When I was a kid my mind was blown by a BBC-TV series on PBS called Connections. Science historian James Burke used an interdisciplinary approach to examine how seemingly disparate discoveries, inventions, and historical events were in fact connected to one another, and how these connections helped shape the modern world today. It was a hugely informative and entertaining program and it helped me make a connection of my own that informed my approach to listening, appreciating and playing music in my early teens. It was this TV show and a Steve Harris interview in a magazine that set me on a path that I continue on today and encourage others to tread as well.
Like many of us I was a regular reader of guitar-centric magazines and as a huge Iron Maiden fan (up the Iron’s!) I inhaled any interview or article I could get my hands on that featured anyone in the band. Founding member, songwriter and bassist Steve Harris was relating a story in an interview about the music he listened to and his influences when he was younger. Just like me, he had a denim vest with a favorite album, painted on the back. What album cover was it? Genesis, Foxtrot. Now like any kid in the 1980’s I knew who Phil Collins was and his band Genesis, at least I thought I did until I found out my metal hero was a fan because let’s face it, aside from being British, there was nothing to suggest to me that there could be any possible connection between these two bands!
So what did I do? I bought a cassette copy of Foxtrot and cassette in hand I examined the cover and tried to imagine a young Steve Harris wearing a denim jacket with this painted on the back. I went home, popped in the cassette and was greeted with the sound of Tony Banks’ mellotron intro to Track I, Watcher of the Skies. I had no idea what to expect and besides the novelty of the music, I learned that Phil Collins was playing drums on this record and Peter Gabriel (Shock the Monkey Peter Gabriel? Yeah, that one) was the lead singer.
Before the days of the internet this was not easily Google-able information. Commercial radio and MTV were not going to help so the connections I made took a little effort, were valuable and surprising to me. The really valuable lesson was learning to explore and try to appreciate my influences influences. Steve Harris was a fan of early Genesis progressive-rock and while I was young teen that was a mystery to me but the connection is clear to me now. By acting on that impulse I re-visited some of the prog-rock that was on rock radio in the 70’s when I was really a little kid; bands like Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, King Crimson and Jethro Tull. Along the way I became a huge Yes fan so not only did I learn about my influences influences, I opened my ears up to a whole genre of music.
A more obvious example of looking for connections and the music I was exposed to by exploring them were the British Invasion bands. The debt they owe to American bluesman like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, or the Led Zepplin and Willie Dixon connection, etc. is well known and I’m definitely a better guitar player for being aware of this. A Wiki or Google search can answer anything and everything these days so the hard part isn’t coming up with the answer, it’s coming up with the right question. By digging into the music my favorite musicians listened to I’m able to appreciate their creative output from another perspective and get a better handle on what inspires and influences that creativity.
Finally, deconstruct the bands you listen to or even the ones you don’t but are so big and famous you’ve heard of them. “Supergroups” go back to at least The Yardbirds and Cream but today’s supergroups have pedigrees that may surprise you if you dig into them. A colleague of mine didn’t know that Vivian Campbell was Dio’s guitar player before Def Leppard recruited him. The albums Holy Diver and Last in Line were badass and took on a new meaning for him. Start looking at and taking note of album’s producers when you want to take it to the next level. Exploring the web of seemingly disparate connections and influences can de-mystify the business of making music and give you a peak behind the curtain. When you get in touch with some reality beyond the gilded cage, it’s easy to see all the players are real people just like you. Ask away! Dig deep! You might be surprised and learn something!
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