How important is image?

[sanovine]

Nearly all the stoner bands I know of have long haired guys with tattoos and piercings and beards. And everyone drinks and smokes heavily. Why is that? How important is image to a band getting out there and doing some small pub gigs? Do skinny little straightedge computer nerds just get laughed off the stage?

[RAGER]

Fuck image.  Just go do it.

[Ombrenuit]

No one will give a shit in a bar gig.

[AgentofOblivion]

I suspect it's more important than we'd like to think, but that doesn't mean you need to look like everyone else to have an image.  If you're playing live, you're trying to be an entertainer and if you're not using an image to further communicate whatever you're trying to say with your music then you're just wasting opportunity.  That said, my band has literally never spent energy thinking about or doing something about our image.  It's worth noting that my band is not popular at all.  If we spent some time putting some creative effort into our image it probably wouldn't hurt our chances of success any.  You also have to be good and stuff.   

[sanovine]

You also have to be good and stuff.   

I'm not really sure, which is kinda why I'm asking. There are plenty of bands out there that are definitely not good, but still raking in the cash. Yet I can't think of too many that don't have an image :-/

[AgentofOblivion]

Sounds to me like you've answered your own question then.  If you want to be in a good band, focus on being good.  If you want to rake in the cash, do something else.

[Jake]

A good beard is much more important to me than good music. Bonus points for overly hairy nips.

[liquidsmoke]

Being skinny is fairly normal when you are young which I assume you are. Being skinny and cute and young is nice for getting signed and long hair surely helps.

People smoke because they've been smoking since they were 13. A lot of people drink heavily because they are alcoholics. This generally destroys all hope of getting anywhere with a band but some manage it. Personally if I have more than a couple of drinks before playing live I start forgetting lyrics and fucking up guitar parts. Weed? Forget it, that's for after we play if at all but I'm not a stoner.

Regarding image, that's all over the place. From 100% leather to business casual, you've probably seen it all already. Some bands all wear the same crazy outfit and sometimes it looks ridiculous and other bands just wear whatever they normally wear and end up looking cool onstage, or not. Whatever you do you've got to own it. The music is the important thing.


I'm hairy as fuck, maybe I should play shirtless to get the Bigfoot loving chicks.

[RAGER]

Oh and you're probably pretty young it sounds like.  So make sure you get an assload of tattoos right away to attempt to make yourself look like a seasoned biker even though you're obviously 20.  Spend your money on tatts instead of decent gear.

[sanovine]

I'm neither young, nor clean shaven. I just thought it was an interesting question.

[VOLVO)))]

Im straightedge and jam stoner/doom. People can suck it.

[RAGER]

I'm old and cranky.  Don't mind me.

[jibberish]

old and cranky is a killer image. I just have to work on cranky more and i'll be right there too.
Actually, i'm going with old and retarded...see how that flies.

[liquidsmoke]

I'm neither young, nor clean shaven. I just thought it was an interesting question.

Just be real. Of course you have to figure out what that means for you.

[RacerX]

Image can be as important or unimportant as you want it to be.

[Danny G]

Image is important to a point, as in its better to at least look like you play in a band onstage rather than you just came from mowing the lawn.

But at the end of the day, if you BRING IT onstage it doesn't matter what you look like. Even if you did, in fact, just get done mowing the lawn.

As per stoner dudes with beards, it's more of similar people with similar mindsets expressing themselves in similarly comfortable ways than it is an actual fashion or scene id uniform.


Sent from a can on some string using Tapatalk

[everdrone]

I dont think it matters, in fact I would think it was cool to see heavy rock played by dudes in nerd outfits or executive suites!

I saw tweak bird and they dont have much image

I saw RED FANG and their singer looks like a square nerd that wears glasses

and so on

[mortlock]

image shouldnt matter but it does to some. those who it matters to wouldnt like my band anyways. 

