What's more important? Music or image?

[MuddyJohnson]

I've been reading a lot of posts from people complaining about band members who don't dress right, smoke or drink onstage, or just don't portray the "right image". Unless you play at the local Holiday Inn or have a specific type of stage show, who gives a {censored}? If a band has top notch musicians who come out and play their asses off, does it really matter what they look like? If you're getting paid to play music, you are obligated to show a certain amount of "professionalism" by putting on a good show and not doing things like getting {censored} faced drunk or pissing off the audience or promoters & club owners. It's only my opinion and experience, but a band's best "image" is how well they play music and their ability to make a connection with the audience.

 

Here's an example that some of you can relate to. Back in the '80s, I was in a band that played the local hard rock/metal circuit. Most of the bands wore spandex, had big hair, played with big name amps & guitars, and had PA systems & light shows that were overkill for most clubs. We had a small but adequate PA that we ran from the stage, had lights we made out of coffee cans, and usually came to gigs in our work clothes. We rocked hard and made more money because we didn't have to pay a sound & light guy, and didn't spend a ton of money on the latest gear. I still know some of those guys and they cringe when I show them pictures in their spandex and makeup.

 

I have played in bands with a truckload of big PA & lights along with a crew to run them, but we still never cared about any stage image except to rock out and play hard. I was once hired to play with a country band for several months and I was usually the only person in the club who wasn't wearing cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and a belt buckle the size of a hubcap.(I did play a Telecaster, which is kind of country)

 

My point here is that popular music is becoming more about the performer than the music, and each generation of musicians are becoming less proficient on their instruments and more narrow in their knowledge of different styles. By popular music, I mean the music which gets mainstream airplay and exposure. There was a time (not so long ago) that DJs actually got to play songs they wanted to. With big media companies now owning all the radio stations, playlists are now pre-determined as to who and what gets heard.

 

Thankfully, there are now outlets like the internet, indie labels, and affordable equipment capable of making fairly high quality recordings for musicians who are creative and innovative. The negative side is that every American Idol reject has the same resources. In fact, that moronic piece of TV {censored} is proof that glorified karaoke singers can be turned into stars overnight and sold as a product by creating an image, which leads us back to the original topic......

 

What's more important? Music or image?

[MartinC]

Depends. If your in it for the fame and money, image is. Otherwise, no contest.

 

But I disagree about AI. Many of the top singers on that show are 10 times better than the average club singer-in fact they are better than many stars. Did you see the episode with J. Lo? The contestants made her look like an amateur vocalist. Same with Gwen Stephanie. But J. Lo. is a very good actress IMO and she's super hot looking. Gwen S. is incredibly savvy. They both have great images. And huge bank accounts. Their music? Completely forgetable.

[Funkwire]

A bandleader I worked for years ago had great advice for me: "I don't really care what you wear, but you have to be dressed a little better than the average person in the bar." It's a good rule of thumb and I've followed it ever since.

 

The most important thing is the image you create with your music. How's THAT for a non-answer?

[Chicken Monkey]

It's possible that the OP actually looks good in what he chooses to wear. I'm going to say this one falls into the "You'll know it when you see it" category. Some people have to put a lot of effort into not looking like a sex offender.

[BATCAT]

 

What's more important? Music or image?

 

 

Rock music is image.

[Janx]

If they can see you, what you look like matters. If they can't see you, it doesn't.

 

Humans are visual creatures. What we see forms our impression more than anything else.

 

The people who usually complain about that are usually the ugly people, because it's not fair, and it has nothing to do with the quality of the product.

 

You can't show up for your symphony gig in the same clothes you just mowed the lawn in. You need a tux or formal wear, because that's the uniform.

 

Even in rock, you gotta conform, and wear what rockstars wear.

 

If you can't make it look good, you will not be rated as highly, despite your musical skills.

[callous]

One word: KISS

[Lee Knight]

I think we all agree music is more important.

