Jen
The Power of Google: Where 10 Minutes of Boredom Can Take You.
Last night at Four Moons in Roscoe Village, members of this blog and other friends were trying to figure out two things: all of the names of the Thundercats, and the name of the cartoon about the farm animals that was made by the creator of Garfield. (Answers to these questions? 1) Thundercats: Lion-o, Panthro, Tygra, Cheetara, WilyKit and WilyKat. Snarf was the pet and Mumm-Ra was the villian. 2)Cartoon: US Acres.) Of course, when we couldn't figure these out, right away, someone mentioned how they would just "google it" when they got home. Can anyone pinpoint when Google became as huge as it is? Maybe I should ask Google. However, I had another burning question on my mind. (It's not about grapes as nature's popsicle.)
Recently, I was apart of a discussion about who was the better solo musician once they left Genesis - Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel. If you think about it, Phil Collins was really the hit maker of the bunch. Not only did he come out with more solo albums, but he also managed to create well rounded, poppy hits. Peter Gabriel is much more experimental with his sound, and the songs that were hits were very unique. So what soes it all mean?
In an attempt to find some answers, I decided to ask the all powerful being, Google, to see what I could come up. My first google was just "Genesis" to see if there was any interesting tidbits about both singers. It lead me to the Genesis website. Please, PLEASE, go the frequently asked question page for Phil Collins. It is hilarious. Here are some FAQ's about Phil:
How tall is Phil? - Though he hasn't recently measured himself, Phil believes he's around the 5 foot 8 inches mark. However, some suspect he was standing on his tip toes when making that statement!
What musical instruments does Phil play? - Phil is a highly talented drummer who is also able to play the piano, keyboard ...and bagpipes!
How did Phil get that little scar next to his lip? - When Phil was very young, he was going through Richmond Park, and a flock of sheep ran across the road. So his Dad put the brake on and Phil went flying across to the front seat and hit it on the dashboard!
Whomever wrote this just loves exclamation points!!!
Anyway, no answers there. So I asked google: "Who is better - Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel?" and up pops this. Apparently, Genesis "got better" with Phil. This doesn't necessarily answer my question, but at least we know how he feels. I wonder if there is hostility between Peter and Phil?
Next Google "is there hostility between Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins?" and although nothing about hostility was in my top ten, I did find this amazing blog, if that is what it is, from 2003 - which discusses three catergories that the lead-singer-becoming-a-solo-artist can be divided into. It's a great read, so check it out.
I've realized that if you know how to type the right thing into Google, you can get exactly what you want on the first try. I'm still learning the little tricks. In a matter of minutes though, I was amazed at the world at my fingertips. Anyway, for more fun, get "Google Earth" which you can download for free. You will never think of the earth in the same way.
posted by Jen @ 8:32 PM
2 Comments:
The short answer is that Peter Gabriel has had the more artistic post-Genesis career (IMHO) whereas Phil has been more successful financially.
Though it took more time for Peter to get there, both ended up fat, bald and divorced.
If you factored in "Contributions to Cinematic Brilliance", Pete would likely pull ahead, To wit. Phil had an indelible moment in 'Risky Business' as "In The Air Tonight" played while Joel Goodson (Tome Cruise) was nailing Lana (Rebecca DeMornay) on the Red Line CTA train. But Peter Gabriel can lay claim to John Cusack's 'Boombox Moment' in "Say Anything" while "In Your Eyes" played. The tiebreaker: Peter Gabriel did the score for Martin Scorcese's "The Last Temptation of Christ". When you do a score for the director who was one of the first people to use pop music or pop performers in a motion picture soundtrack, you win. Hands down.
Sorry Phil, Circle gets the square.
Depending on your personal taste and what benchmarks you use, both Gabriel and Collins have done some pretty artistic stuff.
Peter Gabriel has had some amazingly original songs and even MORE amazing videos. And his song "Biko" made a pretty powerful statement about apartheid. And, of course, he's had some success with movie soundtracks.
Phil Collins, of course, received multiple awards (Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy) for his work on Against All Odds and another Oscar for a song he did for the Disney version of Tarzan. And although the 80's TV series Miama Vice is rather dated now, I think we tend to underestimate the effect that series had on the way music is used on television and Phil Collins' involvement in that series. Then, consider Collins' limited but excellent acting, his work with other artists like Sting, Eric Clapton and Phil Bailey, and his excellent cover songs (I LOVE covers) "You Can't Hurry Love" and "Groovy Kind of Love" and I think Phil Collins gives Peter Gabriel some pretty good competition in the artistic merit department. (And let's not forget Phil's duet in that film, White Nights!)
Post a Comment
<< Home