A Cult of Personaility

October 14, 2009 2:48 PM

Living Colour, the pioneering African-American funk rock band, released a new album last month. Perhaps the band's most poignant moment was at their comeback show in 2001 when they played American Skin (41 Shots) to protest the shooting of Amadou Diallo, a black man shot by the NYPD. In addition, they are responsible for one of the most seriously shredding guitar solos of all time.
posted by elder18 (82 comments total)

I always thought of them as a not-as-interesting version of Faith No More.

True story: In grad school I was in the TA office (shared among 11 TAs) going on about how amazing Bad Brains were and extolling them as a rare example of black punks, and this other TA says "what about Living Colour? They're black and they play hardcore punk." Reminds me of 20somethings who think Cheap Trick were "punk."
posted by ethnomethodologist at 2:57 PM on October 14, 2009 [6 favorites]

Whenever I hear that blacks have to be better than whites to earn the same recognition, I think of these guys. Monster chops.

"New Jack Theme"
posted by Joe Beese at 3:01 PM on October 14, 2009

I could never stand Bad Brains back in the day. Perhaps I’m old enough to appreciate them now?

Also! Two things about Living Colour I cherish.

1. Vernon Reid’s Kawasaki pants. I have searched high and low for an identical pair despite the fact they’re obviously leather. I repeat: Vernon Reid’s Kawasaki pants.
2. They were one of the first U.S. bands with captioned music videos, which I played a small part in.

posted by joeclark at 3:04 PM on October 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Related
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 3:07 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Whenever I hear that blacks have to be better than whites to earn the same recognition, I think of these guys. Monster chops.

I don't understand... Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye

It's hardly like African American musicians are suffering from lack of recognition.
posted by KokuRyu at 3:12 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Saw them play in a tiny venue on Temple's campus in maybe 1988. It was insanely loud and they were great. Does Corey Glover still wear BodyGlove stuff on stage?
posted by fixedgear at 3:12 PM on October 14, 2009

I always thought of them as a not-as-interesting version of Faith No More.

I realize this isn't meant as a flattering comparison, but there's a lot to it -- I think it's pretty easy to compare Corey Glover to Mike Patton, in terms of both being vocalists with HUGE VOICES and superhuman range. If Living Colour isn't as interesting, that's probably because most ostensibly mainstream bands kind of aren't; I'm having a hard time coming up with a parallel between Angel Dust and really anything else of its era. Living Colour is certainly a less experimental band, is what I'm saying here, but so are most bands.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:13 PM on October 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

American Skin (41 Shots) Living Colour, Montreux Jazz Festival 2001 (with annoying "Montreaux Jazz live" voiceover).
posted by wemayfreeze at 3:15 PM on October 14, 2009

I hate to admit I'm loving the addition of the Sony/BMG catalog to the eMusic catalog. I think I'll pick me up greatest hits album from Living Colour AND Cheap Trick next month (take that, ethnomethodologist!)
posted by nanojath at 3:15 PM on October 14, 2009

I saw them at the State Theater in Kalamazoo in, I believe 93. Same month, Concrete Blonde and Nirvana, all, strangely, on their last tours. Living Colour remains the best live show I've ever seen. They were a fantastically talented band, and I'm thrilled to see them back. I've been meaning to track down their various solo albums.

Plus, Corey Glover was in Platoon. What more do you need?
posted by Ghidorah at 3:17 PM on October 14, 2009

While I've never been much of a fan of the games, I kind of love the fact that Guitar Hero 3 introduced a whole new generation to Living Colour and that they rerecorded Cult of Personality specifically for the game.

And while Cult is easily the most recognizable of their work, Elvis is Dead and This is the Life remain my favorites.

And Type.

And Love Rears Its Ugly Head.

And What's Your Favorite Color?

Shit, they're all good.

