Band pictures, the douchebag look.

Cafe Society
1

What is up with bands who never smile in pictures? They try to look serious.
I call it the douchebag look.

This is an example of the douchebag look…
http://www.citypages.com/photoGallery/index/1516055/0/

The first guy on the left looks like someone who wants to kill somebody.

The next guy has a kind of a “get off my lawn” look.

The middle guy (I guess the lead singer) wants to give off a power look, but comes off, looking like a douche.

The girl is cute, almost wants to smile.

The guy on the right is the only one who looks relaxed and not douchey. “I’m the fun guy in the band.” This guy is important, because he offsets everyone else and breaks the tension. Hey, we are a band.

Here is a picture of Pink Floyd. Come on guys, you are richer than the Queen!
http://trcs.wikispaces.com/file/view/Pink_Floyd.jpg/43390415/Pink_Floyd.jpg

The Who was kind of half and half.
http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&newwindow=1&q=the%20who&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1327&bih=722

Compare this to Van Halen. I, and a billion other people loved the old David Lee Roth Van Halen. Why? Because these guys were having fun, making shitloads of money and were living the life.

http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/general/view.bg?articleid=1040706

2

  • I agree, that flat look gets tiresome

  • From their perspective, as a musician, having to have a “look” and to know how to handle yourself on photo shoots is hard. You cycle through stages of being excited that photos are even necessary, to realizing that they are part of the essential slog and grind of managing your “brand” to feeling inundated by picture-takers, etc. For musicians, especially those that are hoping to have an ounce of credibility in their reputations (even if they are just deluding themselves) it is just easier to give your “not engage” face - there’s an outside chance a teenager will think you’re deep, or at least not playing the photo game…

…but most of us will likely think you’re a douchebag…
As for DLR - David Lee Roth is a showman; he didn’t aspire to credibility; he knows that there are smart things to do if you are going to be PT Barnum…and looking like you are having a good time at the circus sideshow is one of them.

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Here’s a whole gallery of hundreds (thousands?) of such douchebags:

http://www.rockandrollconfidential.com/hall/index.php

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Obligatory link: http://hotchickswithdouchebags.com

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To be fair, Alex Van Halen is rocking the douchebag look in a serious way, there.

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