| |
when I was in 7th grade I formed a band with a few of my friends.
Though we could barely play our instruments, were out of tune with
each other, and had a drummer whose every beat matched, identically,
what the guitars were playing, we thought of ourselves as a "band."
We were sad and sounded like the Partridge Family meets Nugent on
aspirin, but we had passion, dammit, and sometimes passion is all
that matters (or so we thought).
Having the good fortune of a renovated chicken coop for our practice
pad (renamed, appropriately, "Studio C"), we spent the
entire summer rehearsing our wide repertoire of songs which included
my first big hit, "Wicked Lady," and that verse section
from "One Way or Another" by Blondie.
One of our finest moments was the day that Lance broke his guitar
string. In a near emotional meltdown, we took the poor guitar out
to the picnic table and sat around for a few moments, wishing our
friend LZ would magically appear and change the broken string. In
a sudden burst of inspiration, I found myself taking off the snapped
piece of wire, winding on a new string, and to the surprise of us
all, getting the thing in tune. It’s amazing what one can do when
you want to get back to playing "Cat Scratch Fever."
The summer passed us by and, though we sounded little better, we
were ready for the BIG TIME. So, like any group, we needed a name.
Not just an ordinary name, mind you, a name that would resonate
with the people we were - full of integrity, substance, precision,
and imagination.
THE
NAME GAME
So we kicked around a few ideas and, after a week or so of debate,
agreed upon a name.
Walking down the school hall one day, some guys came up to me and
said, "Hey, Garred, I heard you started a band. What’s your
name?"
I felt SO on the spot. Here it’s been only a month and I’ve already
got people asking me about the group. But I looked deep within myself,
found the courage to lay my claim to rockdom, and said, "Our
band is called ’Beast.’"
They all looked at me with this crazed expression and replied, "That’s
cool - I guess."
Thud.
That’s
how I felt. To see their faces alight with the mystery of the words
I was about to expose, and then to see that same look of anticipation
turn to one of those "Duh" looks moments later, was excruciatingly
painful. In other words, I felt like poo.
ONE
WORD VS ANOTHER
Ever since that day I’ve been thinking about words and how powerful
they can be. The difference between "reaction" and "response,"
for instance. Or the impact of saying, "Do you understand?"
Vs "Does that make sense?" One insults while the other
inquires. It’s the difference between sensitivity and insensitivity
- or in the simplicity of taking a few extra moments to think about
what you are going to say before you actually say it. Old adage,
yes, but one well worth its weight in gold.
DO
YOU GOT THE RHYTHM?
Sensitivity, timing, rhythm, structure. They all have a purpose
when it comes to the art of communicating, and especially so when
conveying a message about who you are. I’m certain that Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant didn’t just roll a doob, look up at the sky and
say, "Hey, what about ’Led Zeppelin,’ dude?" No doubt
this took some time and thought to come up with.
Or what about names like Foo Fighters, Radiohead, or MC 900 Foot
Jesus? All imaginative, all creating a sense of who the band is
and what the music is like purely by the use of words.
What the hell was I thinking when I came up with the name "Beast?"
Were we heavy metal? (no) Were we Goth or Xena butt rock? (no) Had
we spent too much time listening to Iron Maiden and trying to imitate
the cover art of albums by Molly Hatchet? (yes) These were our influences
at the time, sadly enough, but the music and attitude didn’t match
the name. And not only did it not match, but I felt like a fool
when actually having to say it to someone.
AND
YOUR POINT IS WHAT, AUGI?
It’s quite simple, really. That when you are in the process of naming
a product, company, new service, child, brand, or band, do you want
to feel proud and confident when you state the name aloud, or do
you want to cower in the moment of truth when you must say, "Our
band’s name is ’Loverboy.’"
You
can reach Augi at: augi@pint.org
|
|