But seriously, This is the Life... god damn I love that song.
posted by quin at 3:19 PM on October 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

Living Colour is certainly a less experimental band,

Sure, than Faith No More? No questions. But when compared to almost any other band? They experimented in a ton of different styles just within their first two albums. It's one of the reasons I always really liked their work, they were a bit like Queen in that they'd take a stab at any musical style make a game effort at creating a really sold track using it.
posted by quin at 3:23 PM on October 14, 2009

I realize this isn't meant as a flattering comparison,

Actually it is- FNM were IMO very underrated.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 3:24 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I have to confess something terrible: I heard (and really dug) Living Colour's cover of "Memories Can't Wait" years before I heard the (original) Talking Heads' version. I have fond memories of their records and songs (on cassette, of course). Thanks for the post and apologies for the abuse of parentheses.
posted by joe lisboa at 3:25 PM on October 14, 2009

KokuRyu: "I don't understand... Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye. It's hardly like African American musicians are suffering from lack of recognition."

I think this band did. And, while it could never be proven, I've always believed that they would have been far more successful if they were white.

I mean, listen to Garry Shandling's patronizing introduction of them at the 1991 Grammys. "See? Other colored people have played rock music too!"
posted by Joe Beese at 3:27 PM on October 14, 2009

Actually it is- FNM were IMO very underrated.

Oh, you'll find no disagreement here. What I meant was that the comparison wasn't meant to flatter Living Colour (which is fair, as I definitely think FNM is the better band), but seemed apt nonetheless.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:29 PM on October 14, 2009

I've seen Living Colour live twice (both times they were on the same bill as another band I wanted to see) and I remember being impressed with their technical skill, but bored by their songs. They seemed more like a collection of veteran hard rock session musicians and less like a cohesive band with chemistry. There were some great moments, but overall it seemed a bit empty. Loud and flashy, but empty. Even with the melding of diverse genres and sensibilities they still sound like generic beer commercial rock to me.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:31 PM on October 14, 2009

I touched Corey Glover's sneaker, and Vernon Reid sweat on me at a show at Amherst College in 1992. Best. Show. Ever.
posted by tristeza at 3:34 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

but bored by their songs.

saw 'em twice. First time when Cult of Personality was all the rage, second time a few years later (with the astonishing Doug Wimbish on bass) on the same bill as, surprise, surprise, Bad Brains. As I recall, I was impressed both times by undeniable power, precision and range of their performance ... but walked away without having really been wowed.

I'm thinking it was the songs.
posted by philip-random at 3:43 PM on October 14, 2009

philip-random: "with the astonishing Doug Wimbish on bass"

As Robert Christgau wrote:

Doug Wimbish! Doug Wimbish!
posted by Joe Beese at 3:45 PM on October 14, 2009

FNM were IMO very underrated.

I think Faith No More with Mike Patton were very underrated, but they were only a fair-to-middling alternative band before him. He's the inspired, experimental musician, as his work since has amply demonstrated. IMHO.
posted by LooseFilter at 3:46 PM on October 14, 2009

Every time I hear the guitar solo in Cult of Personality I get a boner.

And my ear drums die a little.
posted by elder18 at 3:48 PM on October 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

Living Colour was the first concert I went to.

Opening? Candlebox. (Who were dicks and got booed off.)
posted by klangklangston at 4:08 PM on October 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

They're fierce!
posted by dhammond at 4:08 PM on October 14, 2009

I touched Corey Glover's sneaker, and Vernon Reid sweat on me at a show at Amherst College in 1992. Best. Show. Ever.

I was at that show! I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a couple of years, and stood with her near the front of the crowd. When the show ended a security guard came over to us and told her that Vernon Reid wanted her to come backstage. It was a bit creepy. She didn't go.

I loved Vivid but I never thought of them as a pioneering band. The paths they trod had been well worn by Hendrix and P-Funk long before they started playing.
posted by OmieWise at 4:17 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

klangklangston: " Candlebox. (Who were dicks and got booed off.)"

I thought you wrote "Colourbox" there for a moment, and we might have come to blows.

So, you know what'd be face-meltingly frickin' awesome? Living Colour/ Body Count tour. Bam. Get a bucket for your face; it just melted off. Shiiit, maybe with a little luck we could get the entire lineup of the original Lollapalooza to tour again.
posted by boo_radley at 4:23 PM on October 14, 2009

Yeah, I never loved their songwriting, but Reid stands out as one of the great rock guitarists of all time.

