Wishing Well
October 9, 2015 2:55 AM Subscribe
I’ve been given instructions for my meeting with Sananda Maitreya. 1. Please don’t mention the name “Terence Trent D’Arby”, as it is painful for him. 2. Please don’t make any comparisons with Prince regarding his name change, which occurred in 1995 after a series of dreams. 3. Please don’t ask him things like, “What songs do you think would make a good single from your new album, Rise of the Zugebrian Time Lords?”
“I was killed when I was 27”: the curious afterlife of Terence Trent D’Arby
I think I'll have to disagree. Inspired by the post I did a quick youtube hunt for Sananda Maitreya's new work and it seems consistently awful. I was a teenager when Sign Your Name came out and it was and still is a classic, but his current stuff sounds pretty bad - Bland, innocuous, pointless.
posted by mary8nne at 3:20 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by mary8nne at 3:20 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
This was a fascinating read but also quite a bit eyebrow-raising. I must confess I hadn't thought of D'Arby in years (except as the answer to an audio question at pub quiz). There is a lot to unpack there, not the least his continuous usage of the word "bitches" to refer to women.
posted by Kitteh at 3:37 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by Kitteh at 3:37 AM on October 9, 2015
Still a wanker.
posted by Optamystic at 3:39 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Optamystic at 3:39 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
...not the least his continuous usage of the word "bitches" to refer to women.
Does he? I think he only uses it twice: once in reference to his sons (?!) and once in reference to basically humankind.
posted by griphus at 3:43 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Does he? I think he only uses it twice: once in reference to his sons (?!) and once in reference to basically humankind.
posted by griphus at 3:43 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well, he does say that probably yes, he passed on his genes to a lot of bitches. I mean, I am sure he has, but...
posted by Kitteh at 3:48 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by Kitteh at 3:48 AM on October 9, 2015
Yeah I assumed that was in re: his sons unless he's using "passed down my genes" idiosyncratically rather than using "bitches" idiosyncratically, which was my theory.
I mean either way not a great word to have leave your lips repeatedly but yeah I found it striking that the way I read it he only uses it not in reference to women.
posted by griphus at 3:51 AM on October 9, 2015
I mean either way not a great word to have leave your lips repeatedly but yeah I found it striking that the way I read it he only uses it not in reference to women.
posted by griphus at 3:51 AM on October 9, 2015
Anyway I really enjoyed reading this but I couldn't help feeling like Bill in that episode of Newsradio where he kept recommending David Lee Roth's memoir to people while having no idea who David Lee Roth actually was. I've never listened to D'arby/Maitreya but I will now, though.
posted by griphus at 3:56 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by griphus at 3:56 AM on October 9, 2015
"It's a shame to me that more people don't love and appreciate Maitreya/D'Arby's ongoing work."
There's a lot not to love and appreciate but track 3 "The marriage of Nigaro" deserves special notice.
It's tough not being BMOC anymore.
posted by three blind mice at 4:09 AM on October 9, 2015
There's a lot not to love and appreciate but track 3 "The marriage of Nigaro" deserves special notice.
It's tough not being BMOC anymore.
posted by three blind mice at 4:09 AM on October 9, 2015
I find it very hard to take someone seriously when I am given instructions on what to ignore or not bring up in order to make taking them seriously possible.
I still have Wishing Well on a couple playlists, though, so that's cool.
posted by Mooski at 4:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [5 favorites]
I still have Wishing Well on a couple playlists, though, so that's cool.
posted by Mooski at 4:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [5 favorites]
He always struck me as sort of Lenny Kravitz Lite. I wonder what became of him every now and then, but was never curious enough to go to the effort of googling him; nice to hear the rest of the story.
posted by TedW at 5:17 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by TedW at 5:17 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
I was a teenager when Sign Your Name came out and it was and still is a classic
Maitreya’s decision to start with a Beatles song, “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”, should come as no surprise.
So I remember this big hit of his fondly and now I find the two songs share mostly the same set of chords but are in different keys. Maitreya has his drummer play the distinctive 'Sign Your Name' rhythm throughout his cover of the Beatles song. He says the Beatles song 'saved his life'.
