Does a musician's death move you?

[essexbasscat]

Just answered another posting here today and said 'I get emotional just thinking about it'

That got me thinking further about times when musical events had moved me, deeply.

I can still recall that awful morning when I heard that John Lennon had died. The memory of that morning still has the power to make me sad, even now, to be honest. Something to do with the loss of further potential Beatles stuff etc

And yet, when I spoke with others at the time, some said "Oh, he's just a musician. What's so sad about that" ?

At the time, I did wonder if it was just me over - reacting. By the way, I'm not generally an over - emotional person.

Have similar events moved you ? or are you not moved by such things ?

Are we musicians an emotional bunch at heart really ?

share, share, share please

Edited January 8, 2010 by essexbasscat

[lemmywinks]

I was moved when Rick Wright died, Floyd were a very influential band for me and i spent a lot of my musical youth engrossed in their stuff, particularly the Saurcerful/Meddle/Pompeii/Darkside era. I always liked Wright, sat there quietly coming up with the goods from album to album, dignified amidst all the bickering, should have been a bass player really!

[bumnote]

I guess if the musician has emotionally touched you its likely you will be upset on their death
I wept when Lennon and Karen Carpenter died but not Jimi or Elvis

I think its good to let your emotions go I used to be the british stiff upper lip but i got out of that years ago

[garethox]

Lennon, Mercury, Entwistle, Cobain, Moon. All emotional times... if these guys don't mean anything to you personally then the response you quote is understandable; but if they mean the world to you - then it's deeply emotional.... for me anyways......
A lot of the time with this type of thing it's the shock of the event I think - especially Lennon and Cobain and even Entwistle to some extent, but the violence of John and Kurt's deaths make them more shocking I think.
I don't know if being a musician makes us more emotional - I guess some can just emote more than others whatever walk of life you're in?
The older I get the more I'm happy to 'let go'...

Edited January 8, 2010 by garethox

[velvetkevorkian]

Nope. That said, not many of my musical idols have died, but I don't get attached to them like a lot of people seem to.

[Conan]

Its nearly a year since John Martyn died, and I was really upset by that. Not least due to annoyance at myself! He had just played in Newcastle in the November and I didn't bother going as I thought the ticket prices were a bit steep. Now I'll never get the chance to see him...

I still remember the day in 1991 when I heard that Freddie Mercury had died. Empty, hollow, numb.... I never knew him or even met him, but Queen's music had been a massive part of my life for over 10 years by then. Just so sad knowing that there would be no further [b]Queen[/b] music recorded. For me, "Queen" without Freddie is just not the real deal.

I don't recall being very affected by the death of many other musicians...

EDIT: Except Phil Lynott!!

Edited January 8, 2010 by Conan

[Merton]

19 years to the day since Steve Clark died, I'd say yes. He, Cobain, Layne Staley, Entwhistle amongst many are ones whose deaths I can remember and know exactly where I was and how I found out. Not moved to tears, but moved to remember on anniversaries.

[chris_b]

I wouldn't be moved as such, but I'd be a little sad if I felt they had more to give. I didn't see much more coming from Lennon, Elvis or James Brown, but the death of Hendrix and Peter Green's situation was a shame. Otis Redding and Stevie Ray Vaughn were on a roll which also made their deaths more of a loss.

[Earbrass]

I think the only time I've felt emotionally upset at the death of someone I didn't know personally was when John Peel died - and that was more about missing him from R4's Home Truths than for anything to do with music.

[bumfrog]

not sad, but the deaths of elliot smith and matthew jay shocked me.

[SteveK]

If you grow up listening to a musician, have their posters on your bedroom walls, eagerly await their next release, read any articles/biogs to do with them - then there is the (false) feeling (but nevertheless, a feeling) that you somehow kind of know them. To me, it's quite understandable to feel moved by the death of an influential (in a personal sense) musician/artist. If you feel emotional about it, fine. If you don't, fine also.

Wouldn't say musicians are any more emotional than the next person.

[JTUK]

Shocked at Jeff Pocaro's death and sad that Richard Tee died
They are a big miss, IMV..and had so much more to give.

Upset is too strong a word, probably..but it is a shame..

[Jigster]

Still hard to believe Joe Strummer is gone - when you look at photos of him it's like they were taken yesterday - altho over 30 years ago, he has a contemporary charisma that doesn't feel out of place or aged.

[wateroftyne]

Rick Danko. Rick Wright.

Gutted when they went.

[ezbass]

I remember being gutted when Paul Kossof died as he was a hero of mine back then. I certainly think it's sad when anyone dies before their time, but I'm not moved like I was when I was younger. Does increased age equal an decrease in emotion?

