'image'.

[double]

ok. i don't want to cause any issues, but i'd really like to put this out there as a CIVIL and MATURE topic that we can all discuss without throwing around childish insults and unwarranted accusations at kol...

with that being said: one thing i've always thrived myself on is my ability to separate an artist from their art. of course one can never do this completely because the two are so unconditionally intertwined, there are still certain boundaries that i prefer not to cross. things such as who the artist is dating, an asshole interview or two, maturing as they age, etcetc.

but i find myself really sort of TERRIFIED to read new articles concerning kol or watch their latest videos because i feel like it's gone from art to well, idk. 'what will break through in america'. the music itself is still grand, and idk...i wish i could structure this so it comes off as somewhat coherent, but it's a touchy subject. k. here it goes, point blank.

i'm not calling them sell outs. if anyone of you has read any one of my posts on the boards, you'd know how much i loathe that term. i'm also not bitching because they've changed; i understand fully that it's a necessity and a valuable and rare thing at that, for an artist to progress and mature from album to album and continue to thrive into something bigger and better as opposed to just something else. and i'm not complaining about their personalities or the fact that they wear designer jeans.

what i'm worried about hasn't happened yet, but it plagues me none the less; how long before they let the pressure of progression, the stigma of selling out and the other shit that's thrown on them effect it all?

was i the only one that couldn't watch the entire 'sex on fire' video? did NO ONE find it a little bit disheartening to see such blatantly shallow scenes? i know, i know...the whole song is called 'sex on fire', which makes this whole thread all the harder to put into words...which is why it's already so long as is.

i guess what i want to know is, has anyone else reached a point where they avoid watching the videos, reading the articles and listening to the interviews completely because it's tainting the music?

i'd love to hear why or why not so i can somewhat better interpret why i'm being such a twat about something that shouldn't be such a big deal.

[Deleted]

I have been reading less about them because I don't fancy the comparisons made and I've only read one review so far. I do prefer to just leave it at my opinion because when I read about it and see people pointing out bad things about it, it obviously has an effect on my views even if I don't agree.

The media just winds me up, to be honest.

[Jigglytuffy™]

Hmm...

I read full articles, watch full interviews and sat through the entire video of "Sex on Fire", and loved every minute of it. In a way, it's already effected them, otherwise, they probably would have just stuck to that sound they had before and that image they had before. I don't really see it as a problem, nor do I really care about that sort of thing. I'm not a member of the band, can't read their thought patterns, have no idea where they want to go as a band or if "this" is it.

I'm not Kings of Leon-obsessed. I have no posters of them on my wall, only own one album, haven't been to any of their concerts (yet) and have been a fan since 2004. People who are obsessed are the ones who take things like this too seriously. I just don't care enough to make it a big deal. I'm about the music. If it's still good, I will listen. I don't let words like "bigger sound, U2, or stadium" scare me. I love big sounds, U2 is my favorite band, and I would love to see them play stadiums.

That's just me. I'm not really sure if I'm even on topic, really...

[aha shake pepscake]

I don't really think about it at all. It doesn't bother me.
I just laugh about the Sex on Fire vid, I think it's hilarious that they've put Nathan under a shower to satisfy the fangirls ahah.

I don't usually read articles and stuff, mainly 'cause I'm just too lazy to bother.
As long as I like their music (which I think I'll always do) I'll be interested in the band itself too, 'cause that'll take the music to another level.
For example, watching these home movies just makes me love the band even more, and a negative article/interview or whatever can't take away all the things I love about KoL.

... I'm sorry if none of that made sense

[ncox10021]

Heya guys - I like reading the articles and seeing videos. I dunno, I like reading/seeing about the people behind the music. I sat through Sex on Fire and laughed my ass off because it is so freaking hilarious - definitely couldn't take that thing seriously.

I see your point though, double. Perhaps it does taint the music a little bit - but in a good way for me. In seeing them in the videos/reading about them, it just makes them seem more human to me and I like that! Before I started watching the home videos I thought they were a bunch of assholes from what I heard happened at O-Dusty, and hey, maybe they really are assholes, but the videos make me smile.

[skinnyjs]

Hmm..I do sorta see what you're saying. It's hard if you liked a band from the start and you see them progressing into something more mainstream & witness so many people (media, public etc..) jumping on the 'KOL Bandwagon', which is what's happening now more than ever...But you do have to kinda think, how long they've been around, and how amazing they are and always have been, that they do deserve all the success they get and it's been a long time coming...

