Lakini's Juice video 1999 Chad T & Chad G going off Options

[zmanpga]

freakin love this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbBPQpDhf4Y

[Liveman94]

I really miss those guys.

I reckon if Ed watched that video now he would think 'How ridiculous I used to be!' or something along those lines...but it was His passion and intensity (though at times spastic) it was impossible to ignore - id rather have a less than perfect performance that was moving and then a perfect performance with the same tired movements (both physical and musical) and meaningless banter anyday...just sayin'

[FishOutaWater]

I really miss those guys.

I reckon if Ed watched that video now he would think 'How ridiculous I used to be!' or something along those lines...but it was His passion and intensity (though at times spastic) it was impossible to ignore - id rather have a less than perfect performance that was moving and then a perfect performance with the same tired movements (both physical and musical) and meaningless banter anyday...just sayin'

After all the time that has passed and all of the water under the bridge and the pressure to sell out. After V and BoP and SFBM. Chad Taylor, Chad Gracey and Patrick Dalheimer have not changed. I admire that about them. Their passion for the music was always still there. Underneath. They tried to stick it out and be loyal to their friend Ed. I will never forget that conversation I had with Chad Taylor about a year before live ended. I admired his loyalty to the band and to Ed and his selfless refusal to talk about his own seperate endeavors when he was there on "Live's time". A good soldier to the end. Until finally, the three of them couldn't take it anymore creatively. And the secret publishing contract was the straw that broke the camel's back. But they were bent but not broken. The fire and the creativity was still in there. And then came the early emergance of TGF music. The Ramius monolgue played over the first incarnation of "The Few". And their excitement for it. They were unshackled. No more God in the lyrics - exclaimed Gracey! No more plexiglass! Removing the plexigalss was a metaphor for so much more. (In fact, I think I am going to go onto Cafe Press and get a "No More Plexiglass!" T shirt to where to my next TGF concert.) Then came Kevin. A great friend and a perfect voice for their second life. And then TGF was born. All that is missing for TGF now is the acclaim and the financial success that an effort like this sorely deserves. And Ed is selling coffee and pendants and pretending he never heard of TGF and changing the lyrics to Live songs in a way that bastardizes everything that Live ever stood for. Ed can earn my attention back when he returns from whatever pollyanna, Spongebob-induced, Sunday School love fest he is on and becomes cynical and jaded again. Genpo Roshi cheats on his wife. Priests molest young boys. Ken Wilber is a self-inflated ego who doesn't know everything. When Ed realizes that all of these thought-leaders are empty, and returns to the view that the music is EVERYTHING and not how much money you can make off of it, then I might start paying attention again.

The thing about the end of Live that always perplexed me, is that for almost a decade, I watched Ed lose himself int he moment of those hard rock songs like White Discussion and Lakini's Juice and he seemed to love it. Then he promised "rock" songs and a return to what Live was before, but concocted feminine, formulaic soft rock tunes that were desperately trying to seek acceptance from a money-spending, soccer mom audience. If Ed likes rocking those songs in concert so much - why doesn't he do more of that with the new music? Unless he couldn't figure out how to do it anymore.

Speaking of Lakini's Juice, here are a few shots of Lakini's Juice in Hershey in August 2008. We may never see this again. Good times.

[Pokey]

The thing about the end of Live that always perplexed me, is that for almost a decade, I watched Ed lose himself int he moment of those hard rock songs like White Discussion and Lakini's Juice and he seemed to love it. Then he promised "rock" songs and a return to what Live was before, but concocted feminine, formulaic soft rock tunes that were desperately trying to seek acceptance from a money-spending, soccer mom audience. If Ed likes rocking those songs in concert so much - why doesn't he do more of that with the new music? Unless he couldn't figure out how to do it anymore.

Ed also stated that his solo album was going to "rock" and that he was bringing his guitar down to Austin to "rock" and that when her performs with the band it's the full "ROCK BAND" show. I just don't think Ed knows what rock is anymore. Either that or he does what he does with TGF and completely blanks out what rock is and is convincing himself or hoping to convince others that what he is offering is rock. And hey that's kind of working, Nick eats that shit up.

