why do some bands get overlooked in their own country but much vaunted overseas?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Well?

Tom complained about the original question abt bands being overlooked being insufficiently specific and I agree.

There are so many examples of bands gaining more attention abroad than in their own country. About the only times the British media mentioned Bush was to say how they were big in the US and hardly anyone knew of their music back home.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 10:08 (twenty-three years ago)

1) Because they're sound is out of fashion at home but still relevant in the abroad places.

2) Because some aspect of them irritates the local cultural norms.

3) Because foreigners have better taste.

― phil jones (interstar), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 10:34 (twenty-three years ago)

how do you explain Radiohead? As I recall Creep was a big hit in the US first and major success in the UK followed on afterwards.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:09 (twenty-three years ago)

Radio head?

Maybe stylistically out of fashion when Creep came out, after that the fashion changed. Or maybe Radiohead did. Probably a bit of both.

People in the UK started realizing that Radiohead were more unusual / alternative than previously thought ... meanwhile the grunge fashion was waning.

BTW did I mention my theory (though probably others have had it too) that Radiohead are the new Pink Floyd?

― phil jones (interstar), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Do you mean 'overlooked by country' or 'overlooked by country's press'?

― dave q, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:25 (twenty-three years ago)

David Hasselhoff to thread.

Running across a beach in slow motion whilst desperately trying to hold his stomach in preferably.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:27 (twenty-three years ago)

In the case of the Cannanes and the Cat's Miaow, admittedly their success abroad was hardly huge, but in their home country their sales accounted for less than 10% of the total. This only recently changed for the Cannanes, 20-odd years into their career.

Heaven knows why. Indiepop just doesn't sell here.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Fun Lovin' Criminals are a good example of this, aren't they? They're a pretty minor act over in the States, but they're a top 20 act with a permanent spot on daytime radio over here. I think it's got a lot to do with selling the culture of your own country overseas, something you can't really do in yr homeland.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 11:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Dom hit the nail on the head. See also: The Str*kes.

― kate, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 12:31 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it's got a lot to do with selling the culture of your own country overseas, something you can't really do in yr homeland.

But Bush aren't very typical of British culture, are they?

― man, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 12:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Ron Sexsmith is another artist who, from what I understand, plays to large audiences in Britain, but whenever I've seen him in Canada (where he's from), it's in small clubs. He has commented on this in interviews as well.

― Jonathan, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 13:19 (twenty-three years ago)

But Bush aren't very typical of British culture, are they?

No, Bush are different - they saw grunge and its watery successor, plain ole angstyrock, going down extremely well in the US and decided to take some coals to Newcastle, selling America what she had sold the UK in the first place, having nicked it from the UK anyway, even though the UK nicked it off America in the mid '70s...god, it's confusing isn't it?

Lest we forget, Gavin Rossdale was a preening makeup-wearing New Romantic back in the day - Grunge can't have been his gameplan while hanging out with George & Leigh in Covent Garden.

― Charlie (Charlie), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

ps. the English press looked at Bush and laughed at their uncomplicated and fairly blatant appropriation of classic Grunge touchstones - gravelly vocals, cod-Pixies dynamics, adolescent-pleasing angst lyrics etc - washing their hands of the band by saying "fine, go to America, we don't want you anyway", thus cocking a hefty snook at the septics for buying into such blatantly soiled goods in the first place.

Christ I'm even boring myself now.

― Charlie (Charlie), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

the most obvious examples of American's completely ignoring their own music would have to be House and Techno, although they were big in the Cities they came from, esp Chicago. I've never discovered a complete answer for why this - does anyone have an all encompassing theory on Americans not getting house music?

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it's got a lot to do with selling the culture of your own country overseas, something you can't really do in yr homeland.

How do you explain Britpop, then? Or, for that matter, The Streets?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 14:25 (twenty-three years ago)

3) Because foreigners have better taste.

the grass is always greener or

the ear is always deafer

― Ryan McKay, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 14:50 (twenty-three years ago)

Wang Chung to thread!

