Piano Magic’s Glen Johnson on mostly their last album Artist’s Rifles, but with this “interesting” take on pop:
“On the contrary, I listen to it for entertainment. It makes me laugh. Particularly R ‘n’ B stuff like Craig David or whatever – these paeans to the ladies who shake their stuff and let’s make love all night long, etc….I actually believe R ‘n’ B is showcasing the most revolutionary programming of contemporary times – it’s just the appalling recycled soul lyrics, voices, delivery, cliches that let it down. One step forward, three steps back. R ‘n’ B might move on in bounds if one of these programmers sits down and listens to some Brian Eno instead of Marvin Gaye.”
It’s particularly disheartening (aside from being plain dumb) because it totally skews my relationship with Piano Magic, as my little cop to indie-ness in an otherwise diet of mostly pop/dance/whatever-else-Glen-Johnson-finds-“funny.” Interviews like this can threaten to put you off a band completely. (I mean…Brian Eno! Maybe in Bizarro-world, Destiny’s Child will be booking studio time with Robert Fripp!)