I kind of wish they'd 70's out a little and give him more room to shred.

(and I say this as someone who hates the new 70's inspired bands)
posted by lumpenprole at 4:23 PM on October 14, 2009

Listening to Muzz Skillings' bass part in Cult Of Personality was an epiphany for me as a bass player - it made me realize that songs the bass guitar can be a supporting player in a song and still rock like hell. I was going through a Rush/Yes/ELP phase at the time, so this was a big thing for me.
posted by deadmessenger at 4:31 PM on October 14, 2009 [2 favorites]

I bought Vivid when I was...oh...maybe 13? I always liked them - solid musicians, great vocals, and they had something to say. Also what's with the Canadian/UK spelling of Colour? Always wondered about that, given that they're American.

If I'm upset, Solace of You always makes me happier - off Time's Up. It makes me think of my wife and I feel better.
posted by jimmythefish at 4:40 PM on October 14, 2009

BAD BRAINS > Living Color.
posted by frankbooth at 4:44 PM on October 14, 2009

Color me Badd > Living Color
posted by uncanny hengeman at 4:47 PM on October 14, 2009

Corey Glover's got a helluva voice, and they're all fine musicians.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:04 PM on October 14, 2009

So, you know what'd be face-meltingly frickin' awesome? Living Colour/ Body Count tour. Bam. Get a bucket for your face; it just melted off. Shiiit, maybe with a little luck we could get the entire lineup of the original Lollapalooza to tour again.

Count me in on the list of people who never thought much about Living Colour before seeing them live. In my case, at Lollapalooza 1 at Harriet Island MN, where they and Body Count were both tremendous. I remember their cover of "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" as particularly fine.
posted by escabeche at 5:23 PM on October 14, 2009

Living Colour/ Body Count tour

I saw them opening for Fishbone, who were clearly going "HOW are we going to follow that?!?" (They amped up the showmanship, throwing horns to each other while crowdsurfing, etc.)

However, as fast as that solo is, it is nothing in speed or (especially) tastiness compared to the master.
posted by msalt at 5:30 PM on October 14, 2009

I saw them when they opened for the Rolling Stones on the Steel Wheels tour. I tried to get into them but you know, the Stones!
posted by Sailormom at 5:43 PM on October 14, 2009

Is it just me or does Corey Glover sound an awful lot like Paul Rodgers?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:47 PM on October 14, 2009

However, as fast as that solo is, it is nothing in speed or (especially) tastiness compared to the master

Fuck that shit. Yngwie.
posted by philip-random at 5:53 PM on October 14, 2009

Sailormom: "I saw them when they opened for the Rolling Stones on the Steel Wheels tour. I tried to get into them but you know, the Stones!"

'89... let's see... that would make it... yep, 11 years since they had been worth a lick as live musicians.

Not that they would be the last band to hide their deterioration behing big-ass staging.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:03 PM on October 14, 2009

Years of lurking metafilter, and finally I put down my $5 to say ...

I saw them at the Santa Monica Civic in ... 1987 or so, with Fishbone, Stetsasonic and Public Enemy. It was and remains the weirdest show I've ever seen.
posted by lex mercatoria at 6:06 PM on October 14, 2009 [4 favorites]

Faith No More? For real? I don't hear that at all.

Vernon Reid's a great player but he uses some boring ol' solid-state tones most of the time. I dig Living Color alright, but I prefer his work with Ron Shannon Jackson's
Decoding - Society, or Jjaamaallaaddeenn Tacuma. (Wish I could link to Tacuma's version of Ornette's Dancing In Your Head with Ornette and Reid as sidemen).

And then there's this take on Spoonful with James Blood Ulmer.

And this guest appearance with Janet Jackson is more like his Living Colour stuff. You might've missed it.


I have reason to believe we all won't be received in Graceland.
posted by Herodios at 6:28 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Compare/Contrast - whatever. I just like them, even this new stuff.
posted by Senator at 6:31 PM on October 14, 2009

The word I think of when I think of Living Colour is 'leaden".
Leaded riffs, leaden beats, leaden lyrics.

