MUSIC HISTORY: Little Known Facts

Many of the reports about performers in tribal societies document their reputation for deviant behavior, in his ethnography of the Trobriand Islanders, Malinowski (1925) reported that a well known singer was said to be engaging in sexual relations with his sister, a violation of the incest taboo, punishable by death. However, the villagers excused his behavior saying, in effect, "You know how musicians are".

Human societies everywhere had well developed notions about musicians; none o which were very respectful. Dr. Boles writes that in Germany during the Middle Ages a hierarchy among musicians was well established. Trumpet players held the top position because they were usually in the service of a nobleman and provided grand entrances and other fanfares. Musicians who traveled to various courts, or who served a particular royal court, enjoyed more prestige than the wandering street musicians. Unattached indie musicians were considered to be outside society altogether. In India, those who played wind instruments were thought to be the dregs of society, "...only a Sudra, a low caste, and outcastes may play wind instruments as the act of blowing on the instrument makes a high caste individual impure, and therefore, defiled." It's apparent, from these two variations alone, that the status of musicians was not left up to chance. Social leaders gave considerable thought the matter.

In the 19th Century, things began to change. The public developed interest in going to fairs, circuses, plays, and tossing coins to street performers. As the Century progressed, more and more entertainers came from middle class families; were not abandoned as children, were not alcoholics, handicapped or born to impoverished families, as was common in earlier times. By mid-century, Stars emerged in the entertainment business. We still support the star-system. Celebrities are paid well, supported, and loved with blind devotion. However, we are not concerned with celebrities here. They are the people who, in the past, would have had a connection to royalty and that association significantly enhanced their station in the social order, which it still does. Moreover, this change did not seem to apply to indie musicians as much as it did other subdivisions of the entertainment world. It seems no one expected anything from musicians except that they ‘ keep their place’ and make music.

THE BAD-BOY/GIRL MYSTIQUE

Because of the historical attitude toward musicians generally, it's no wonder that the bad-boy/girl mystique has come to be a standard image for musicians. It is also easy to see why musicians have deliberately donned bad-boy/girl personas. Some have defiantly rationalized, "If that's what they think of me, I'll show 'em!" We admire the bad-boy or the bad-girl; they are worshiped because they are not conventional people. They are exotic, unpredictable, surprising, and deviant. It's true that people involved in the arts are often headstrong, individualistic and non-conformist but these qualities are not abnormal, deviant or despicable. These qualities are often admired in other professions.

Ultimately, the bad-boy/girl guise is a marketing trick. It is so popular and immediately accepted that when it's done in tune with the current culture,
it can bring fame and fortune. A good example is Madonna performing on stage in her underwear. The marketing-mask is all we see. For those indie musicians who do not want to cultivate that mystique, who are inherently shy, who just want to do what they love, or who want recognition for their music and not an assumed identity, then it's a long hard climb. Being a working musician is not an easy life. Any form of entertainment is challenging to individuals as well as their families. In addition, most Indie Musicians have to earn their money in some other occupation so they have to work twice as hard as everyone else.