CHIRP: Chicago Independent Radio Project

Posted by Luscious Gris on August 11, 2008 around 10am

The tribute album came and went. Now it’s more aptly termed a “trite homage” album. The same vaguely indie bands show up, the same non-indie bands that don’t mind some extra cash, the same regrettably uninspired targets. What deserves a bit of attention in this calculus is: what is homage?

The Webster Dictionary defines it thus:

Pronunciation:
\ˈä-mij, ˈhä-\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French homage, omage, from home man, vassal, from Latin homin-, homo human being; akin to Old English guma human being, Latin humus earth
Date:
14th century
1 a: a feudal ceremony by which a man acknowledges himself the vassal of a lord b: the relationship between a feudal lord and his vassal c: an act done or payment made in meeting the obligations of vassalage
2 a: expression of high regard : RESPECT —often used with pay b: something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another : TRIBUTE

Let us then pause to consider what would rightly constitute a recorded testimony to the worth or influence of an artist. One might write and record a song in the style of person being paid homage, implying some core truth in the adage that the sincerest form of flattery is mimicry. It would appear that writers enjoy this form of homage from time to time, visual artists do not, and musicians are somewhere in between.

I would argue that a proper homage is to sing the song the only way you can, in your own voice, in your own words, demonstrating that the worth or influence of that to which you pay homage is deeply felt, that it has invaded your spirit, your everyday dreams, your basic fabric — your whole goshdarned way of thinking and doing. This, in my admittedly idealistic sense, is what an homage should be.

This is the sense in which Superchunk paid homage to Stephin Merritt, recording a thrashy but faithfully melodic version of The Magnetic Fields’ “100,000 Fireflies.” This is the sense in which Ciccone Youth (née Sonic Youth) knocked the crap out of “Into The Groove-y” and made me personally acquire a string of Madonna albums, on the theory that if I listened to them often enough I would somehow hear my own thrilling renditions of it circling around and around, making the light areas dark, the dark areas light, and creating all manner of distortion in my world view.

It is less than interesting to hear one folk artist play another folk artist’s tune, staying largely faithful to every little stupid thing about the original. Once in a while you hear a good remake. This is not what I’m getting at.

Why not enlist bands to record an entire album done by another band a while ago? I recall a stretch during which WNEW in NY had a Sunday night show called Desert Island Discs, in which some hotshot or another would play somebody else’s album, start to finish. Beyond the minimal philosophical benefit of enlisting bands to record somebody else’s work, you get a double injection of record sales. The youth go out and buy the new stuff, then they learn about the old stuff, everybody hugs and congratulates themselves on this new marketing campaign. Hell, maybe you roll out a few dumbass reality shows on this theme, take some polls and whatnot so the youth feel involved, i.e. the industry is really listening to them and doing stuff they ask for. I’d even pitch this in politics for the ratings possibilities: imagine Nancy Pelosi giving a Reagan speech, a nice little cherry of a number from his governor days. Oh boy. Paris Hilton, your writer should take a look at some of the Karl Rove op-ed pieces lately.

This is obviously deeply personal territory, but here we go anyhow. My picks for bands I’d enlist, with the originals I’d suggest they record.

• JJ Cale and Amy Winehouse covering Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation
• Brian Eno and PJ Harvey covering Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska
• Beck covering Tom Waits, Swordfishtrombones
• Bette Midler covering The Clash, Sandinista!
• Jay-Z covering anything by Lee Scratch Perry prior to the Black Ark burning down
• Rage Against the Machine covering The Velvet Underground & Nico
• Bikini Kill covering The Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
• Koko Taylor covering The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
• Tortoise covering Blondie, Parallel Lines
• Steve Reich and Loretta Lynn covering The Magnetic Fields, Holiday
• The Silver Jews covering JJ Cale, Naturally