Seriously, who uses the word "Gandhi' in a song? A not very good lyricist that's who. Listening to a Living Colour song is like being beaten over the head with an Obvious Stick.

"This is a song about LOVE. That's right - LOVE. It's about LOVE. Can you hear me up the back? It's about LOVE." meanwhile Vernon Reid is playing "LOOK, I AM SHREDDING. I AM THE SHREDDINGEST FUCKING SHREDDER THERE IS. I AM JUST AS GOOD A SHREDDER AS ALL THE OTHER SHREDDERS. SHRED! SHRED! MEEDLY MEEDLY MEEDLY MEEEEEEEE."

I do think that all four members of the band are accomplished and versatile musicians, but together they they produce dross.
posted by awfurby at 6:35 PM on October 14, 2009

Seriously, who uses the word "Gandhi' in a song? A not very good lyricist that's who.

Totally. Whenever I want to refer to Ghandi I just use the word 'dude' and everyone knows who I'm talking about. Using the actual name is so 1967. You know that Vanilla Ice song 'Ice Ice Baby'? It was actually about campaign finance reform, but the lyrics were so good nobody noticed.
posted by jimmythefish at 7:00 PM on October 14, 2009 [7 favorites]

Huh. I never knew they were black.
posted by yhbc at 7:14 PM on October 14, 2009

Seriously, who uses the word "Gandhi' in a song?

Kris Kristofferson?
posted by blucevalo at 7:29 PM on October 14, 2009

The "older kids" who used to drive my sophmore ass to highschool, were hugely into LC, they used to play Vivid EVERY FRIKKIN MORNING FOR A MONTH. Thank you Mike & Kevin for that fantastic gift.

When I picture Will Calhoun, I picture a man weilding telephone poles. There's a live version of "These Memories..." (from 'Biscuits'?) which upon listening, will obviate your intake of ruffage for three weeks.
posted by armoir from antproof case at 7:37 PM on October 14, 2009

BAD BRAINS > Living Color.

I dunno. Do Living Colour hate gays? 'cos, you know, I don't listen to Prussian Blue, either, no matter how good they may be.
posted by rodgerd at 7:48 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

The Stones used "Anastasia screamed in vain," in a song that gets played on classic rock stations all the time. Throwing in a mention of Gandhi is nothing.
posted by raysmj at 7:51 PM on October 14, 2009

think Faith No More with Mike Patton were very underrated, but they were only a fair-to-middling alternative band before him. He's the inspired, experimental musician, as his work since has amply demonstrated. IMHO.

here I thought the entire universe collectively agreed to forget that there ever was a pre-Patton FNM
posted by mannequito at 8:03 PM on October 14, 2009

Nothing wrong with original version of We Care A Lot.
posted by philip-random at 8:07 PM on October 14, 2009

Ya I'm in the "Living Colour is skilled but boring" camp. Vernon Reid I like pretty well, see his "Mistaken Identity." * Each song is different, but he shows a sense of humor, lots of randomness, splashings of thrash, and of course the skills. You also might check him and DJ Logic as "Yohimbe Brothers": loud thrash party music.
* Mistaken Identity
posted by shavenwarthog at 8:11 PM on October 14, 2009

klang, I think I saw that same tour. I was trying to remember which crappy 90's band opened for them.

Repressed memory filter: I lipsynched Cult of Personality as a freshman in high school. At the school lipsynch contest. By myself, in the gym, in front of over 2,000 other students who burst out laughing the second I started. I hoped it would all blow over, and people would forget, but the next week, I was walking down the hallway, and I heard someone say behind me, 'hey, isn't that the guy who did the headbanging song?'

Once you've been laughed at by 2,000 of your peers, you'll find that very, very little is able to embarrass you anymore.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:14 PM on October 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

KokuRyu: "I don't understand... Jimi Hendrix, George Clinton, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye. It's hardly like African American musicians are suffering from lack of recognition."

I think this band did. And, while it could never be proven, I've always believed that they would have been far more successful if they were white.