I still read interviews and watch their videos etc because i love them, but I do get what you mean about it being more difficult then before..
But I think it's other people hyping them up, and all the new fans that make it seem that way, not the band themselves

x

[chichi]

Sept 19, 2008 18:21:50 GMT double said:

i guess what i want to know is, has anyone else reached a point where they avoid watching the videos, reading the articles and listening to the interviews completely because it's tainting the music?

i'd love to hear why or why not so i can somewhat better interpret why i'm being such a twat about something that shouldn't be such a big deal.

I don't avoid those things...I find them interesting. I just don't take any of it too seriously (especially the Sex on Fire video!!) They can't help but get caught up in the business, which means they have to make videos, do interviews, etc. It would be great to only put out performance videos and only do 1 or 2 interviews a year with reputable magazines, but unfortunately that's not the reality of the business. They have to do certain things, whether they want to or not....or else their record company won't support them. So I cut them some slack when it comes to promoting their records.

And you are far from a twat, double!!

[sweetDeal]

when I first saw Sex on fire I though:" hey wait something has changed."
they used to do diferent videos, just with them playing the music... but... that doesn't mean I don't love it. It's different, yes, cos' why doing the same? also I know it's very commercial... but, i mean .. they have to earn money isn't?
I know tha tif you make art it's supposed to be because yo wanna' xpress something and you are not looking after money. But one thing is what you wanna' do, and other very different is what you have to do. They don't live of the air. They want to get bigger, and for that they need money... and so, make different videos to keep people blinded with them.

I think i've ended up with different things from the main theme, sorry, but I actually think that. contradictory, but my point of view...

[double]

thanks for the input guys. i want to exaggerate the point that i IN NO WAY THINK THEY ARE SELL OUTS.

not at all. in fact, i just pushed myself to read the 'spin' interview and it reassured me of what i already knew, they haven't changed as MUSICIANS. i don't expect them to stay the same as people, that would be stupid and would contradict human nature completely.

i would LOVE for them to get more recognition. in fact, i've lent my copy of aha shake heartbreak to a good 12 people this semester alone. i LOVE when bands i like get their due props, but it's sort of a double standard.

just like i don't expect them not to change as people, i can't help but let their change effect how i perceive them. as a girl who's played the drums for a good nine years now, nathan has always been one of my favorite drummers. it's just a little disheartening to see him being soaked in water and reduced to nothing more than a nick carter clone on screen to those fresh kings of leon fans, you know?

idk. i guess i'm being overprotective of something that isn't really relevant, or something that shouldn't be. unfortunately, it is for most people and i guess i should just shut up and not take it all so seriously, haha.

also, chichi....thank you! it's nice to be reassured, regardless of my major twat moments.

[lauralimonada]

double,
thank you for this post and i want to praise your courage to say this.
as fans, we should discuss all aspects of the band, the future of their careers ect.

KARMA TO DOUBLE!

[geniusofkol]

i hate that everyone knows them now ...... i prefered it when nobody knew them and they were the best kept secret


i hate sharing!!

[nollafyzzil]

I sort know what you mean, I think they're a bit up themselves & I do find it hard to watch Caleb being so full of himself. I do watch them because I'm fascinated by them at the same time. When I hear them (especially Y&YM) I never see what they have become, which is pleasant, I'm in love with the music and and the people as two separate things.

[lemonjelly]

double, i hear what your saying. I've been a fan for the last 5 years since youth and young manhood. i've been to see them tour every album up to now (3 times). i didnt bother to try and get a ticket for their next show here (dublin) because the last gig i went to was full of 15yr old girls screaming at caleb. (i'm 30 btw). dont get me wrong, thats fair enough , everyone is entitled to go see whoever they want but for a 25yr old male listening to 'molly chambers' back in the day to a 30 yr old listening to '17' ... well, there's a bit of a difference. i think the guys have gone a different direction to where i'd hoped they'd go after BOTT. ie. popular mainstream music !
when i heard the samples for 'use somebody' i thought " oh no, they've done a coldplay with the woooooahhhs". then i come on here and everyone loves that song !! anyway, rant over...i've strayed away from the topic !!
(i still love them by the way...just wished they'd rocked it out a bit more and laid off the over-exposure)

[ILoveTheRazzleKid]

what happened at o-dusty??
i think the whole over-exposure/media hype gives off a different image than the boys actually are.. every time i meet them they seem lovely and down to earth, and still relatively humble considering the great height of their success. if OBTN is the direction musically they want to take, then i respect that although a few more yaym-sounding tracks wouldn't go amiss, however, if it's done purely to boost sales and appeal to americans than that i wouldn't respect.. i don't think they've reached that point yet though. i think some of their tracks on OBTN are potentially incredible but that they rushed to finish the album, which is understandable because having a new album whilst playing glastonbury is a great marketing strategy.

