HW: Mr Beardy's Quim

[Doug Pearson]

On Wed, 13 Mar 2002 18:15:13 -0000, Tony Wilson <twilson at GMX.CO.UK> wrote:
>> On Thu, Jan 17, 2002 at 03:38:15AM -0000, Richard Lockwood typed out:
>> > (I'm going to get a kicking for this one...)
>> >
>> > After hearing so many good things about Mr Quimby's beard, I've finally
>> > sat down and downloaded some tracks. Hmm.  Splendid.  If I'd never
>> > heard Hawkwind, or Alien Planetscapes, I'd think it was fantastic ...
>> >
>> > ... Emporer's new clothes, or have I missed the point?
>>
>>         That was more or less the impression they gave at the Forum gig,
>> but I think there's a shortage of such stuff around so I didn't really
>> mind...
>
>Not again............
>Is there some kind of competition going on that I've never been told
>about??
>"Hawkwind VS. Every other band....."
>Can't you accept that spacerock is a genre of music and not something that
>belongs solely to Hawkwind, Richard ???

Well, since this IS a Hawkwind discussion list, it makes sense to me that
describing other bands in terms of similarities/differences to Hawkwind is
an important aspect of any critical analysis (or off-the-cuff opinion) of
ANY band mentioned on-list.  And I'd much rather read hard-hitting gloves-
off criticisms (even of bands I like - even of Hawkwind [actually,
ESPECIALLY of Hawkwind] - in my mind, the true fan is one who's not afraid
to occasionally speak negatively of his/her idols, rather than mindlessly
complimenting them at every opportunity) than a bunch of "these guys are
great" "yeah, me too" posts (but hard-hitting criticisms should cover
what's good/worthwhile about a band just as much as what isn't).

>The headliner has a truck load of expensive equipment and back ground
>personnel to ensure they sound great, the opener has so little room on
>stage that they are forced to down scale and use the minimum of
>equipment......I could continue....
>and they still left a BIG impression on me..

Tony, it's great that you like MQB.  It's also great that Rich and Jon
don't see what you like about MQB and can coherently explain why MQB
doesn't do it for them.  Just as it's fine that you don't like Alien
Planetscapes, but I do.  Or that I don't like Ozric Tentacles, but most of
the people on this list do - they have their reasons for liking them; I
have mine for not.

Very good of you to bring up the "adversity" that opening (vs. headlining)
bands have to deal with ... it's very rare that what you state is NOT the
case.

>Did anyone here see them Headlining in the states last year ??? If so did
>they impress or depress ??? :-}

Unfortunately, I didn't see them (they didn't make it out to the west
coast), but I received a CD-R of one of their shows (thanks Keith!  thanks
Dan!), and have listened to it a few times.  My opinion is, "good but not
great" - they neither impressed nor depressed me (but I think I still
prefer AP, and others - sorry!).

    -Doug
     jasret at mindspring.com