Last Updated on December 16, 2023
S01 E51
What does it mean to be consistent, as an artist? Careers in rock’n’pop now last decades – 2023, alone, has witnessed new albums by the Rolling Stones and a new single by the Beatles who began playing with themselves back in the ‘60s. Meanwhile, while rap-rock is so old that Rage Against the Machine’s debut was 30 years old last year.
So, this week, we discuss the issue of late blooming in the pop’n’rock world. Our biggest question is, in the face of commercial failure, how can musicians work for so long and still keep putting out bangers? Can anybody use the term “bangers” without looking like a dick?
Thus, join us as we run the gamut from those who start out well, start to suck, and then get good again, and those who start by sucking and then reveal their genius by the fact they didn’t give up.
Remember, we’re celebrating the white-middle-class-and-middle-aged-man-down-the-pub style of accuracy. The twist is, we’re sober.
Talking about late bloomers, Bertie Wooster makes a (probably copywrited infringement of an) appearance As AI in this weeks letters.
Riffs of the week
Dr Sam’s Riff
- Ceremony – Into the Wayside Part 1/Sick (1.50)
Andrew’s Riff
- Pip Blom – Get Back (0:50)
Dr Sam’s track choices
- David Bowie – Girl Loves Me (opening)
- Soulfly – Under Rapture (opening)
- Killing Joke – Money Is Not Our God (1:10)
- Joe Strummer . Mondo Bongo (0.39)
Andrew’s track choices
- David Bowie – Blackstar (6:20) – with the groin-thrusting scarecrows
- Suede – That Boy On Stage (0:45)
- The Jesus And Mary Chain – I Hate Rock ‘N’ Roll (1:25)
- Scott Walker – Farmer in the city (5:10)
Email us – beatmotel@lawsie.com
Limerick from the covers episode
In a podcast where covers are king,
Post-seventies songs take to wing.
With each riff and chorus,
The hosts do implore us,
To hear how old tunes get new zing.
Correspondence
Bonjour Motellers (and not Ruddiger)
Rad episode on covers. Three tracks immediately came to mind
Springing off of the Public Enemy cover Sam chose, Tricky’s track Black Steel (not to be confused with blue steel.)
Dead Kennedys covering themselves on Buzzbomb From Pasadena. Jello Biafra sped up and pitched up and aged up. LAWRENCE WELK CRANKED UP TO TEN!!!
Finally Mitski’s cover of the Bleachers song Let’s Get Married. Original is kinda mid, Mitski is life. Was gonna walk down the aisle to this; it didn’t work out. She liked The Beatles. I didn’t.
On a geek note, are there any ‘remastered’ albums that are notably different enough to be worth listening to?
Something something something,
again,
The Mad Tran of Old Ipswich Town
Dear Dr. Sam and Andrew Culture,
I hope this letter finds you in the pink. I’m Bertie Wooster, recently spirited away from the 1930s to your rather bustling present era. A friend, upon realising my utter bamboozlement with modern times, recommended I listen to your podcast, “Beat Motel,” for a dose of cultural enlightenment. I must say, your episode on post-1970s cover songs was a revelatory experience, buzzing with japes and jollity.
Your banter about bands like Blur and their musical escapades was quite the earful. The notion that a cover song can eclipse the original is a bally good puzzle, but you chaps seem to have a handle on it. The discussion on Robert Wyatt’s warblings struck a chord with me. His voice being described as “vulnerable and innocent” is a sentiment I find rather topping, akin to the dulcet tones of the nightingale.
The discourse on the impact of the pandemic on musicians and the creative responses it elicited was something I found frightfully intriguing. It’s a rummy state of affairs, what with musicians cobbling together performances from the confines of their lodgings. This 2 Minutes to Late Night affair seems like a ripping good show, and the notion of musicians playing covers to keep their spirits up during this period of global discomfort is quite heartening.
I was particularly tickled by your references to podcasts like “Dead to Me” and “The Wolf and Owl.” It’s rather like stumbling upon a trove of hidden gems, what? Your views on music and comedy podcasts being more of a hit with the public are enlightening. I always thought a good chuckle was the way to go, and it seems I’m not alone in this sentiment.
However, I must confess, much of your modern music lingo had me at sixes and sevens. Words like “hardcore,” “funk metal,” and the like left me feeling a bit like a fish out of water. In my time, the hottest thing was the Charleston, and the notion of music causing a ruckus was limited to whether the brass section was in high spirits or not.
In conclusion, I must extend my heartiest congratulations on a programme well executed. Your blend of music lore and light-hearted banter is just the ticket for a chap trying to get the lay of the land in these modern times. If you have any pointers for a 1930s bloke trying to navigate the complexities of your era, I’d be much obliged.
Toodle-pip and keep up the sterling work,
Bertie Wooster
