This is an interview with Julian Lennon from March 18th 1999 with Dini Petty. He speaks of his new album, his TRUE feelings of Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Paul M...
Seriously, she might have. Back in the 60s she was into the extreme ends of performance art/counterculture (it would all be considered mild today) but I have no doubt she has influenced artists like Velvet Underground and Laurie Anderson and even Warhol: they were all part of the New York art scene and they all played off each other, even when their “art” was of different genres.
But there’s another factor involved, and I’m not being facetious: part of making art is the deliberate and very difficult act of ceasing to self-censor, to not silence your creativity with judgement, to not worry about how good something you produce is until it’s out of you and complete. I think in that regard Yoko Ono has something to offer every vocalist of ALL skill levels, including my chihuahua.
You have the right idea. To most people a lot of the stuff she paved way for and influenced in some way or the other, directly or indirectly in more experimental music scenes, probably still sounds awful. And it’s not like this cult of personality thing people tend to have with hit and hip bands like The Beatles, but more about the whole scene and movement. She was involved with a lot of cool people back in the day - hell she was involved with Fluxus and if she didn’t do anything else at all that’s a big enough of a merit in it’s own right.
The Japanese noise scene would definitely not be the same, Yamataka Eye and his work with Hanatarash, pre-‘Super æ’ Boredoms, Naked City, is vocally very similar. Yoko is just as much proto-noise/japanoise as Black Sabbath is proto-metal.
As lowly as Diamanda Galás speaks of her (Galás says that she can’t sing, which is true, but it really is beside the point), I’d be hard pressed to believe she wasn’t at least indirectly paving the way for her work. Hell they both draw from free jazz and both collaborated with Ornette Coleman.
Members of Sonic Youth have said she has influenced them, Thruston even did a track for ‘Rising Mixes’ (a la Ono’s ‘Rising’ album) that featured, and Kim has been even more vocal about her. On the same album you can find Tricky (Massive Attack) and Ween as well. Ween has talked about her on at least one occasion. You can find quotes from Mike Watt of Minutemen and fIREHOSE talk very highly of her. Iggy Pop is apparently also a fan, which doesn’t really surprise me. Björk?
And then finally for one very much direct and clearl influence: Dagmar Krause of Art Bears. There are times she sounds a little too similar, but to as much it does with Yamataka Eye and Diamanda Galás, they did it better. It’s not like she’s single-handedly made bands like Sonic Youth form their sound or anything. Influence can be more than just bands going “hey that sounds cool, let’s do that, but like, in our own way”.
Velvet Underground and Laurie Anderson I’d fathom as well and you put some of my thoughts (and many of these people’s thoughts) nicely into words with that second paragraph. Especially considering the work of groups like Fluxus, among others.
I’m trying to be as coherent as possible I haven’t slept in a couple of days.
Seriously, she might have. Back in the 60s she was into the extreme ends of performance art/counterculture (it would all be considered mild today) but I have no doubt she has influenced artists like Velvet Underground and Laurie Anderson and even Warhol: they were all part of the New York art scene and they all played off each other, even when their “art” was of different genres.
But there’s another factor involved, and I’m not being facetious: part of making art is the deliberate and very difficult act of ceasing to self-censor, to not silence your creativity with judgement, to not worry about how good something you produce is until it’s out of you and complete. I think in that regard Yoko Ono has something to offer every vocalist of ALL skill levels, including my chihuahua.
You have the right idea. To most people a lot of the stuff she paved way for and influenced in some way or the other, directly or indirectly in more experimental music scenes, probably still sounds awful. And it’s not like this cult of personality thing people tend to have with hit and hip bands like The Beatles, but more about the whole scene and movement. She was involved with a lot of cool people back in the day - hell she was involved with Fluxus and if she didn’t do anything else at all that’s a big enough of a merit in it’s own right.
The Japanese noise scene would definitely not be the same, Yamataka Eye and his work with Hanatarash, pre-‘Super æ’ Boredoms, Naked City, is vocally very similar. Yoko is just as much proto-noise/japanoise as Black Sabbath is proto-metal.
As lowly as Diamanda Galás speaks of her (Galás says that she can’t sing, which is true, but it really is beside the point), I’d be hard pressed to believe she wasn’t at least indirectly paving the way for her work. Hell they both draw from free jazz and both collaborated with Ornette Coleman.
Members of Sonic Youth have said she has influenced them, Thruston even did a track for ‘Rising Mixes’ (a la Ono’s ‘Rising’ album) that featured, and Kim has been even more vocal about her. On the same album you can find Tricky (Massive Attack) and Ween as well. Ween has talked about her on at least one occasion. You can find quotes from Mike Watt of Minutemen and fIREHOSE talk very highly of her. Iggy Pop is apparently also a fan, which doesn’t really surprise me. Björk?
And then finally for one very much direct and clearl influence: Dagmar Krause of Art Bears. There are times she sounds a little too similar, but to as much it does with Yamataka Eye and Diamanda Galás, they did it better. It’s not like she’s single-handedly made bands like Sonic Youth form their sound or anything. Influence can be more than just bands going “hey that sounds cool, let’s do that, but like, in our own way”.
Velvet Underground and Laurie Anderson I’d fathom as well and you put some of my thoughts (and many of these people’s thoughts) nicely into words with that second paragraph. Especially considering the work of groups like Fluxus, among others.
I’m trying to be as coherent as possible I haven’t slept in a couple of days.
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