If you want to be successful, do you have to dress up?

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1388242554' post='2319854']
"Never underestimate the power of standing on stage, dressed in black and holding a guitar." - Attribution unknown
[/quote]

ok ok so technically she's not wearing black

[chriswareham]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1388250524' post='2320007']


ok ok so technically she's not wearing black


[/quote]

The guitarist forgot her knickers? And her skirt?

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1388257275' post='2320125']
The guitarist forgot her knickers? And her skirt?
[/quote]

Thats showbiz

[davehux]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1388241332' post='2319834']
Never made us a success although I doubt the dressing up would be enough to polish our musical turd.
[/quote]

Never the forget the wise words...

"You can't polish a turd, but you can cover it in glitter"

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1388174938' post='2319214']
To put it in perspective, here's the eponymous video from his new album.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRjpTlkmv5w[/media]
[/quote]

Using a rickenbacker guitar is very unusual (thank god) and obviously an attempt to attain some retro-chic and just as much a "costume" as any clothes that someone might wear.

[the boy]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1388174914' post='2319213']
If you want to be successful do you have to dress up? Yes, in most walks of life you do, in one way or another, but particulaly in show business. That is no great revelation.

Do I believe that the reason that Francis Dunnery ( or Alan Holdsworth, for that matter) isn't more commercially successful is because he refuses to dress up? No , that is complete bollocks. Short of a miracle, regardless of whatever he does now, relatively few people will ever be interested in him or his music.
[/quote]
Hello sir.... Who's your new Avatar?

[Kiwi]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1388179202' post='2319282']
In one way he's right. If you're selling any product the punters need to have confidence that they know what they're getting. If One Direction went on stage displaying tattoos, greasy hair and somehow managed to put on a heavy metal act, they could be finished. Their "success" could be over.

If The Rolling Stones went on in "Boy Band" gear, they'd capture the front page of every paper in the country.

David Jones proves Mr Dunnery wrong though, or maybe he proves him right too in a perverse way. In the 70s he invented a character and played that character on every album. Yet he re-invented that character on every album. On the other hand maybe his "thing" was that "David Bowie" changed all the time?
[/quote]

The technique is known as '[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirroring_(psychology)"]mirroring[/url]'. It's one mechanism that can be used to influence people - in the sense that if your audience believes you share their values/ideals/tastes and trusts you then they'll be more likely to accept your credibility. Typically this operates at an intimate, interpersonal level but its also applied as a sales technique and politicians, of course, are roundly chastised when they DON'T do it...although in that case it's called being "off-message".

One clear example I can think of in real life is those f***ing bright trousers that were all the rage last Summer. I thought they looked dreadful but clearly the people wearing them thought the trousers said something important. Apparently they had roots in middle class perceptions of rural aristocratic life along with the anoraks and checked shirts. So of course it made sense (in my own mind at least) that thousands of middle class, status conscious, London hooray henries and henriettas would want to associate themselves with something class-related and aspirational.

There again...maybe others wore them just because they thought they were fashionable.

[BigRedX]

If you WANT to be successful then why wouldn't you do everything in your power to make it more likely to happen. That includes having an image (even if that image has been carefully cultivated to look as though you don't have an image!) Unless you are strictly a studio musician and don't appearing any of the publicity photos or videos then you need to consider how you look.

Do you think that current favourite muso band Dirty Loops would have a fraction of the publicity if they had just stuck their recordings out on Soundcloud rather than making videos of themselves playing? Of course not, and it certainly helped that they have a pretty boy bass player.

As others have said we dress up all the time even if it's just picking the right comfortable cloths for slobbing out in front of the telly, so why should playing music be any different?

[Dingus]

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1388320160' post='2320669']
Hello sir.... Who's your new Avatar?
[/quote]

Hello there, bad boy, it's none other than the beautiful , talented and oh-so aptly-named Abbi Titmuss.

[EssentialTension]

'Everyone in this room is wearing a uniform, don't kid yourself.' - Frank Zappa

[discreet]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1388332472' post='2320829']
'Everyone in this room is wearing a uniform, don't kid yourself.' - Frank Zappa
[/quote]

I miss Frank.

[witterth]

[quote name='davehux' timestamp='1388317114' post='2320626']
Never the forget the wise words...

"You can't polish a turd, but you can cover it in glitter"
[/quote]
...............its still a turd though, no matter how much glitter ( as said of Gary)

[the boy]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1388324584' post='2320730']


Hello there, bad boy, it's none other than the beautiful , talented and oh-so aptly-named Abbi Titmuss.
[/quote]
She is pure filth. The video was hilarious she made with Leslie. He's a wrongun.

