"Creative Misunderstandings"

Hmmmm....well, this begs the question of how Kraftwerk expected their music to be enjoyed. Did they expect people to listen to their significantly rhythmic music without feeling any inclination to dance? And surely, if you can dance to it, doesn't that make it "party music"?

This directed at me? I hope not... but in any case I already admitted that maybe the Krafterk (a band I like and find *fun* to listen to) example was awkward. Some explanation: the idea that Afrikaa Bambaataa's (more that I like to listen to) adaptation of Kraftwerk was a "misreading" was from something I overheard when walking into a history of electronic dance music class. I thought the idea was interesting then and I still do, that is, that someone can essentially "misinterpret" a genre or style or even particular artist and come up with something totally different and awesome in its own right.
Anyway that's the question as I intended it. I'm still interested in responses to it... cool examples and whatnot. Not *quite* as interested in dismissive insults.

Music plays. Most people don't perceive surprising buried content.

Talented listener/musician comes along, hears surprising buried content. Makes own music that points out content.

Original music plays again. Now most people hear still-surprising and formerly buried content.

Nobody's "misinterpreting" anything. Someone has just uncovered something in a batch of music. Maybe even the originators were not aware of it -- but what difference does that make? It's still in there.

What I have a problem with is when the English try to step outside their national character and copy other people's culture and get it wrong.

Sixties British bands worth listening to = those who tried to play African-American music, but did it badly I.e., not just the Beatles, but also the Stones, the Who, the Kinks, Beck-era Yardbirds, Syd-era Floyd, etc.
-- mt (current31...), January 21st, 2002 3:00 PM.

Sixties British bands not worth listening to = those who played African-American music well. I.e., anything involving Eric Clapton or Steve Winwood.

Which bunch (if any) "got it right" depends on what the meaning of "got it right" is. Probably irrelevant, in any case.

-- Tadeusz Suchodolski (llamasfu...), January 21st, 2002 3:00 PM.

The theme of Creative Misunderstandings is actually very close to an article I'm writing right now for an, ahem, 'edgy style mag', so I want to hack this thread slightly with some questions on the subject. If anyone has some interesting answers, please send them to me at

nickmomus@hotmail.com

1. Have you awarded yourself 'the right to be wrong'?

2. How do you increase the chance of accidents in your
work?

3. Has something you've created struck others -- because
of its sheer originality -- as 'wrong' when they first see it?
What did they say?

4. The phrase 'margin of error' means people forgive you
for the purple lapel because they really like the black jacket
it's on. But are you the kind of person who immediately
wants to expand that lapel until it's the whole jacket?

5. Tell me about a catastrophic mistake you made -- or
nearly made -- that didn't help you one bit.

6. Tell me about a happy accident or deliberate error that
made you stronger or broke you through an impasse.

7. Are some cities better than others for living a 'mistaker
lifestyle'?

8. Which artist or creator made your favourite mistake, and
what is it?

9. If you could go back in time and make one mistake you
failed to make when you had the chance, what would it be?

10. Is wrong the new right?