Members Wenrealityhurts Posted September 11, 2011 Members Share Posted September 11, 2011 Listened to your clips.....i think maybe concentrating on learning how to play in time and learning when NOT to play - would be a better use of your time. Learn your craft first - then you can think about what to wear and how to look. So what are the chances that you actually know how to play guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted September 11, 2011 Moderators Share Posted September 11, 2011 The thing with sunglasses on stage at night is that there is an extremely well defined line between looking cool and looking like a douche. You have to really be self aware enough to know which side of that line you fall. You're either "cool" or high or trying too hard to look like one or the other. Add frat boy spiked hair to that mix and we all know the answer even if you don't! You don't need to be self aware... you need to forget yourself. Insecure guys in sunglasses look like insecure guys in sunglasses. That is just a combover. But if you're having fun with image, WTF? Lederhosen will fit the bill. Assless chaps work as well. Balls. Self confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassred Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 What about people with ridiculous sensitivity to light? This. Lemme tell you a story.. I was on vacation at the beach (Outer Banks of NC, highly recommend it) with my clear glasses on. it was night time and we were taking my nephews to see the little crabs that run around at night. Problem was, I couldn't see them... Everyone else could. There were literally thousands of them, and I couldn't even see the movement (and they were lighter in color than the sand). SO I went to an eye doctor/glasses place (because I wasn't about to spend a vacation at the beach without RX sunglasses, and had not gotten contacts yet) and mentioned my little night-sight issue. The doc said " I see here you have 'musician' marked as your profession {This was back when I was playing full time!!} , do you play with bright stage lights?" and of course i said "Yes"... He advised that I were sunglasses on stage to prevent any further issues with sensitivity due to the bright lights being pointed at my face/eyes. So I have been doing it ever since. I also think that I have a pretty good fashion sense, so the shades I wear compliment my style and don't seem so 'out of place/weird'... plus, I have a doctors note! I think it comes down to 'owning it'.. There are plenty of other ways to make connections with the crowd (hand gestures, talking to them, etc...) so I don't really think it is a barrier for me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lsits Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I was commenting on the look. I've heard from other sources that John Kay can be a real jerk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hegmatronicon Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 So what are the chances that you actually know how to play guitar? Fairly high actually.Dont take what i said as an insult. I didnt mean it that way. Just constructive criticism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wenrealityhurts Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Fairly high actually.Dont take what i said as an insult. I didnt mean it that way. Just constructive criticism. No offense taken at all...I gave your comment the same weight I would give any other music expert on this forum that doesn't show us the goods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thy God Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I was commenting on the look. I've heard from other sources that John Kay can be a real jerk. I know, I was just taking advantage of an excuse to retell amusing facts I heard from when my dad did sound or lights (Can't remember which) for a John Kay show years back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamieb Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I wear them onstage at night sometimes, for a couple of different reasons; With 12MN I have to do about 50% of lead vocals. So, for those songs, I guess I'm a de facto frontman. I have a problem with making eye contact with the crowd. I don't know if it's an insecurity with my vocals (they're not great by any stretch of the imagination), or if I'm just introverted. I also keep onstage, along with my collection of hats, a Spongebob pail full of strange sunglasses that I find at thrift shops, convenience stores, etc... So I wear them at random points during the show. But that's just me... The drummer from Leah's project kind of made it his signature look years ago. He still does it some, but not as much... Just my thoughts... jamieb+++++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members slushpup96 Posted September 18, 2011 Members Share Posted September 18, 2011 Julian Casablancas (the strokes) does it about half of the time nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhino55 Posted September 19, 2011 Members Share Posted September 19, 2011 You don't need to be self aware... you need to forget yourself.Insecure guys in sunglasses look like insecure guys in sunglasses. That is just a combover. But if you're having fun with image, WTF? Lederhosen will fit the bill. Assless chaps work as well. Balls. Self confidence. Exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Invader.CC Posted September 19, 2011 Members Share Posted September 19, 2011 For me it's a honest question- The reason I ask is simply that I used to suffer stagefright like nobody's business. I overcame it, but still have a hard time looking directly at people. I don't worry too much about it simply because I'm not the frontman, but I do most solos now and I've noticed that almost every gig picture taken of me- I'm looking down at my hands. I'm well past the point where I need to do that, but realized that I do it because I'm still stage-shy. I figured maybe wearing shades might help me cope with the looking ppl directly in the eye thing. So far, I've been treating the problem with massive amounts of beer and that seems to work pretty well, lol. This is how i got over stage freight also and it has now become part of my schtick unless i'm playing in a place that i can't see when wearing sunglasses.. Notice my avatar which is a inside the cover of a CD photo.