Do You Look Like A Musician?

[visa]

Musicians tend to be more self-expressive.

We're more likely to wear something different (black from head to toe, or light pastel colours) from the norm.

Frontmen tend to exude more charisma and self-confidence, and it shows in their dressing.

Others are more laidback but still have an element of comfort and style. As musicians we are more "chill" people, more likely to work in advertising or design or something creative- and even if we were a clerk in a boring office, we'd probably be the ones furthest from status quo.

In the end I don't think it's exactly the clothes you wear, but how you carry yourself that makes all the difference.

 

[kerplunk182]

I know James of Soft looks like a nerdy professor on his profile picture but in real life, he can pass off as a cool, Chinese rock bassist.

:mrgreen:

Orh! Later he ban you from coming to soft! Jkjk.

In the end I don't think it's exactly the clothes you wear, but how you carry yourself that makes all the difference.

Hell yeah!


I use to wear black from head to toe cause i was lazy to match it with anything. Then the hole in the ozone layer got bigger and Singapore got warmer than usual. So now the black t shirts are hardly touched and i'm starting to like white t shirts alot more than i did.

 

[theunknown]

haha. i dont think i look like a musicians. but some ppl think otherwise. my ex teacher thought im a singer after coming back to sec sch after a year. a new classmate of mine's first impression was me being a guitarist in a band. hahaha.

but think is, if i see a person wearing bermudas and middle length socks and shoes, i would think he is a drummer. hahah

 

[thebassplaya]

What most musicians in singapore dont realise is that to most audience, music is a form of entertainment. And when they see a live band, they want to be entertained. Sonically AND visually, simple as that. Even more so to the non-musicians who dont understand ur 220bpm scale runs. Can u imagine guns n roses without tatts,and blings and teh hair, and plays with their guitars up their neck?

Fashion is a big part of the ROCK music culture, whether you like it or not. The beatles have their bowl hair cuts. The punk rockers hav their mohawk. KISS have their makeup. The hair metal bands have their spandex. The emo bands have their eyeliners. The jap bands have their visual kei. So what now? So I suppose slash and yoshiki are all posers, no?

Of course, if you play classical music, funk, jazz fusion, progressive rock kinda thing. You're reaching to a different kind of audience who are probably musicans themselves and are purely there for the music. hence the more conservative dressing.

And to the dude who said that sg musicians 'try too hard'. where you got that from? I just see lots of insecure sg muscians who are too afraid to be labelled 'poseurs' that they just try to be as normal as possible. These are the same pepole who are too afraid to rock out and have fun on stage because they are afraid of looking 'retarded'....And whenever they see another band taking the effort to add some visual edge to their performance they will try to put them down by calling them names. Thats why I find most sg bands really boring to watch.

Just look at bands from other countries they will do anything to put on a good rock show, maybe we can learn a thing or two from them and stop getting conformed by the public's standards.

 

[Poolo]

=thebassplaya

I can't help it but ... +1 to this whole quote. "Mods should sticky this"

 

[Blodstyre]

I lsay I ook like a troll.....but people say i look like Johnny Depp. But oso gotch some ppl say I look like Jessica Alba. My family says i look like Gargamel while my cousins say I look like Baloo. whereas my colleagues says me look like Akazukin Cha Cha...




~meh~

 

[dir]

=Blodstyre

we need more pics, in the interest of science

 

[pedialite]

'wear' your guitar, bass, drums. you'll look like a musician trust me :X

 

[Blodstyre]

we need more pics, in the interest of science

Cannot, because I'm afraid to petrify you. I dun know how many scientists were petrified when studying my looks in the interest of science....




~meh~

 

[shaneypants]

I pay a lot of attention to what I wear. And I spend more on clothes than gear. I also happen to be a drummer in a band.

Am I a poseur?

If there isn't a basis for your judgements on someone, don't make one. It's not a crime to have a passion for music and fashion at the same time.

 

[dir]

Cannot, because I'm afraid to petrify you. I dun know how many scientists were petrified when studying my looks in the interest of science....




~meh~

who said anything about me being a scientist? and trust me, I like to be petrified. haha

 

[Booyaka619_REYMYSTERIO]

PussyCatDolls once said : "I don't give a, Keep looking at my Toot.'
Well thats one of my motto when i dress .

I go around Orchard wearing a Rey mysterio Mask and tights , ppl look at me , but i dun really care . Cause its not what you do , but how u do it.

Rey Mysterio 619 , yea Booyaka Booyaka Astambeaulo

 

[M.S GaXx]

PPl who make an effort to dress like musicians are posers. u should just be yourself, dress the way u want to. not to show off. cos thats just gay. i know alot of dwebby lookin ppl who are better musicians than those who dress up just to look 'cool'.

I seriously do not believe that you never show off that you're a musician.I mean thats part of being a musician isint it?? Why do you think bands like Guns'N'Roses and Motley Crue got famous??? Yea its because of their great music,and also partly because of their image!!! If your saying that people who aint musicians and dress up as musicians are posers,than i agree.But if you think musicians who dress like musicians are posers,than i disagree,cause that'll be contradicting your own identity.
As Michael Jackson once said,"I like little children,come all you children,follow uncle Michael to NeverLand!!!"
I guess that pretty much sums up m y thoughts. Good post tho,thebassplaya and booyaka

 

[visa]

well see here is where once again we see a line drawn between musician and entertainer.

You may never recognize a studio or session musician on the streets. A performer you will,
because a performer's got to have a healthy ego and that will reflect in the dressing.

