Saturday, August 15, 2009

today is a sad sad day. RIP Jim Dickinson.

i have no clue where to start. i like making short posts on this blog, because most times you can get a good idea of what a band or singer is trying to do with one key song. it isn't that that one song can define the entire project of the band or person, but many times it gives you a way to orient yourself to where the band is from, or maybe an artistic philosophy they're working expressed in sound. i believe when you can understand, at least in some part, where they are coming from it can give you a better sense of where they are going. for me it opens up a space for reference. i think i really understood how this concept worked through reading about and hearing and seeing people like jim dickinson play music, or listen to the bands he recorded and produced, and not to mention the things he said about music. a large part, for me, of this information comes from robert gordons brilliant "nonfiction" book called "it came from memphis. go pick it up. if it wasn't for that book i don't think i would have immersed myself in the story of memphis music. and i wouldn't have really cared at all about people like jim dickinson or alex chilton or furry lewis or tav falco and i wouldn't have understood their importance to some of my favorite bands like the oblivians. it's funny how one person can create such an ariadne's thread. jim dickinson was kind of an embodiemtn of that idea. he had his hands in many many types of music and was involved in many many peoples lives. i only met him once, but he was one fo the few folks around that got me star struck. and he wasnt even a star. haha, the record industry hated him. he did what he wanted and was a maverick from the start. i hate knowing that a guy like him won't be around to fuck with the powers that be.
like i said at the beginning, i don't know where to start with his music, so i'll post my favorite song he was involved in:
i believe he was on piano

3 comments:

Ben said...

I'm pretty sure that me mentioning Jim is the reason you decided I might not be as entirely square as I first seemed. Then again, maybe I assume too much.

Very sad news.

deadcityrebel said...

no way, anyone who even recognizes his name is cooler than most people in my book.

Kevy Duty said...

What a cutie in that video! Great song too!