A few years ago, I was at a Decemberists show. (By the way, their music might sound weird and nerdy on recordings, but they are amazing live.) Anyway, I was in the front row right under the stage, and there was a guy near me wearing a shirt that said “Who the hell is Stephen Malkmus.” During a break between songs, lead singer Colin Meloy (who had been keeping up a lively rapport with the audience) looked at the guy with the shirt and said, “Who the hell is Stephen Malkmus. Hmm. So who is Stephen Malkmus?” I was shocked that the front man of one of the most popular indie acts of the time was unaware of the lead singer of Pavement.
I mean, I’d expect someone like Meloy, whose knowledge of history is vast and whose musical background seems extremely diverse, to know who Stephen Malkmus is. It’s not like I lost respect for him or anything, I was just surprised.
I’ve always wondered how much popular musicians know about other music. I obviously know there’s no clear cut answer to this, that it varies from person to person, and that you’d have to individually ask or interview musicians to get any kind of answer. Despite being deeply into music, I don’t read any music magazines, so I know very little about the personal tastes of musicians. I have heard that Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, for instance, basically think that all new music sucks (if this is true, I would really like to sit down with them and play them some new music that doesn’t suck.) Are they basing their opinions on corporate radio music, or have they listened to indie and alternative rock and still made that same judgment? Are aging music icons of the 60s insulating themselves from new music, or are they aware of the new indie scene? *(Aside: I hate the word indie as much as Harlan Ellison hates the word ‘sci-fi.’ It makes me think of simpering wusses with black framed glasses who like Bright Eyes. It’s an over-inclusive, scatter-shot term to describe music that varies as much as any other genre, so I hate it, but I have to use it because it’s still the best term to use in reference to the overall scene.) *Does Paul McCartney listen to Pavement? (For that matter, is he a fan of the Sex Pistols?) I’ve heard that David Bowie is a fan of Grandaddy (that makes me like him even more.) Are pop-country musicians like Toby Keith aware of the Drive By Truckers and Calexico?
I know this is a weird question that’s hard to answer in a focused way, but it’s just something I’ve always wondered. Does anyone here who’s read more interviews and music articles than I have care to share anything?
It’s possible he didn’t recognize the name Stephen Malkmus even if he was familiar with band Pavement. There are some fans who just want to listen to the music and there are other fans who want to know about the personal lives of the band members.
I know Tom Waits kept up with popular music through his children. He loves Bjork (who makes some similar musical choices to his own, come to think of it), and his son Casey (also Tom’s drummer) got him to appreciate hip-hop. Starting with 2004’s Real Gone, Tom has incorporated beat-boxing effects, record scratching, tape loops, and other sounds and effects inspired by hip-hop into his music. He seems astute enough of a musician to pay attention to what’s out there for his own edification, although I can’t imagine him liking most of it.
I think bands that come from very specific scenes and subgenres are more likely to know and appreciate fellow bands, considering they will be touring together, signed to the same small labels, playing the same clubs to the same crowds, occasionally sharing members, and so forth – especially when you take very scene-oriented music like ska, rockabilly, surf, alt-country, and true punk rock. “Indie rock” from a larger perspective seems to be a lot more elitist and cliquish (thanks to websites like Pitchfork Media and the OP’s stereotypical indie rock fans), to the point where bands may actually have rivalries or consider themselves in competition.
The indie world runs a pretty wide gamut, but I’d say most of them are pretty aware. I’ve heard a lot of musicians say that since they spend so much of their time making their own music and touring behind it that they don’t spend much of their free time listening to or reading about music. But most of them seem to be aware of what’s out there.
As for bigger musicians, I’d say that runs a pretty wide range as well.
I’d say there is about a 0% chance that Colin Meloy didn’t/doesn’t know who Stephen Malkmus is.
There is so much out there - who the heck knows? I would suspect that Meloy was kidding around; in the circles the D’s run in, Pavement is a pretty big deal.
I remember when the Stones came out with their last album, the first single was Anybody Seen my Baby. Basically, the chorus was a note-for-note rip off of K.D. Lang’s Constant Craving - a huge worldwide hit, to my knowledge. Mick claimed he had never heard it - and the band had to scramble and give co-songwriting credit to CC’s writers to cover themselves…