 

But I have issue with guys not admitting the importance of the visual. Think Jazz. It's all about the music, right? Tell Miles as he dons those early cool Ray Bans and sports a skinny black tie. Or Dizzy with his beret and cigs. Or Monk with his hats. Mingus and his pipe.

 

Classical music? No image there, all music. Naw, plenty of image. The conductor Toscanini with his shock of hair and his Dali mustache. Glenn Gould with his frail bookworm look leaning into the keys with a maniacal glare.

 

That image was real and that's what makes it so great.

 

So guys talking about how it doesn't matter what you look like are just pretending. They're cultivating a look that says "I don't care what I look like." Except they're doing a {censored}ty job of it cause they're still pretending they don't care... which results in... nothing. The nothing look. The haircut that should nevr see a stage. The white tennis shoes that should be burned. The pre faded irony t shirt from Target. You don't care all right.

 

Grab it and have fun with it. Even the music will get better because of it.

[austikins]

i think they both play a role in the industry. im sure your referring to my thread about my drummer dressing kind of shabby, and ive decided to drop it for now unless we play nicer gigs, and not just bars and coffee shops. if i were to put a percentage on music/image, i would say music should something like 85% of your focus, and image 15%. i know that the quality of your music is more important that you image b a long shot, but your image does effect your career. just my opinion.

[ForgetMeNacht]

I play in a gothic black metal band which is a genre where image does play a factor in making a good impression. Yet we don't go all out with the infamous corpse paint and swords in the forest like Immortal but we do suit up and have some make up to add to the music but not where people would be making more criticism of our photo's than our music.

[toddkuen]

I disagree with most of the previous posts. Its about music.

 

Our audience is mostly 40+ red neck/biker/working joes at working class bars, weddings, and parties.

 

There's nothing fake about us - we're old, we don't look pretty, we drink and smoke - we don't pretend to be other than exactly what we are.

 

When we play a song like "Good Hearted Woman" or "Down by the River" or about some cheating woman the audience goes nuts because the song speaks directly to them about something in their life: relationships, their past, their family, etc. We're pretty good musicians and we are able to put part of ourselves (for the same reason) into each song in some way to make the song part of us as well.

 

I guess we'd rather be real than fake - so when fake finishes taking over the world we'll probably just sit home.

[Kerry67]

I think image is VERY important. Especially in the 80's and 90's when I was doing the Hair Metal gig (see avatar). Lets say you have two bands. They sound exactally the same except one band puts on a wild show and a has an outrageous image. Who would you rather see ?

 

Sometimes, you SEE a band before you hear them.

 

I have always liked image based bands.

[BATCAT]

I disagree with most of the previous posts. Its about music.

 

But rock music is inextricably linked to image. If you think about the artists who have really mattered, most were selling personality and style as much as chords and melodies- look at Johnny Cash, Elvis, the Beatles, The New York Dolls, T Rex, The Ramones...

 

Even if you think your band is "just about the music", chances are you're either covering songs written by bands who did have a memorable image, or you're writing music influenced by the same. You're still selling the image- the music is steeped in it. Of course the music itself is important- it's a vital part of the whole package.

 

But it's undeniable that rock music has always been as much a cultural phenomenon as a musical one.

 

Without style, you have no rock.

[Chicken Monkey]

I think that a lot of folks here are missing an important point--image doesn't need to be fake. Everyone should have a problem with someone pretending to be something they're not, and an audience can usually sniff those out from the parking lot. I still change out of my lawn mowing shoes before I go on. Ideally, I also try to coordinate with my band mates. It's embarrassing to go on with two of you dressed picnic casual and the other dressed like a ship captain.

[Tele-vania65000]

It's usually fat and/or old dudes that try to cop this "it's all about the music" nonsense.

 

People hear with their eyes.

 

It doesn't matter if that is right or wrong, it's true.

