lately, i've been doing some thinking. the rock n roll image is fading in many facets. given there are still plenty of drugged-out, alcoholic, man whores out there thrashing the stage and all, but things have cooled down a little bit. and this little fact brings a little quirky smile to my face. thinking of three of my favorite band-leaders and their newly sober albums. this is late, but it's never to late to take notice. i don't think.
conor oberst
conor cleared up over a year ago, released cassadaga last spring, and went on tour for the rest of last year. cassadaga happens to be one of my favorite bright eyes albums. the lyrics paint a million pictures inside your head. i felt engulfed in my own mental movie.
jeff tweedy
tweedy and his cohorts, wilco, realeased my favorite album from them last year: sky blue sky. his newfound sobriety undoubtedly had no negative effect on the end-outcome of his work. though he pretty much dropped his use of metaphor, but in a sense, it made the lyrics better. they're just so open and honest. i love this album so much.
ryan adams
this man had one of the worst reputations in the biz. i'd heard his concerts were out-of-hand and he refused to be open in interviews - not to say that he was supposed to be open, for that's an artist's prerogative. but ryan also cleaned up, released easy tiger, and did some touring. ha, he even wrote an apologetic song to the interviewer with whom he first established his reputation. and ryan boasts that this is the album that he's been wanting to make this whole time. touche, sir.
i'm not saying congratulations are in order. i'm not saying sobriety made their stuff better or worse. hell, i'm not even being opinionated on anything but their music - because beyond that, i've no true connection with them. just a simple pointing out.
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