Back in the day, musicians could go about their daily business without ever having to stray too close to the unwashed plebs who bought their records. Sure, most bands pretended to love their fans, but you can bet they wouldn't have had them around for tea.
Ever since internet culture revolutionised the music industry and bands like the Libertines trashed the divide between band and fan, though, it's no longer possible to avoid your public. YouTube messages, secret gigs, and blogs all form part of this newfound chumminess. And when it comes to blogs, the best ones are those that don't just inform, but invite interaction ...
I need your help! I'd like to get interesting support acts from the locality of each concert & thought maybe you might have some suggestions. I know you guys have impeccable taste so I'll trust you not to recommend any stinkers. Oh, & you'll have to be quick about it 'cos the first concert is on the 18th!
Yes, if you're going to see Jarvis Cocker this month in Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg, Copenhagen or Stockholm then now is your chance to get a big break for that "challenging" Danish prog-funk outfit you've always banged on about. Although, of course, you'll have to compete with the 348 comments already up there. Jarv has also been poorly with suspected "post-Xmas depression" this week, but apparently there's already a doctor on the case so he won't be inviting fans to suggest alternative herbal remedies.
I was very pleased with myself cos I didn't get a boner. And I felt like I'd done drugs afterwards. CLEAN DRUGS!
Ok, ok, so maybe this doesn't sound like the kind of blog you'd want to interact with. But Brit-hopper Akira The Don has been doing more than just getting a massage this week. He's also flogging his "massive Keystation 88 Pro One keyboard" on eBay and fans are getting a tip-off.
Elsewhere, oddball indie bird watchers British Sea Power show some fan-love not by flogging anything to them but simply by displaying an intimate knowledge of who their fans are. The answer, in case you're wondering, is intelligent music fans with a penchant for the yellow wagtail. This week's MySpace posting points readers in the direction of a JG Ballard site and another, which informs them of all the latest news on Rutland ospreys.
Oh, and what about good old Ricky Kaisers Wilson? Last week you may remember he made a new year's resolution to start writing a blog. Well in the grand tradition of 99.99% of all internet blogs (including my own) he hasn't bothered updating it yet. Tune in next week to see how this fascinating will he/won't he saga develops ...