[Stonergrunge]

In a perfect world, image wouldn't matter at all. Unfortunately, you're going to find douchebags and posers everywhere. There are too many people out there willing to discriminate you just because you don't look like a badass rocker.

I love heavy rock music but I don't fit in the rocker stereotype at all: short hair, no tattoos nor piercings and I don't do drugs, don't drink alcohol and not even coffee for one simple reason... I don't like the taste of it (and yes, I've tried all kinds of liquors and beverages)... I know it sounds weird but hey, at least I tried. To make things worse (or weirder) I had an acoustic trauma a few years ago, luckily didn't suffer hearing loss but I started using ear plugs when going to gigs. I've been rejected by people in at least two occasions because a) I didn't drink booze and b) I didn't look too rocker to them.

[fallen]

I don't know if image matters that much but it's probably necessary to have at least one "party trick" that you can be remembered by. People who like bands but don't know music will still talk about your band if there is something memorable about it. Like be "the band with 5 drummers", or "the band with the video projector show", or "the band with a lot of cabinets", or "the band that all wears hoods on stage", etc.

[Beta Cloud]

there's image, anti-image, ironic image, scenester adherent image, etc. the music world has become so complicated.

i say just be you and if your band gel as a unit, (sonically and as people), and i think you'll be fine.

i remember playing in grindcore bands in the early 90's and we believed that image was stupid and what we were doing was a reaction/response to metal and punk becoming mainstream and marketed. "we're gonna change the world dude!"

but we still had long hair, (and whipped it all night), leather jackets, and hightop sneakers. there WAS a dress code. it wasn't cool to like anything on the radio, (which we did), or drink/smoke, (which some of us did).

what was really a game changer for me was getting to hang out and play with the guys in bands like godflesh, napalm death, carcass, etc. the euro dudes sincerely didn't care about that stuff, (if they dressed like that or not), the girls, or the parties. they just believed in their message so sincerely. that's the essence of a band assembling as a team to show others that share their outlook with others that gravitate toward common interests. or so i think.

rock out in YOUR OWN WAY and if it goes somewhere, (even in a small way), it's a sincere effort and will satisfy you greatly.
my opinions again.
most of all, remember to have fun!!!

[Jake]

I'm going to go ahead and say what we're all thinking: that a band is way better if they're hanging serious dong.

[Dr.Zayus]

Going to see live music is an audio/visual experience. If a band is visually entertaining, it's a more enjoyable experience for the audience. It doesn't mean you have to look "cool". The Melvins and Devo have proved that, but regardless of how great your music is, image counts.

[The Riffer]

Imagine a world with no image.  Thank you.

This forum may not be the right place for the question and have a skewed concept of image. I think most of us a grizzled veterans who have lived/played through numerous fads/styles. Each had its own image which was very important to the corresponding scene/movement. Would it have been possible tor David Lee Roth to sing about fondling young girls without his cock showing? yeah, but it "drives" the point home. Possible for Kurt Cobain to sing about depression without looking like a homeless person? Yeah, but it made it seem more realistic. My point is that without a corresponding image/visual to accompany the music, its a one faceted attack. I don't care what a band looks like on their record, but a live show is different. Visual is half of the performance. Bands that have a great visual image along with great music seem to go farther.

[RacerX]

Imagine a world with no image.  Thank you.

This forum may not be the right place for the question and have a skewed concept of image. I think most of us a grizzled veterans who have lived/played through numerous fads/styles. Each had its own image which was very important to the corresponding scene/movement. Would it have been possible tor David Lee Roth to sing about fondling young girls without his cock showing? yeah, but it "drives" the point home. Possible for Kurt Cobain to sing about depression without looking like a homeless person? Yeah, but it made it seem more realistic. My point is that without a corresponding image/visual to accompany the music, its a one faceted attack. I don't care what a band looks like on their record, but a live show is different. Visual is half of the performance. Bands that have a great visual image along with great music seem to go farther.

Where do you hang on the "serious dong" issue?