than Fiction. We started in Lubbock Tejas and moved to Dallas when we outgrew Buddy Holly, Mac Davis and G.W. Bailey's (most notably as Rizzo from M*A*S*H) hometown. We went from big fish in a small pond to the reverse. It took a while and we developed a decent following here in Dallas. We've played with bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Morrisey etc.

I wanted you to know the backstory to give myself a little credibility.

Onto the meat of the question, what is it about SOME bandmembers that take themselves so seriously?

In my opinion it depends on the person, but a lot of times it boils down to the genre that the artist is in. Do you think I'm crazy? Think about it, rappers take themselves very seriously, so do a lot of rock bands. You don't see that kind of thing as often in country or less in your face bands/acts.

Then I look at bands like Green Day, Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, Beck, The Ramones and think that these guys are grounded and don't take themselves too seriously. They take the music seriously and I think that's the key. You can be an idiot and still take your music seriously and come out on top. Hell, look at Snopp Dogg. I think his stuff is well produced and sounds great and that can bring a crappy song up through the ranks. You may not even realize it, but it's true. There's a lot of thought that goes into a well mixed/mastered song. EQ is a huge thing.



I was watching a documentary on the making of the "Fly Like An Eagle" album by the Steve Miller Band. I couldn't help but be inspired. Even if you're not a fan of Steve Miller you have to give respect where respect is due. Here is a guy who is so grounded in the music he has no air of ego about him, yet his work has inspired countless musicians.

The snobby part of me does have a huge grudge against rap, I'll admit it. It's not because I hate the music, it's because of the production value. I can't count how many songs I hear on the radio that have poor production value. It irks me.

However, I think in a way it's a good thing. Everybody with a computer and a drum machine now can put something together and call it a song. I say it's good because I think people will EVENTUALLY realize that a good song is a good song for many reasons: the songwriting, the musicians, the production and the mastering. Not because Nelly Furtado has decided to go gangsta.

Think about it, Ashlee Simpson totally blew it on SNL and it was a big deal. I saw it and couldn't believe it. But guess what? 8 months later her new album debuted in Billboards top 5. Britney Spears cannot sing live, if you don't believe me google her for live audio, it's awful. But of course she's succesful when someone like Christina Aguillera (sp?) can sing her ass off acapella and she's less succesful than the trailer trash ho that is Britney Spears. WTF!!??

I digress. I'm Snobby Bobby and now you know how I feel about it.