[TimR]

You guys DO know who Francis Dunnery was, don't you?

He's certainly not famous for dressing down. Lol.

[xilddx]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1388333390' post='2320850']
I miss Frank.
[/quote]

So do I. It was the 30th anniversary of his death on the 3rd of this month, I never saw a mention anywhere.

[RhysP]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1388405472' post='2321550']
So do I. It was the 30th anniversary of his death on the 3rd of this month, I never saw a mention anywhere.
[/quote]

30th anniversary?
He died on December 4th 1993 - I remember it vividly because I got in from work & my flatmate had written "Zappa is dead" in green permanent marker across the front of my fridge.

[xilddx]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1388408514' post='2321612']
30th anniversary?
He died on December 4th 1993 - I remember it vividly because I got in from work & my flatmate had written "Zappa is dead" in green permanent marker across the front of my fridge.
[/quote]

Sorry, 20th! and it was the 4th. WTF is wrong with my maths and memory?!!

Edited December 30, 2013 by xilddx

[oggiesnr]

All musicians dress up, it's part of the image and expectation that they project, Mr Dunning in his T-shirt is projecting a certain image today which is different to his prog rock persona. For me the issue is do you get to chose how you dress or is it decided for you? Depends on what you want and what contract you signed

Steve

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1388343154' post='2321021']
You guys DO know who Francis Dunnery was, don't you?

He's certainly not famous for dressing down. Lol.
[/quote]

OK, I'll bite (see what I did there) - apart from a penchant for a Celtic football jersey what dressing up/down is he famous for?

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1388319623' post='2320662']
....and obviously an attempt to attain some retro-chic and just as much a "costume" as any clothes that someone might wear.
[/quote]

seriously?

i would have thought that somebody who doesnt really care (edit: 'these days' ) that they look like they have just got out of bed after three days asleep and thrown on an old black tshirt , and his credentials as a musician/guitarist, the last thing he would be doing would be playing a ric as a fashion item

just my opinionion of course

Edited December 30, 2013 by steve-bbb

[skej21]

[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1388257275' post='2320125']


The guitarist forgot her knickers? And her skirt?
[/quote]

Forgot her knickers AND her left-handed guitar. She's clearly talented if she can play a right handed guitar, left handed whilst wearing no knickers!

[EddyGlee]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1388319623' post='2320662']
Using a rickenbacker guitar is very unusual (thank god) and obviously an attempt to attain some retro-chic and just as much a "costume" as any clothes that someone might wear.
[/quote]

Obviously?
The reason he's using the Ric is.. Frank promised his mother before she died that he'd make an album with his older brother Baz. it's what she wanted. this never transpired before Baz died. so, the whole Frankenstein concept was to bring his brother back to life! and I suspect kinda honour his promise. The Ric was Baz's guitar and Frank is using it obviously for this project again to honour his brothers memory and I guess channel his brothers spirit.

[Dingus]

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1388336554' post='2320904']
She is pure filth. The video was hilarious she made with Leslie. He's a wrongun.
[/quote]

" Wrong 'un " indeed ! But let's not go there ...

Let's just say she is a young lady who knows how to get what she wants , and when she decides she wants a middle -aged toy boy who falls asleep on the sofa in front of Match Of The Day then I hope she has the necessary confidence to give me a call.

[xilddx]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1388414689' post='2321708']
seriously?

i would have thought that somebody who doesnt really care (edit: 'these days' ) that they look like they have just got out of bed after three days asleep and thrown on an old black tshirt , and his credentials as a musician/guitarist, the last thing he would be doing would be playing a ric as a fashion item

just my opinionion of course
[/quote]

He usually plays Cort, Tanglewood and Squier.

His Tanglewood acoustic sounds really nice actually.

[xilddx]

[quote name='EddyGlee' timestamp='1388419336' post='2321765']
Obviously?
The reason he's using the Ric is.. Frank promised his mother before she died that he'd make an album with his older brother Baz. it's what she wanted. this never transpired before Baz died. so, the whole Frankenstein concept was to bring his brother back to life! and I suspect kinda honour his promise. The Ric was Baz's guitar and Frank is using it obviously for this project again to honour his brothers memory and I guess channel his brothers spirit.
[/quote]

Ah, there you go, I didn't know the Rick was Baz's, thanks

Edited December 30, 2013 by xilddx