After 20 years, Steven Page has left the Barenaked Ladies. 8-(
I’m pretty sad about that. It’s obvious why it happened (he was indicted on cocaine charges right smack in the middle of promoting their first children’s album, and his addled mug shot was in all the newspapers), but I was hoping they could figure something out.
Part of what I always loved about BNL was that they had two very different lead singers who had different strengths (the same reason I love Great Big Sea). Ed Robertson can do the quirky stuff very well, but he can’t handle the loud (The Old Apartment) or soft (Call and Answer) stuff like Page could. I’m also not sure who was responsible for what songwriting credits, but my hunch is that Page did most of the more thoughtful and angry songs. I guess if he’s pursuing a solo career I can still get it, but his first solo album tanked.
BNL will hopefully remain my favorite band… maybe now I’ll have two.
Yeah, I thought about you when I heard this. You’re the only guy I know who really listens to them. It sucks, I loved them when I used to listen to them.
I tend to listen to them every now and then, mostly because I liked their really weird songs. (One Week being the song that really caught my attention at first.)
Kinda suck that they should lose a member, but as you say. Maybe we’ll have two good bands to listen to now.
This is always sad, especially when it’s not even for good (that is to say, positive) reasons; if it was just a solo project or were creative differences or something, it would be better. I’m kinda in the same place, the guitarist and songwriter of a band I listen to was just found dead in his house a few days ago.
This can’t be good for their sound. I know they relied heavily upon harmonized vocals and the varied tones. My friend who’s a big fan will probably pop a whistle at this.
Though not a metal band(typically what I listen to), I did enjoy the Barenaked Ladies’ musical style. Varied song structures and influences combined with harmonized vocals, a little bit of scat and some unique and interesting lyrical content made the Barenaked Ladies stand out to me. When I first heard “The Old Apartment”, I thought it was a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of other bands that were out during that era.
Page just did an interview… looks like he’s not going to be making pop music for a while, he’s concentrating on doing the scores to stage musicals and shows, and maybe writing a musical himself as well (his solo work on some previous musicals has been critically acclaimed).
Not sure where BNL will go with this, but we’ll have to wait and see. Apparently they’re not planning on replacing him as of now.
Part of what I always loved was Steven Page’s love for cocaine
Also, Hades, what great things have you done with your life that gives you the right to be so critical of all things art? Is it people who lack the talent become critics? Is that it?
Of the hundreds of bands I like, you pick one I’ve considered shit for years and another whose last album was embarrassingly bad compared to their first three. If you’re gonna keep tabs on me, update them once in a while.
And if you wanna rip someone apart, aim for 984. He called everyone’s taste shit when he’s the one who suggested “Beat It” for GH4 >_>