Actually, I think it's just because they have mullets.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:31 PM on October 14, 2009

Exhibit A:

I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the cult of personality
Like joseph stalin and Gandhi
I'm the cult of personality
Cult of personality
Cult of personality

Rubbish.
posted by awfurby at 8:34 PM on October 14, 2009

Better than ...

I thought that they were angels,
but to my surprise
They climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away

Sorry. I don't know why I did that.
posted by philip-random at 8:47 PM on October 14, 2009

My LC concert story: The Ritz, NYC, 1989 I think it was. One of my ankles was taped up tight after spraining it in a lacrosse game. The place was packed wall to wall, I jumped up and down on one foot all night, and my ears rang for three days.

I always thought Corey Glover sounded weirdly like John Popper from Blues Traveler (who played a dance in my high school cafeteria.)
posted by gottabefunky at 8:54 PM on October 14, 2009

Worst lyricist ever? Or at least from roughly the same period as Cult of Personality? Anthony Kiedis. Exhibit A:

Time now to take you to a different place
Where peace lovin whales flow through liquid outer space
A groovin and a gliddin as graceful as lace
A never losing touch with the oceans embrace
Diviner than the dolphin, that there is none
cause dolphins just-a like to have a lot of fun
No one tells em how their life is run
And no one points at them with a gun
They have a lot of love for every living creature
The smile of a dolphin is a built in feature
They be movin in schools but everyones the teacher
Someday mister dolphin, I know Im gon to meet you

And not totally off topic because I remember getting into RHCP's Mother's Milk, Fishbone's Truth and Soul, Jane's Addiction's Nothing Shocking, and, yes, Vivid, all at around the same time.
posted by Mid at 9:07 PM on October 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

You're first I'm last
You're thirst I'm asked to justify
Killing our last heaven beast
Don't hunt the whale

In beauty vision
Do we offer much
If we reason with destiny, gonna lose our touch
Don't kill the whale

Rejoice they sing
They worship their own space
In a moment of love, they will die for their grace
Don't kill the whale

If time will allow
We will judge all who came
In the wake of our new age to stand for the frail
Don't kill the whale
posted by philip-random at 9:12 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

damn, it looks like I just took credit for that.

It is in fact ...
posted by philip-random at 9:14 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

First major band I ever saw live. They had Urban Dance Squad opening. Awesome show.
posted by bardic at 9:22 PM on October 14, 2009

They were my first concert ... '89 or '90 at the Vanderbilt Auditorium, touring with Urban Dance Squad. Also the first CD I ever bought. They were my favorite band for a long time.

I understand why a lot of people dislike them but for a nerd-cum-metalhead with no frame of reference for "cool" music, I thought they were awesome. I still listen to the Biscuits EP quite often.

That said, I am OK with bands that I loved that broke up never getting back together.
posted by camcgee at 10:03 PM on October 14, 2009

Whenever I hear that blacks have to be better than whites to earn the same recognition, I think of these guys.

While I understand the sentiment, I think Fishbone is the standard bearer in that department. If the world was a true and just place, They'd be the most famous band of their era, and there would be a Rock Band:Fishbone video game, complete with horn section and some sort of virtual stage-diving accessory.
posted by billyfleetwood at 10:06 PM on October 14, 2009 [3 favorites]

Nostalgia doesn't make terrible music any less terrible in the objective universe.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:08 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

"Do Living Colour hate gays? 'cos, you know, I don't listen to Prussian Blue, either, no matter how good they may be."

What part of Banned in DC is about gays? Because don't Prussian Blue sing actually anti-Semitic songs? (I don't listen to them either, because they suck. I do listen to Public Enemy, Ike Turner, Miles Davis, Easy E, Buju Banton, Fear, Richard Wagner, Johnny Ramone, and a whole bunch of other assholes because I like their music.)
posted by klangklangston at 10:36 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

"klang, I think I saw that same tour. I was trying to remember which crappy 90's band opened for them."