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Invader.CC Posted September 19, 2011 Members Share Posted September 19, 2011 Listened to your clips.....i think maybe concentrating on learning how to play in time and learning when NOT to play - would be a better use of your time. Learn your craft first - then you can think about what to wear and how to look. Ouch ..Man thats harsh..Wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alex_SF Posted September 19, 2011 Members Share Posted September 19, 2011 What about people with ridiculous sensitivity to light? The quote wouldn't have been as pithy or funny if Larry had said, "Blind people, people with ridiculous sensitivity to light, people recovering from eye surgery, people covering up a fresh black eye, people who just went to the optometrist and had their eyes dilated, and assholes." Sorry if anybody else, was left out. Like people suffering from pinkeye, perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tequila_titan Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 Do whatever you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Micky Z Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 I would think it has to do with image, too, and if you can't own (and play into) the image, then don't do it. But if you can - if you know the stereotypical things people would likely think about someone wearing sunglasses indoors - then you've got it nailed. Consistency with the image is part of the show. Here's a related decision I've been contemplating: whether to wear an eye patch. Seriously. First off, I've earned it - an 8-point buck tried to jump over my motorcycle while I was riding it at 65 mph, and we had a face-to-face; left eye is history. If I wore a patch, I'd leave the prosthesis out, leaving, um, nothing (otherwise the prosthesis passes the usual casual glance). But wearing a patch brings up all sorts of stereotypical responses, from pirate to bad cowboy to terrorist and beyond. Being memorable to the audience is good (if it's in a good way), but can I pull it off without looking like a poseur or dweeb? Still mulling that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 55fmj Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 Unless you are playing outside in the sun....... then no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeysBear Posted September 23, 2011 Members Share Posted September 23, 2011 thanks for helping me choose my new avatar pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kanetoads Posted September 26, 2011 Members Share Posted September 26, 2011 No problem what so ever with glasses...now let's hear them play...that's what counts right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 Depends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 Old rockers will wear shades and depends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members FormerlyBassred Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 <BLOCKQUOTE><TABLE border="1"><TBODY><TR><TD>What about people with ridiculous sensitivity to light?</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></BLOCKQUOTE> This. Lemme tell you a story.. I was on vacation at the beach (Outer Banks of NC, highly recommend it) with my clear glasses on. it was night time and we were taking my nephews to see the little crabs that run around at night. Problem was, I couldn't see them... Everyone else could. There were literally thousands of them, and I couldn't even see the movement (and they were lighter in color than the sand). SO I went to an eye doctor/glasses place (because I wasn't about to spend a vacation at the beach without RX sunglasses, and had not gotten contacts yet) and mentioned my little night-sight issue. The doc said " I see here you have 'musician' marked as your profession {This was back when I was playing full time!!} , do you play with bright stage lights?" and of course i said "Yes"... He advised that I were sunglasses on stage to prevent any further issues with sensitivity due to the bright lights being pointed at my face/eyes. So I have been doing it ever since. I also think that I have a pretty good fashion sense, so the shades I wear compliment my style and don't seem so 'out of place/weird'... plus, I have a doctors note! I think it comes down to 'owning it'.. There are plenty of other ways to make connections with the crowd (hand gestures, talking to them, etc...) so I don't really think it is a barrier for me... <IMG src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/s720x720/317604_2360476700674_1513010366_2597476_4383403_n.jpg" /> Yeah, this is my post from before the HC changeover debacle... I'm all for it if you've chosen shades that fit your face/look/personality and don't act like a douche. You can find me in shades most days, even inside at the office. It's how I roll (in a non-douche kind of way) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wesg Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 Geez, Dave, you need to change your name to the Necromancer or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 Geez, Dave, you need to change your name to the Necromancer or something. LOL. Well actually, this thread came up because some guy posted simply "no" before me. He was the one who brought back the thread and I think he was a newbie with a single post. I thought it all very strange, so I replied to his "no" with my "depends". Then he deletes his post and now I'm the one left looking like the douchebag holding the hot potato! I think I was trolled into it! haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 But since we're on the topic.... ....for years our quite-balding bass player went with wearing a hat. I (and others) spent a long time convincing him to simply just shave his head completely and go with that look. We told him it was far more 'rock' and youthful. That told him it was better to own his baldness rather than try to cover it up with a hat, which everyone in the world knows that the old dude with a hat is bald anyway. Hats fool no one. Finally he tries it, he gets tons of compliments from the ladies he knows, and so NOW he agrees it's a good look for him. I told him the look would actually be better on stage if he wore some wrap-around shades to go with it. He agrees, but has a hard time keeping the shades on for the whole gig. He spends too much time flipping them up on his head, which is NOT a good look, IMO. Geez dude...you're just playing BASS. How much do you actually need to be able to see clearly? He's getting better with it though. But, with the shaved head and the white wrap arounds, I think he looks more rock and probably at least 10 years younger than he actually is on stage. It may be a bit of a cliché look, but at least it's a bit of a "statement" look, which, at the end of the day, is what I think it all comes down to. You gotta own your look and come into the room and stand on the stage looking like you're SUPPOSED to be there. No manner of look or dress works for everyone. But I think it works for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 21, 2014 Members Share Posted November 21, 2014 I'm all for it if you've chosen shades that fit your face/look/personality and don't act like a douche. I think if you look/act like a douche, you'll look like one with or without sunglasses and vice versa. I suppose more douches may choose to wear them than non-douches, so that's why we associate them with such, but douchiness is something that is conveyed in the walk and attitude of a person. The sunglasses don't really change it much one way or the other, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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