[strathound]

I disagree with most of the previous posts. Its about music. Our audience is mostly 40+ red neck/biker/working joes at working class bars, weddings, and parties. There's nothing fake about us - we're old, we don't look pretty, we drink and smoke - we don't pretend to be other than exactly what we are. When we play a song like "Good Hearted Woman" or "Down by the River" or about some cheating woman the audience goes nuts because the song speaks directly to them about something in their life: relationships, their past, their family, etc. We're pretty good musicians and we are able to put part of ourselves (for the same reason) into each song in some way to make the song part of us as well. I guess we'd rather be real than fake - so when fake finishes taking over the world we'll probably just sit home.

 

So caring about image is being fake?

 

1.) Everyone has an image. Your's is the working class Joe that doesn't care about image and just wants to be real. That's your image. Your image will appeal to like minded people.

 

2.) All we're saying on this forum is if you want to reach more people, image is important. If you don't care about that, do what you want.

[axepilot]

 

It's usually fat and/or old dudes that try to cop this "it's all about the music" nonsense.

 

 

Oh, but I've seen my share of fat and/or older dudes that can bring it and pack a house every night playing rock.

 

It's not so much the "strike a pose, do the vogue" visual that counts. A good deal of it has to do with how you carry yourself onstage. You need to project a cock sure attitude and back it up with some cock sure playing.

 

It all hugely depends on where you want to go. Want to "make it" and be a rock star? Then image better be first and foremost on your mind.

 

Want to just play clubs and bars? Then image isn't so much of a big deal - as long as the music is right and tight and the band is drawing the crowd in.

[caveman]

If you want to be a top band then image matters.

[toddkuen]

You're right - I'm an old dude (but not too fat).

 

I play music because I like to play music. My music is not based on my image - though I suppose the music I play creates an image of me for those who listen.

 

Take away my music - I'd be sitting the same bar drinking and/or listening to some other band.

 

Take away my image - I'm still playing music.

 

My focus is music - to me focusing on image usually just ends up wasting my time.

[Zon5string]

 

Depends. If your in it for the fame and money, image is. Otherwise, no contest.

 

 

I'll take that just a little further...

 

If you're a business-oriented: image.

If you have artistic (read "musical") integrity: the music.

[BATCAT]

 

I'll take that just a little further... If you're a business-oriented: image. If you have artistic (read "musical") integrity: the music.

 

 

I disagree. Many bands make as much of a statement with their style as with their songs. What makes that aspect have less "integrity" than the musical aspect?

 

The images conveyed by artists like Stones, Bowie, and the New York Dolls have enriched rock nearly as much as their music.

[Chicken Monkey]

I think we're confusing "having an image" with "dressing like an asshole" here. Whether you like it or not, the way you dress is a part of your image. You don't get to choose to not have an image, unless you never represent yourself visually. Those of you who think you're choosing to not have an image are really choosing to project "I am incapable of dressing myself and just finished changing my oil" or "I play rock music because doing data entry all day frustrates me sexually".

[BATCAT]

 

Whether you like it or not, the way you dress is a part of your image. You don't get to choose to not have an image, unless you never represent yourself visually.

 

 

Exactly.

 

When you perform, the way you sound, act, and dress, all are part of the overall impression you convey. "Not having an image" is definitely an image... and actually some bands pull it off pretty well. (see: Pavement, New Order for starters)

[Gorgon90]

In my experience, in our current society it is image. As a cover band guitarist, I can safely say that of two bands of equal musical ability, the one putting on a show (of which image is a part) is the one that gets rebooked on a regular gig.

 

This is also true of original/popular acts in that our media has indoctrinated us that way in that image is so important. We will automatically feel more affinity with the prettier/more acceptable image in the case of equal talent.

[axepilot]

 

Exactly. When you perform, the way you sound, act, and dress, all are part of the overall impression you convey. "Not having an image" is definitely an image... and actually some bands pull it off pretty well. (see: Pavement, New Order for starters)

 

 

 

You have to dress the part - even in small bars. You can't go up on stage looking like you just fell off the turnip truck..........................just dress decent and a cut or two above the crowd. You don't need face paint and Godzilla boots..................................make sure your image matches the act.