I suppose I should memail him, but I think Orville Sash came to that concert too. I know that Danny and Peter came; I think "Orville" (dunno how he is on real names here), Adrian and Terry came too. It was totally sweet, back when the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor had regular shows.
posted by klangklangston at 10:39 PM on October 14, 2009

Like Lex M., I 've got $5 on Living Colour. I saw them in some theatre Cornell and at the Beacon in NYC both shows were around '89-91, they we sick. Tristeza kind of summed up the experience for me. " Desperate People" man oh man.
posted by Samson Bulgiere at 10:39 PM on October 14, 2009

Klang, definitely the same tour then. I only made it to Ann Arbor once, for Soul Asylum (opening band was a relatively unknown band called... the Goo Goo Dolls. And now you know the rest of the story). The State Theater in Kalamazoo was an absurd beacon of joy in an otherwise small midwestern town.
posted by Ghidorah at 10:53 PM on October 14, 2009

I just saw them in a tiny club here in Portland, about 2-3 weeks ago, touring for their new album.

Like (I suspect) many others, my first exposure to Living Colour was seeing them on Saturday Night Live, back in 1988 or so. My jaw just dropped... I grew up in semi-rural Minnesota and had never heard anything like it... didn't have cable, so no MTV, and our radio menu was basically classic rock or top 40.

Anyway, loved the first three albums and mourned their passing in the early 90s. Eagerly bought 'Collide0scope' when Living Colour re-formed, listened to the CD once, despised it, and put it on the shelf where it has sat--unlistened and unlamented--ever since. Sigh.

So I actually didn't plan on going to the show, but made a spur-of-the-moment decision that night. Being completely honest, and not Internet Clever, my first thought was of Joan Cusack in _Grosse Pointe Blank_: "It was as if everyone had swelled." (As have I.) But boy howdy, did they ever rock the tiny room hard for 2+ hours... they were in complete command. FWIW, I was extremely satisfied, my fond memories of the various 90s performances were unsullied, and I would highly recommend checking them out if they're coming to your town.

They played the necessary "hits" without any discernible clock-punching or eye-rolling, no fucking medleys (I'm looking at you, Rush) and integrated the new stuff well, which sounded pretty decent and mostly scrubbed the bad 'Collide0scope' taste from my memory.

It was pretty much the polar opposite of when, out of curiosity, I went to see Tommy Tutone at the NXNW music fest several years back:
- Hey, who wants to hear a song from my new album?
- BOOOOOOOOOO! JUST PLAY THE SONG!
(sigh, eyeroll, launch into '867-5309')
posted by rodeoclown at 11:09 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

I loved these guys as a kid. I grew out of them in later albums but part of me always was hoping to find something of theirs to bring me back.

It's hardly like African American musicians are suffering from lack of recognition.

With the notable exception of Jimi Hendrix*, I think what separates Living Colour from the musicians you mentioned is that they were turning the tables. Black musicians were taking what was a predominantly white music style and making it their own. Yes, it's happened before, but these guys were so damn good at it. They rocked. Hard. They made me realize that you could actually rock poorly, and that so many of my previous idols were doing just that.

To this day when I hear that part of Malcom X's speech I fling myself across whatever obstacles, couches, dogs, unsuspecting loved ones, to crank up the amp so that it is acceptable loud enough by the time Vernon starts jamming. And he does pull off one of the shredding-est solos of all time. I owe a debt of thanks to these guys. I think my loss of enjoyment of Aerosmith, Van Halen and Motley Crue helped expand my music tastes to something that was more suited to my anarcho-liberalist tendancies. And you can only hear so many songs about pie.

* Considering the power of music I feel that the world would have been a much different place had Jimi (or Janis) lived longer than they did. But to me and my generation, these guys has a much greater direct impact.
posted by chemoboy at 11:35 PM on October 14, 2009 [1 favorite]

Oh. Like rodeoclown said, I first got wind of them from SNL.
posted by chemoboy at 11:37 PM on October 14, 2009

A friend of mine had his flat burgled. Amongst other things, the burglars stole his entire record and CD collection which, seeing as he worked in a music shop was pretty substantial. They left one CD behind - Living Colour's Vivid.

