What's the point of music? Ask Peter Gabriel

[Radio64]

by Alain de Botton

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/10/peter-gabriel-alain-de-botton-music-and-emotion?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[jean]

'The great musicians – and Gabriel is among the very best...'

Really?

[Pabmusic]

Well I for one agree that Peter Gabriel is exceptional. Whatever music does it for you, it is more important than many people give credit for. I'm pleased to say that PG still does it for me.

(An Old Carthusian, like RVW.)

[jean]

I'd never heard of him, but I played the song that accompanied the article and I thought it banal in the extreme.

The interesting question is why its effect on me is so very different from its efffect on everyone else.

[Radio64]

'The great musicians – and Gabriel is among the very best...'

Really?

Well certainly a lot better than most ... talking of pop/rock types of course.

[Pabmusic]

I'd never heard of him, but I played the song that accompanied the article and I thought it banal in the extreme.

The interesting question is why its effect on me is so very different from its efffect on everyone else.

Music is very personal, of course. Here's the complete Selling England By The Pound album (when Genesis did things other than soft rock). The first eight minutes give a flavour. The vocals (and a bit of flute toward the end) is PG, who also wrote it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rn9tzirks4

[Radio64]

I'd never heard of him,.......

Now that I find hard to believe. Admirable in a way.

Did you know David Bowie is dead? Had you ever heard of David Bowie?!?

[jean]

Don't patronise me.

[Radio64]

Don't patronise me.

Didn't mean to, but i just found it surprising you'd never heard of Peter Gabriel.

[Beef Oven!]

We had this sort of thing on the Bowie thread. Why people think it important to tell us they hadn't heard of an extremely well known musician is mysterious to me.

[Stanfordian]

Now that I find hard to believe. Admirable in a way.

Did you know David Bowie is dead? Had you ever heard of David Bowie?!?

Gabriel is another of these overrated pop musicians that try to add pseudo-intellectual aspect to their writing. The song with those incessant tom-toms is one I hope I don’t have to hear. Play it at my funeral as I wont have to hear it! Ha! Ha!

[Beef Oven!]

Gabriel is another of these overrated pop musicians that try to add pseudo-intellectual aspect to their writing. The song with those incessant tom-toms is one I hope I don’t have to hear. Play it at my funeral as I wont have to hear it! Ha! Ha!

Lots of musicians are overrated Stan. It's not PG's fault if he's one of them. His music is very good, though.

[jean]

Didn't mean to, but i just found it surprising you'd never heard of Peter Gabriel.

We had this sort of thing on the Bowie thread. Why people think it important to tell us they hadn't heard of an extremely well known musician is mysterious to me.

Well, I wasn't aware that Peter Gabriel was extremely well known - does that excuse me to any extent? Though when I followed Pabs's link, I realised I had heard of Genesis.

From this limited awareness I'd say the early stuff was more interesting than the later, but I still wouldn't go to him for an understanding of the point of music.

[Radio64]

Apart from early Genesis and some of his solo experimental stuff he's also (well) known for his work with World Music and bringing in into the mainstream in the 80s .. WOMAD festival plus some of his own works ..

What's the one with the incessant tom-toms? Biko?

[MrGongGong]

Gabriel is another of these overrated pop musicians that try to add pseudo-intellectual aspect to their writing. The song with those incessant tom-toms is one I hope I don’t have to hear. Play it at my funeral as I wont have to hear it! Ha! Ha!

It doesn't do you any favours you know