He also seems to reach for the same modulation in the bridge of his song as the bridge of 'Lose that girl', and although it's a very memorable peak in his song, he loses his nerve and doesn't actually leave the home key (unlike the Beatles song, which is a true modulation to a remote key). But you can still hear it in there. He has a little chromatic shift from E-F just before his bridge whereas the Beatles fall down an exact opposite trapdoor from F-E at the end of their bridge.
As a Lennon nut, he seems to have subconsciously rewritten 'Lose that girl' in his youth and then revisited it in his maturity. Nice to think about on today, Lennon's 75th birthday.
posted by colie at 5:21 AM on October 9, 2015 [5 favorites]
Maitreya’s decision to start with a Beatles song, “You’re Going To Lose That Girl”, should come as no surprise.
So I remember this big hit of his fondly and now I find the two songs share mostly the same set of chords but are in different keys. Maitreya has his drummer play the distinctive 'Sign Your Name' rhythm throughout his cover of the Beatles song. He says the Beatles song 'saved his life'.
He also seems to reach for the same modulation in the bridge of his song as the bridge of 'Lose that girl', and although it's a very memorable peak in his song, he loses his nerve and doesn't actually leave the home key (unlike the Beatles song, which is a true modulation to a remote key). But you can still hear it in there. He has a little chromatic shift from E-F just before his bridge whereas the Beatles fall down an exact opposite trapdoor from F-E at the end of their bridge.
As a Lennon nut, he seems to have subconsciously rewritten 'Lose that girl' in his youth and then revisited it in his maturity. Nice to think about on today, Lennon's 75th birthday.
posted by colie at 5:21 AM on October 9, 2015 [5 favorites]
Last time I saw him, he was fronting INXS for the Sydney Olympics, and everyone never sounded better. I can see why continuing on with that wouldn't have been appealing to those involved, but man -- they were in a blaze of glory.
Reading here that he had a year-long affair with Paula Yates, and seeing on teh wiki that he was a friend of Hutchence which is why he filled in for him at the Olympics -- man, that was a complicated little circle, wasn't it? No wonder so many fell victim to DRAMZ.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:37 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Reading here that he had a year-long affair with Paula Yates, and seeing on teh wiki that he was a friend of Hutchence which is why he filled in for him at the Olympics -- man, that was a complicated little circle, wasn't it? No wonder so many fell victim to DRAMZ.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:37 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
“Lenny Cockring Kravitz”
ok today is gonna be a good day, after I read that
posted by thelonius at 6:37 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
ok today is gonna be a good day, after I read that
posted by thelonius at 6:37 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Calling yourself Maitreya is big. It's the Buddhist version of calling yourself the second coming of Jesus.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:51 AM on October 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:51 AM on October 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
I find it very hard to take someone seriously when I am given instructions on what to ignore or not bring up in order to make taking them seriously possible.
So basically, ignore everything the Beatles did after "Sgt Peppers".
posted by happyroach at 6:58 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
So basically, ignore everything the Beatles did after "Sgt Peppers".
posted by happyroach at 6:58 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
This man sounds kind of broken.
posted by egypturnash at 7:08 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by egypturnash at 7:08 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Wow, he has aged beautifully. I had such a crush on him back in the day.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:12 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:12 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
He sounds kind of...peaceful in his semi-delusions. Interesting piece.
posted by davidmsc at 7:13 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by davidmsc at 7:13 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
He always struck me as sort of Lenny Kravitz Lite.
Kravitz is Terence Trent D'Arby lite, always has been, always will be.
posted by blucevalo at 7:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [9 favorites]
Kravitz is Terence Trent D'Arby lite, always has been, always will be.
posted by blucevalo at 7:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [9 favorites]
What an interesting dude. I'd have to loved to have lived his life. Problematic, sure, he's from the 80's and probably doesn't spend any time on tumblr and twitter getting called out for every little intersectional injustice, so I'm willing to look past that a little.
posted by Annika Cicada at 8:05 AM on October 9, 2015
posted by Annika Cicada at 8:05 AM on October 9, 2015
Calling yourself Maitreya is big.
