Sunday, November 24, 2013

Ideas thread: what rock band would you like your local campaign group to be like?

I'll kick this off - if I get my local group off the ground in the new year, I would like us to aim to be like seminal German psychedelic rock band Can.

Wait, come back...






Can were an immensely creative partnership of equals, coming together from different backgrounds in rock, jazz and experimental classical music. And they played for each other, editing their work down painstakingly from long improvised jams into a surprisingly accessible, funky form. 

The example of vocalist Damo Suzuki and keyboardist Irmin Schmidt contributing when they had something to add and simply remaining silent when not on Can tracks is one of the best examples of sublimating the individual ego to group need in music I can think of.

It's simultaneously some of the most passionate music I've ever heard and some of the most enjoyable. Heck, Can even accidentally invented the Happy Mondays. 






Creativity, diversity, equality, accessibility, teamwork, balancing intensity and fun - this is why I like Can. This is why I got into local organising.

Now, your turn in the comments thread please - what rock band would you like your local campaign group to be like?

Or - for the fortunate ones - what rock band IS your local group already like?

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