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 19:57 (twenty-three years ago)

and Talk Talk in 1984

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 19:58 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently Cutting Crew were huge in the US and unknown in the UK but (even better) they had a Canuck guitarist but had to cancel a Vancouver show for lack of ticket sales!

― dave q, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 20:04 (twenty-three years ago)

BECAUSE FRENCH PEOPLE ARE ARTLESS!

― Greg G, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 20:07 (twenty-three years ago)

Jesus at Nazareth tour-stop to thread!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 20:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Apparently Cutting Crew were huge in the US and unknown in the UK but (even better) they had a Canuck guitarist but had to cancel a Vancouver show for lack of ticket sales!

It's not nice to speak ill of the dead.

― Vic Funk, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 21:52 (twenty-three years ago)

World = USA & UK.

― , Tuesday, 14 January 2003 22:04 (twenty-three years ago)

does anyone have an all encompassing theory on Americans not getting house music?

Lingering "Disco Sucks!" attitudes, laced with homophobia.

― j.lu (j.lu), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 23:18 (twenty-three years ago)

How closely is house even associated with gay sub-culture in the average American music consumer's mind? Or is it a more general association of dance music with being gay?

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 15:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I ask the first question because my impression is that it's not very closely associated.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 15:27 (twenty-three years ago)

XTC = Amazing band with microscopic fanbase in US, and (apparently) an ever smaller one in the UK.
Oasis = Amazing awful band with horrendously huge fanbase in both US and UK, which strangely enough, doesn't get in any airplay in Rwanda.
So my question is this: What does those Rwandas know that we don't?

― Lord Custos Omega (Lord Custos Omega), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 15:31 (twenty-three years ago)

How closely is house even associated with gay sub-culture in the average American music consumer's mind? Or is it a more general association of dance music with being gay?

The average American isn't aware of house music, associates dance music with gay and/or black subcultures, and blocks out that sort of thing with lame-ass suburban country.

― j.lu (j.lu), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 16:31 (twenty-three years ago)

j.lu, But I bet the average American has at least heard house music (on a Sprite commercial, or something).

I'm American, though possibly not average. My first conscious acquaintance with house was through Psychic TV's take on acid house. Initially, I was not aware of the Detroit origin, though I think that during a later PTV show (at the Ritz in NYC, around 1990/91), Derrick May was even on hand to be applauded.

I don't like it very much anyway, but not due to sub-cultural associations one way or another.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 17:19 (twenty-three years ago)

j.lu, But I bet the average American has at least heard house music (on a Sprite commercial, or something).

They might have heard it, but as j.lu implies, they wouldn't specify it as such, and call it mere disco music. Etc.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 17:33 (twenty-three years ago)

'Lingering "Disco Sucks!" attitudes, laced with homophobia'

I think there's also a mistrust of stuff that doesn't appear to be have been created w/ physical endeavour, offends their dues-paying authenticity ethic

― dave q, Thursday, 16 January 2003 11:16 (twenty-three years ago)

I wouldn't mind someone making disco robot music if they used a Speak and Spell instead of a drum machine.

― Lord Custos Omega (Lord Custos Omega), Thursday, 16 January 2003 14:44 (twenty-three years ago)

6955 use a gameboy, is that close?

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Thursday, 16 January 2003 22:36 (twenty-three years ago)

Frank Zappa and the Velvet Underground.

― Vaclav Havel (llamasfur), Friday, 17 January 2003 02:19 (twenty-three years ago)

US meta-indie guy: "I quite like the Dead C."
NZ meta-indie guy: "Oh don't be stupid."

or,

NZ semi-indie guy: "Jeff Buckley."
US semi-indie guy: "No, seriously, who's the greatest singer of the last ten years?"

and other emo/PoMo paradigms.

― B.Rad (Brad), Friday, 17 January 2003 03:01 (twenty-three years ago)

You have no idea how right that Jeff Buckley statement is.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 17 January 2003 03:34 (twenty-three years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.