It was a minor consolation, but I remember him being a little pleased that at least the thieves had taste.
posted by johnny novak at 12:35 AM on October 15, 2009

One of the best times I had during my college radio days was going to the Gavin Radio Conference in San Francisco, and getting to meet and hang out with Living Colour, just months before their album really broke and they became a household name.

Even though their album hadn't come out yet, it was abundantly clear how big they would be. Their label had a party suite for them in S.F.'s Fairmont -- very ritzy -- with an open bar and a huge spread of expensive food, including two large trees hung with chocolate-covered strawberries.

My friends and I were all hanging out near the bar in this room full of old, grey music industry execs, apparently the only ones really getting into the pre-release of their album that was playing, when Vernon Reid came into the room. We all chatted for a just a few minutes and had a few quick laughs, when Vernon reached behind the bar, grabbed a few bottles, and said "I'm going to the *real* party... are you guys coming?"

Damn straight, we were.

We went back to a nice hotel room, which already had a few people there hanging out with the drummer... presumably most of them the same kind of college radio kids as us. we drank quite a bit and talked about all sorts of things... politics, Mexico, New York streetlife, etc. The singer joined us, bringing even more to drink... lots of laughing and amusing stories about meeting Mick Jagger. Vernon started noodling around on a guitar, someone said that it sounded like "Lola"... and the next thing you know, there were about fifteen of us in this room, drunkenly mangling the Kinks.

Eventually, hotel security knocked, and things thinned out. It wound up with just about five of us hanging around with Vernon in this area near a stairwell, trying to be discreet with a bottle of vodka and some mixer or another.

Really.. he was great... and yeah, one of the most kickass guitarists I've ever seen.

The most amazing thing about it all was that a one of my friends who was there and I went to a show he had a couple years later, when they were really big. He spotted us somehow from the back, waved us over to security, and dragged us backstage, with a big "Hey guys! How's it goin'?"

There are other musicians whose music were more my style, but none of them who were more authentic, more fun to hang out with, and just plain nice.

"I always thought of them as a not-as-interesting version of Faith No More."

I met and went to numerous Faith No More shows in the S.F. Bay Area before they ever became known nationally. They were a good, solid local band that reliably drew crowds of a few hundred which played regularly at my friend Stan's old club, One Step Beyond. (I used to do all the station's ticket giveaways for OSB, and got to know Stan pretty well, especially after he invited us to join him in a game of cricket against Hunters & Collectors... who royally kicked our ass.)

Faith No More were fairly chill and a bit sarcastic, if nondescript in person, and a good show to catch when they were around. But I prefered their early stuff, and never really got into later stuff as much. Lyrically, musically, and just plain energywise, they just weren't in the same league as Living Colour... who were, well... very colorful, in more ways than one. A great live show.

FNM were kinda political and kinda aware even in their early days, but they were also kinda ... hm... maybe not inauthentic. Trite?! And not as kickass, of course.
posted by markkraft at 2:46 AM on October 15, 2009 [6 favorites]

There was a brief period around 1991 when I thought Living Colour could have gone in an entirely different direction (a better one). The only song of theirs I truly love is "Money Talks" which was released on an EP and didn't have much of an impact.

The song is one of the few where Corey Glover's voice didn't annoy the hell out of me. The music is constantly threatening to go off the rails. Vernon Reid's guitar solo on the track? Destructive. Facemelting. A great ending as well.

They played at the first Lollapalooza and it is a tribute to honesty that I say they were the best band playing on the stage that night (San Francisco). Then they completely fell off my musical radar.
posted by jeremias at 4:54 AM on October 15, 2009

I saw Vernon's "My Science Project" band while hopped up on nature's purest pharmaceuticals (back at the age when such things were acceptable to do) at the Knitting Factory in NYC around 1995 or 1996. It featured Reid, a drummer, a DJ, a rapper/beatboxer, and some dude playing a wacky homebrew synthesizer of some sort. In the back was a set like a chemical lab with a stereotypical scientist-type guy mixing frothing beakers together and staying in the background - for the first hour, at least.