[Jerry_B]

I think it's a shame if anyone you admire dies. Perhaps musicians dying just taps into you more if you're a musician too. Quite alot of bands I like seem to have a quite high mortality rate. Stiv Bator (Lords of the New Church), Razzle (Hanoi Rocks), Johnny Thunders (The New York Dolls), to name but a few.

The comedian Denis Leary has done some funny stuff about the [i]wrong[/i] musicians dying:

'Every time you hear about some famous guy overdosing on drugs, it's always some really talented guy. It's always like Len Bias, or Janis Joplin, or Jimi Hendrix, or John Belushi. You know what I mean? The people you wanna have overdose on drugs never would! Like Motley Crue would never f*cking overdose man, never! '

'Stevie Ray Vaughan is dead, and we can't get Jon Bon Jovi onto a f*cking helicopter!'

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='ezbass' post='705449' date='Jan 8 2010, 01:37 PM']I remember being gutted when Paul Kossof died as he was a hero of mine back then. I certainly think it's sad when anyone dies before their time, but I'm not moved like I was when I was younger. Does increased age equal an decrease in emotion?[/quote]

Perhaps decreased hormone levels as we age leads to greater emotional stability ? Could equally be life experience. Or maybe still a silly old G*t so far down the pike !

Edited January 8, 2010 by essexbasscat

[thepurpleblob]

I'm quite a philosophical person I suppose and I tend to take deaths like this in the same way. The big names like Elvis, Lennon even Michael Jackson although all sad meant very little to me personally. But I suppose I've been more affected by people whose music has made a difference to me. Certainly Joe Strummer was a shock because I had never seen him live - and always intended to of course. As someone else said, I am in the happy position of most of my musical idols still being with us.

At least Joe got a railway loco named after him

Edited January 8, 2010 by thepurpleblob

[MythSte]

Fortunately, none of my idols have passed yet. But im sure they will, Just looking at some of my favourite artists ageing saddens me

[garethox]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='705483' date='Jan 8 2010, 02:05 PM']I'm quite a philosophical person I suppose and I tend to take deaths like this in the same way. The big names like Elvis, Lennon even Michael Jackson although all sad meant very little to me personally. But I suppose I've been more affected by people whose music has made a difference to me. Certainly Joe Strummer was a shock because I had never seen him live - and always intended to of course. As someone else said, I am in the happy position of most of my musical idols still being with us.

At least Joe got a railway loco named after him
[/quote]

One of my regrets? Joe supported The Who at Manchester on their 2000 tour... where did I spend his set? At the bloody bar with him playing 'Rock the Casbah' in the background! Damn!

[fatback]

i'm afraid no death moves me if i don't know the person. lack of imagination? I don't know.

What i do know is that as you get older (lots of peeps say this) you have to admit to a small sense of relief that the person who's died isn't you.

[Jigster]

[quote name='garethox' post='705528' date='Jan 8 2010, 02:33 PM']One of my regrets? Joe supported The Who at Manchester on their 2000 tour... where did I spend his set? At the bloody bar with him playing 'Rock the Casbah' in the background! Damn![/quote]


saw him with the mascelros (sp?) in Wolverhampton some years ago - he was great, knew the crowd was full of 'oldies' and kept urging everyone on saying "come on you still got it!" - he had/still has his doubters but was a proper rock n roll star - unlike some pretenders riding his coat tails today..IMHO

[Shaggy]

Definitely, especially those three in the OP title, also Ian Curtis (Joy Division) who I'd seen play Eric's in Liverpool just a couple of months earlier, and John McGeogh (Magazine, Banshees)

The night George Harrison died (was it the night?) I woke up with "My sweet Lord" running through my head. Spooky.

[essexbasscat]

[quote name='fatback' post='705561' date='Jan 8 2010, 03:02 PM']i'm afraid no death moves me if i don't know the person. lack of imagination? I don't know.

What i do know is that as you get older (lots of peeps say this) you have to admit to a small sense of relief that the person who's died isn't you.[/quote]


Someone once said "if I'm not in the obituaries when I read the morning paper, I'm ahead"

and

Winston Churchill. "This wallpaper is terrible. One of us has to go".

T

[Cat Burrito]

When famous people die I don't like the sometimes uncontrollable public grief that goes with it these days but individuals who have influenced me or who I admire obviously make me feel a little sad. I remember Johnny Thunders going who was my hero as a kid but he was a walking time bomb anyhow. I was saddened at the end of the last century when Rick Danko & Curtis Mayfield went.

Equally though even when the likes of Stephen Gately die (of whom I don't like his music) I do feel sad for his friends & family. It's sad when anyone dies but I do find it strange when you see masses of people sobbing uncontrollably for someone they've never met.