[Holly Golightly]

Totally understand your point Double...and everyone here has made some great and relevant comments. I personally don't think they have sold out BUT i do think they succumbed to pressure from their label to really make it BIG back home in the U.S. Therefore i think from a label perspective that would mean slightly altering the way they are marketed, packaged and perceived in the U.S – more U.S market friendly thus making them more commercially appealing (which explains the SOF gratuitous scenes – as hot as they are)

I totally love KOL and have been a HUGE fan of their music since i saw them support the Strokes in Jan 04 that being said….i think the biggest hurdle for fans that have been fans especially from YAYM days is overcoming and accepting this artistic change/direction. I totally understand that from a personal and artistic perspective they have grown (and its only natural to do so) but I think he real issue is that we the fans are scared of losing the band that we fell in love with in the beginning…and I will be the first one to put my hand up and admit that.

Ohh hope i didn't digress too much!!

[sexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I'm a bit confused right now. I'm part that girl that was blown away by those crazy fierce tracks they had and I'm part that girl that likes kol for all the superficial reasons - them being pretty (doable) 'n whatnot - but if I am honest. I don't really like use somebody. And I don't really like Crawl. Those sound like there's something essential and vitally KOL missing. Those songs freak me out. I DO NOT like to hear Kings Of Leon like that. Sex On Fire is still fierce and I simply thought it would be this albums On Call and the video was like an extra treat for the beholder in me so I splurged on that, but now that I see them pass so much on tv I'm worried musical wise..from what I've heard all songs will be slooow and modified in a particularly mainstream way. And you know the funny thing double? I AM one of those people that psyched out when they reached the UK #1 spot. It was all so innocent and I truly wished they'd make it big, like read what I wrote on my blog ...Truth is though that I don't at all, want that the other tracks to be just as mellow and pop. If that's the case I'm simply not buying it. Now that I come to think about it...what do you think Bob Dylan thinks of the new KOL sound? He used to worship those guys. I'm so confused right now

And yea, what exactly happened at o-dusty?

[Pex On Fire-]

I touched upon it in the thread I entitled "Sellouts" but a big point I missed was something you have pointed out. The Artist and the Art.


For music to be real it has to be a representation of the character that is making it, in my opinion. That means it's written about their own experiences and dreams and not what they think "people want to hear".

It's why even though I hate rap, I think Kanye West is fantastic.


We all know the story of where they came from so we can understand how their music got that raw country sound with heavy blues influence.

Now, just like any band that has done well for themselves, they have made money, toured for the last 5 years and experienced a very different life to what they were obviously used to. Yet we still expect them to be singing about the life they were living 5 years ago?

It happens to every band and is unavoidable to an extent but the fact is, Caleb is still writing from the heart, his thoughts, his experiences and his dreams still make up the lyrics. Not what he has been told he should write about. Nathen is a more accomplished drummer, Jared is definately a more accomplished bassist and Matt now has the confidence to pull off some brilliant solo's and his riffs are definately getting stronger aswell.

Youth and Young manhood was incredible, it was raw and it packed a punch. Everyone said "these guys could be the future of Rock and Roll". I'm sure you said it, so why be annoyed that your prophecy is coming true?

[groupielove]

I have noticed - i have kinda been paying very very little attention to interviews and stuff lately. although i got my grubby hands on Rollingstone (AU), im not as stressed to get the other media press. usually i call my brother in UK for NME or whatever, but i dont know, something is wrong with me.

I have not watched the past 10 or so home videos.. i have no idea why



I am just really freaked out by all this mainstream attention. very frightened.. im scared my opinion of OBTN will be tainted by the love i have for their past 3 lps, and all this mainstream attention i feel is going to cloud my judgment or something. i don't know. its just odd. esp here in AU, with how theyve been all of a sudden recognised (in terms of mainstream attention that is).

[ILoveTheRazzleKid]

Sorry to digress off topic but what DID happen at o-dusty...?? I'm intrigued.
Oh, and 'pex-on-fire' your comment, 'Yet we still expect them to be singing about the life they were living 5 years ago?' is a brilliant one.. But i don't think that people here are criticising what's being written about, more the sound of their tracks.

[nollafyzzil]

Scared is the right word, it actually causes me physical pain to hear people playing them, taking about them & liking them, I want to hit them.