Halfway into the set Vernon sets up this nasty groove and the scientist guy comes up to the mic and gives this manic fifteen minute lecture about something or other (probably molecular biology, but you can't trust anything I think I remember between 1994 and 1999 with anything approaching certainty) while Reid thrashed and wailed backing him up. It was absolutely insane, and easily one of the best live shows I've seen - inebriated or otherwise.
posted by GamblingBlues at 5:34 AM on October 15, 2009

Also saw them open for the Stones in '89. It was at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and the stadium was about 90% empty. I like to think they could hear my friend Geoff and I yelling "Muzz!" at the top of our lungs from the mezzanine.

Oh, and

Seriously, who uses the word "Gandhi' in a song?

Cheryl Wheeler
Patti Smith
Sage Francis
posted by total warfare frown at 8:17 AM on October 15, 2009

In 1993, I met a guy. We hit it off pretty well, and exchanged mix tapes (cause, y'know, 1993). I put Toad the Wet Sprocket on mine. He gave me an entire tape of his favorite Living Colour songs.

I listened to that thing till it fell apart. For my birthday, he bought me all the CDs.

Favorites:
Which Way to America?
Broken Hearts
Open Letter to a Landlord
Nothingness

And my #1 favorite, Pride

I married the guy.
posted by cereselle at 9:17 AM on October 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

YourFavoriteBandSucksFilter:

I grew up in a hick town in NY state where the only acceptable choice of music was classic rock or hair metal. (Wearing a Cure tour shirt got one a beatdown before lunchtime). A metalhead friend of mine gave me a cassette dupe of Living Colour's first album with Bad Brains' I Against I as the flip side, about two months before Cult of Personality hit the big time. It completely changed my perspective on music. Their later albums didn't impact me as much as that one did, but it's always been one of my favorites.

Fuck Yngwie. Vernon shreds.
posted by idiotking at 9:53 AM on October 15, 2009

I see a couple of people mentioned Faith No More in this thread (late 1980s/early 1990s had me listening to a lot of Living Color, FNM, Primus, etc.). With that, I share this YouTube playlist from FNM's reunion performance at the most recent Download Fest. Hopefully there's something comparable for Living Color.
posted by rzklkng at 10:08 AM on October 15, 2009

"Soul Asylum (opening band was a relatively unknown band called... the Goo Goo Dolls. And now you know the rest of the story)"

Since we're all off on the FNM tangent: I finally got to see them on their Album of the Year tour, and Limp Bizkit opened up. LB was a total unknown at the time, and played not one, not two, but three Rage Against The Machine covers. They kept getting booed, and Durst kept responding with, "OK, who likes Rage? Who wants to hear some Rage?"

I have the dubious honor of being able to say that I hated Limp Bizkit before anyone else knew who they were.
posted by klangklangston at 11:26 AM on October 15, 2009

Halfway into the set Vernon sets up this nasty groove and the scientist guy comes up to the mic and gives this manic fifteen minute lecture about something or other (probably molecular biology, but you can't trust anything I think I remember between 1994 and 1999 with anything approaching certainty) while Reid thrashed and wailed backing him up.

This sounds like one of the most awesome things in the history of awesome. However, as you say, 15 minutes stoned could be anything from 30 seconds to 4 hours in real time.
posted by jimmythefish at 11:53 AM on October 15, 2009

What I remember about the SNL performance of Living Colour was how the band positioned themselves onstage so that they could be viewed with only one camera, as opposed to having multiple cameras pan and swoop across the performers. Visually, the sight of the band rocking out HARD to "Cult Of Personality" only amplified the music's intensity.

As a side note, thank you, philip-random, for the Yes video that I couldn't find when I commented in your Prog Rock Special - Part 2 posting. I still love how each of the five guys in 1978-era Yes looked as if they all came from different bands: Jon Anderson as a discofied Jim Morrison; Chris Squire as a schoolboy; Steve Howe as Nigel Tufnel; Alan White borrowing one of Freddie Mercury's open-chested pantsuits; Rick Wakeman as a punter that stumbled in from a pub onto the band, and yet somehow happens to know how to play the Birotron.
posted by stannate at 1:27 PM on October 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

Birotron: the keyboard of the future
posted by philip-random at 3:19 PM on October 15, 2009