I feel dumb. I was like, why did he rename himself after those little Russian stacking dolls?
posted by mittens at 8:17 AM on October 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
I feel dumb. I was like, why did he rename himself after those little Russian stacking dolls?
posted by mittens at 8:17 AM on October 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Can't tell if this guy is mentally ill or just that much of an egotist. The paranoia about his record company and Michael Jackson plotting against him are certainly troubling; I've heard ravings like that before. To be honest, I had trouble reading this piece, as it felt kind of like exploitation. I guess we can just be glad that he seems to have carved out a functional life for himself. He does appear to be at peace with -- or at least resigned to -- his delusions.
posted by panama joe at 8:25 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by panama joe at 8:25 AM on October 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, obligatory Family Guy reference.
posted by panama joe at 8:26 AM on October 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by panama joe at 8:26 AM on October 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
From what I remember of the UK chart, a massive shift happened between 1987 and 1989. In 1987 you could have slightly sophisticated music charting while (in my head, at least) 1989 was all Jive Bunny novelty songs and Stock/Aitken/Waterman productions. It would have been a difficult shift to navigate for someone like D'Arby. I still remember him singing You Got to Hide Your Love Away at a Beatles tribute concert between Kylie and Wet Wet Wet. Strangely the YT description also mention Lou Reed and Al Green, but I only remember D'Arby shuffling nervously between the teen idols.
I really liked the interview - he came across as damaged from his experiences in the music industry but still talking. The Michael Jackson accusations sat uneasily with me but now, hours later, they still stuck in my head. I'm not that inclined to dismiss them out of hand, even if D'Arby isn't a reliable witness.
posted by kariebookish at 8:37 AM on October 9, 2015
I really liked the interview - he came across as damaged from his experiences in the music industry but still talking. The Michael Jackson accusations sat uneasily with me but now, hours later, they still stuck in my head. I'm not that inclined to dismiss them out of hand, even if D'Arby isn't a reliable witness.
posted by kariebookish at 8:37 AM on October 9, 2015
I don't like profiles like this. The writers are always like "isn't so-and-so quirky?" No. So-and-so is not quirky. So-and-so is mentally ill. But let's just ignore that.
posted by kevinbelt at 9:20 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by kevinbelt at 9:20 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Kravitz is Terence Trent D'Arby lite, always has been, always will be.
Guys they don't even play the same kind of music
posted by Hoopo at 9:21 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Guys they don't even play the same kind of music
posted by Hoopo at 9:21 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
So basically, ignore everything the Beatles did after "Sgt Peppers".
Not ignore - just don't take it seriously.
posted by Mooski at 9:31 AM on October 9, 2015
Not ignore - just don't take it seriously.
posted by Mooski at 9:31 AM on October 9, 2015
I bet he really hates it when people ask him to do "Electric Avenue"
posted by thelonius at 9:35 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 9:35 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Beatles themselves didn't take any of their music seriously after Sgt Pepper's.
posted by colie at 9:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by colie at 9:59 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
He's not the first person I've heard bring up issues with Sony (and similarly, this person made a retro-futuristic concept double album, though the Dealing With Mental Health Shit was the album Sony didn't support as much).
posted by divabat at 1:29 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by divabat at 1:29 AM on October 10, 2015 [1 favorite]
So-and-so is not quirky. So-and-so is mentally ill.
I'm glad there's a doctor in the house.
posted by Mister Bijou at 3:29 AM on October 11, 2015
I'm glad there's a doctor in the house.
posted by Mister Bijou at 3:29 AM on October 11, 2015
The paranoia, the fast rambling, the self-aggrandizement, the delicate "crushed" persona, all point to mental health issues. Specifically, bipolar disorder. This is really, really not a fun challenge to have. So many genius-level performers have had it, at the cost of their own lives: Hendrix and Joplin.
posted by shavenwarthog at 10:55 AM on October 11, 2015
posted by shavenwarthog at 10:55 AM on October 11, 2015
Well at least he still has a sense of humour. The 'I could only use a cock ring to hang my door keys on' line was great.
posted by colie at 10:57 AM on October 11, 2015
posted by colie at 10:57 AM on October 11, 2015
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posted by mykescipark at 3:16 AM on October 9, 2015 [2 favorites]