Andy Partridge's view of the 'Next Wave'...

[I. M. He]

Just read this little quip from my favourite (Paint)Heroe - it's from the Andy & Colin Reply page of the XTC Forum:
Q - A and C, what do you think of this new wave of bands that use you as an influence? Fellinifield
A - My dearest Felli, I have no particular thoughts about Future Dogs Die In Kaiser Ferdinands Hot Hot Car Party the thing is, they’re going to that place I’ve been through 30 years ago. It’s tough for me to get excited about that, its an old journey for me. I'm much more interested in types of music, or bands, musicians, who go where I never have, or can’t. Yo man, how dey do dat opera shit? A.P

-mk-

[Frau_Blucher]

Next Wave is certainly only a shadow of its namesake, but it's more than what the always-cynical Partridge makes it out to be. The new guys have the benefit of amazing new technologies and an electronic and alterno heritage to generate some cool new sounds. Plus, these new guys are pretty good musicians - I don't think hacks are as tolerated anymore. Add in better concert sound support and live mixing techniques, and you've got some really fun live bands as well.

[Ollie Stench]

I can see where AP is coming from. My biggest beef with music, especiall punk rock, since 1988 is that bands don't do their own thing anymore, they just copy their influences. If a band is a fan of XTC they should take what XTC did and put their own spin on it instead of just repackaging the same sound and selling it to a younger audience.

[waukena]

I wish AP would have taken what Blir said, and taken what Ollie said, packaged them together and given that as his answer...instead, to me anyway, if you took his name away from the quote and it could be any number of countless aging rockers looking to prove their ongoing relevance...'yawn, been there done that, it means nothing now, it was only real when I did it'...maybe you did it 30 years ago and maybe some of these kids are just out for the $$$, but maybe a couple really look up to you enough that they want to emulate some part of your journey too...Ollie's right about the copycatting but I can remember writing stuff and if somebody told me 'Wow, that's got a cool 'Damned' feel to it', I'd be jazzed for a week because I held those guys in such high regard...maybe some of these kids are trying to go someplace you've never been and this is the only way they can think of to start out...and to the ones who are influenced for the right reasons, IMHO this answer just sounds like some guy trying to impress forum goers with how much above it all he is and it drives me nuts...

[SwampThing]

Hmmm. Seems that A & C know enough about the next wave to know who the major players are.

[quote]...what XTC did and put their own spin on it instead of just repackaging the same sound and selling it to a younger audience.[/quote] It's very subjective determining which band are merely copies and which are harnessing influences.

[i_like_lectric_motors]

Gimme a break! This just screams "bitter old washed-up jealous has-been". Of course new bands are going to reflect their influences. XTC didn't exactly exist in a vacuum. How many influences did they have? What a hypocrite. Like it's somehow Bloc Party's fault he hasn't put out anything more than a handful of diehards have cared about since Peter Pumpkinhead (which was a joke). Don't like it Andy? Make something better.

[ghosty]

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>Gimme a break! This just screams "bitter old washed-up jealous has-been". Of course new bands are going to reflect their influences. XTC didn't exactly exist in a vacuum. How many influences did they have? What a hypocrite. Like it's somehow Bloc Party's fault he hasn't put out anything more than a handful of diehards have cared about since Peter Pumpkinhead (which was a joke). Don't like it Andy? Make something better.
[/quote]

Agree. Partidge comes off like a "boring old fart". I love XTC but he should be grateful that they was an influence that younger bands feel is still relevant 25 years later. He's got a lot of nerve too considering XTC liberally pilfered Beatles and Beach Boys songs WITHOUT putting their own spin on them in most cases. They were direct steals ("Earn Enough For Us", "The Loving",etc.) and all done as a "loving tribute". Partridge, while a very talented guy, is a hypocrite and a bit of a dope.


BTW: Too bad Next Wave is "tough for you to get excited about", but then again it is'nt being made for your 50 year old ass, it's for teen and twentysomethings who ARE genuinely excited about it and probably have no idea who XTC are(were) and could care less anyway.

[mozo]

Guess I'm one of those "old farts", but I guaran-friggin-ty that 98% of the so highly acclaimed Next Wave bands mentioned on this site will disappear into oblivion in very short order. Old grumpy Any P. has earned the right to be a pretentious bastard. The music of XTC reached a level that only a handful of artists ever come close to achieving. And as for the new music being made for kids who don't know who XTC is... When I started getting interested in non-commercial music, I researched current as well as past music because I was hungry for that sound. I only wish I had access to the internet back then. Now, there's no excuse for anyone who claims to be into cutting edge music not to know who XTC, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Jam, and others are. If you don't then your'e just a poser.

[hubcity]

Mozo,

Can't disagree, but it's also time for Partridge, et. al., to put their money where their mouth is.

(By the way, I heard an advance of the new Paul Weller single - he's putting his money where his mouth is.)

-Sean
http://www.altrokradio.com

[ghosty]

[quote][i]Originally posted by mozo[/i]
<br>Guess I'm one of those "old farts", but I guaran-friggin-ty that 98% of the so highly acclaimed Next Wave bands mentioned on this site will disappear into oblivion in very short order. .
[/quote]

Well, you could say that about 80's New Wave too. About 98% of them dropped off the face of the earth. So? That happens with EVERY genre of music.
As for kids not getting in to the older stuff. Some do, of course (in high school I was collecting albums from 60's artists) but I talk to a lot of kids who listen to the supposed "Next Wave" bands and they really only have an interest in what their peers are doing, not something that their parents were into. That's been going on since R-n-R began. Anyway, it does'nt matter. It's not important. Y'see, I made a CD of The Clash, Wire, Gang Of Four and The Cure for a young listener of mine and she basically told me that there's so many new bands she's excited about that she did'nt have time for the old stuff so I backed off, no reason to ruin her teenage years.

[I. M. He]

Woah, seems I opened a can of worms with this comment...
One thing you have to realise is when Andy speaks it's often with tongue firmly planted in cheek. He's signed several new up-and-comers to his APE label (Andy Partridge Experiments), and he's always interested in new and exciting bands - so don't write him off as an old fart just yet.
And maybe the peer pressure of 'What's In' doesn't affect all the kids today - it may be a bit of brainwashing on my part, but my kids and all their friends are into XTC, The Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Killing Joke, Tears for Fears, etc... maybe it's just us crazy Canadians?

-mk-

[CodyK46]

Im into the stuff that the user above me posted. But all my friends are into Hardcore,Screamo,Emo, and Metal-core stuff. I listen to some of that stuff, but some of us enjoy some of the next wave stuff. I am the one of the few that really appreciates 80s new wave.