 

[hecklerkoch]

+1 to this excellent post by thebassplaya. =)

If everybody tries to conform and 'don't look stupid or retarded', then the scene will look very, very dull indeed.

You can shred like you are from out of this planet, you can roll the drums till we can't see your hands, you can slap the freekin' bass till Flea bows at your feet and you can sing and move everybody but hell, if you don't look the least bit exciting - there's a high chance people will not remember or associate you with the wonderful music you churn out man!

Well, anyway my original post was about musicians dressing up or having any elements, in at least 80% of their time when they are out, in their dressing that are fashionable in the music sense. Of course, that's subjective but in the end it's about the attitude and the lifestyle they are living as musicians, as sort of non-conformists. I am just wondering only.

I do see a lot of our young ones do look very fashionable and trendy and makes me instantly wonder whether these people are musicians, especially those with dreadlocks, really long hair, and have a laid back and cool nature about them.

I mean you can aspire to be a musician all you want, but to me - being a musician is all about being a creative and be a creative is all about your attitude about how you think about and handle things and constantly look for reinventions and new ways to solve problems, so I just can't link the desire to live up to peoples' expectations and conform, to ultimately being a creative.

And whenever they see another band taking the effort to add some visual edge to their performance they will try to put them down by calling them names.

This is exactly what retards progress. You get people with extremely low self-esteem destroying morale like this. Due to fear and insecurity, we don't support one another and give encouragement but instead resort to childish name-callings.

 

[Gracia]

Dave Navarro vs Dave Mustaine

To keep it simple? Or Flashy?

 

[roninriot]

Just dress up the way that makes you happy. If dressing up like a rockstar makes you happy, do it. If it doesn't, then don't. It doesn't matter if a person thinks you're a poseur or the real deal - whichever you are, people can tell. So just be glad doing what makes you happy. In the end, no one is going to lead your life but yourself eh?

 

[hecklerkoch]

Yo, Levan.

Aren't you planning to tour Japan sometime soon or are you back already?

Well, personally I don't think it's as simple as you happy, you wear.

Just look at Japanese culture and Japanese fashion.

The youngsters are trendsetters for even the Western world.

Their overall attitude towards life is such that it reflects totally on their overall society's progress towards the future. Everyone knows about how the Japanese is in the forefront of technology, and their gadgets and ultra cool gizmos are real glimpses of the future.

It all boils down to their craving for all things new, all the time. Their constant quest for new and clever solutions to everyday problems. Their daring nature in experimenting purely for the sake of progress and intellectual development. The constant rejuvenation of processes and habits, in the name of moving forward.

In other words, fashion has got a lot to do with how a particular society works and perceives itself. Some foreigner friends I know constantly lament out loud the fact that the overall fashion and attitude towards self-image and aesthetics in Singapore, is quite dismal and uninspiring indeed.

Part of it has something to do with the hot and humid weather here, the lack of places to strut your stuff and show off, but we agree a lot has to with the fact that the typical average Singaporean has a perennial fear of standing out and being thrown funny looks by their fellow Singaporeans. We are all very self-conscious and worry a lot about how others look at us.

So, where has that brought us and where will it lead us, at least the young ones, to with this kind of mentality where you emphasize so much on 'face'?

Just take the Apple iPod as an example. You think normal design engineers will invent the amazing click wheel that is synonymous with the iPod if everyone continues thinking like the people at Microsoft and focus on what they think everybody wants, and not what is needed to move forward and invent new, exciting technologies? Now the ubiquitous click wheel design is practically everywhere, at least in the shape. So many MP3 player makers shamelessly copy the circle shape and plonk them on their MP3 players just so that people who cannot afford iPods think that their MP3 players are good enough because they resemble iPods.

So, back to the local music scene and the fashion that accompanies it - marketing 101 will tell you that if you want to be remembered - you have to stand out and look different from the rest. Even Warren Buffet, one of the richest man in the world, says that for companies to be successful in the long run, they have to occupy a space in the mind. As simple as that.

It's all about credibility and how a human being perceives something. A visual association that is strong is always more easy to remember, don't you agree?

This may be hard to answer but do you guys think that the reputation of local musicians and the perception of local music will change for the better if we all make effort to look like we are serious about music, that we are serious about reinventions, about being creative? Do you think people will perceive us as more credible if we make effort to look at least like Western musicians on stage that everybody idolizes? That the fact that our attitude and passion towards music pours out to our everyday life?

Yeah, maybe this is a bit controversial lah but I am just wondering.

Of course you can't really change anything by dressing a little bit more interestingly when you go out normally, as asked by me in my first post, but do you think our musicians, no matter indie or mainstream, could do a little bit better in the fashion and image department? Do you think Singaporeans themselves should make a little bit more effort to dress up, rather than being in T-shirts and jeans, long-sleeved shirt with tie, all the time?

Remember, in the end - it is about the attitude and mentality. If we are afraid to dress up just a little bit, how are we going to try out new things and experiment?

:-D

 

[AEnimic]

Just dress up the way that makes you happy. If dressing up like a rockstar makes you happy, do it. If it doesn't, then don't. It doesn't matter if a person thinks you're a poseur or the real deal - whichever you are, people can tell. So just be glad doing what makes you happy. In the end, no one is going to lead your life but yourself eh?

Cheers to that. As most of us are rock and metal enthusiasts, might as well do what you want to do...rather than be too self-conscious. However there are certain times that you become too self-indulgent. But yeah, whatever floats your SS Rockstar.

 

[Gracia]

Or, as quoted from someone else, SS Ego