But you're right, even in Live's dying days it seemed as if Ed changed a gear when Lakini's or W,D was played. He still wasn't close to the Ed of 1995/97 singing those songs, but it was different to other parts of the show singing The River and Mystery. Then when his solo band played LJ it was just completely castrated and turned into a pop-rock song. That was sickening. KM at least had the know-how to realise his voice wasn't right for it and they pulled it from the set quickly because it just didn't sound right.
Ed runs that shit into the ground. When he talks about rock music now, no offence to the Ed fans here, but it's almost like he's trying to take advantage of retards. "Oh yeah guys this is DEFINITELY rock music, you should totally come to my show, hey wear my t-shirts to hard rock festivals with Motorhead and Slayer fans, you totally won't get laughed at! Now, is that a $50 in your wallet? I know it says there that the shirt costs $30 but I'll do you a special deal for $50!". That's the vibe I get.

So it's either Ed's forgotten what rock is, or he is trying to give people the bum stear. I know he's never claimed that it'll be the hardest music he's written, but you get the sense he acts like it's some heavy shit when he busts out "Stand". I can't believe that Ed can't remember what it was like to be on stage singing Heropsychodreamer or Stage ... does he really think that any of his new material sonically/musically is in the same vein? And if not, then why doesn't he just admit that THAT was rock and what he is doing now is not.

[LivesMeltdown]

Ed runs that shit into the ground. When he talks about rock music now, no offence to the Ed fans here, but it's almost like he's trying to take advantage of retards. "Oh yeah guys this is DEFINITELY rock music, you should totally come to my show, hey wear my t-shirts to hard rock festivals with Motorhead and Slayer fans, you totally won't get laughed at! Now, is that a $50 in your wallet? I know it says there that the shirt costs $30 but I'll do you a special deal for $50!". That's the vibe I get.

I don't listen to music just because it's rock music. I enjoy all types from classical to motown to rock. So, Ed saying that his album was going to rock had no bearing on how I like it or not. It could have been just him and an acoustic guitar or piano and if I liked the songs...that's all that matters to me. But keep on generalizing, because it really helps your point.

[FishOutaWater]

I don't listen to music just because it's rock music. I enjoy all types from classical to motown to rock. So, Ed saying that his album was going to rock had no bearing on how I like it or not. It could have been just him and an acoustic guitar or piano and if I liked the songs...that's all that matters to me. But keep on generalizing, because it really helps your point.

I think you are both right.

Music doesn't have to be rock for it to be good. For example, from my opinion - just today I posted in the Other Music thread that I love Keb Mo. A lot of what he does is authentic blues. But much of what he does could be considered in the same genre as Ed's new music. But Keb Mo's music has an authenticity and quality to it that I like better. But I think Ed says things will "rock" because he is trying to market the music to sell it. But it's short sighted because you can only dupe your audience once like then. If you tell them V, BoP. and SFBM really rock and sound like Throwing Copper, and your audience buys it and finds out that it doesn't, then you lose everybody but those of us who are basically continuing to buy Ed's new cd's out of the same sense of familial obligation that makes us feel compelled to go to Aunt Gertrude's house every year for Easter dinner, even though we have a miserable time.

The thing that frustrates me - and I know this has probably been said by a dozen people in a dozen different ways on here - is that Ed seems to have regressed, both musically and philosphically. It is like an amazing, one-of-a-kind talent and philosopher who has gone backward and lost the insight and magical chemistry that he had. It seems like such a waste. It isn't supposed to happen like that. The simple-minded "ooh la la" lyricist and musician who writes about how Jesus can make everybody happy if you find him right there in front of you, should evolve into a totally awakened, non-egoic artist of epic proportion. That's a progression of thought and talent. It is frustrating, unexplainable and a tragic loss when it happens the other way around. With Ed, the 18 year old was a total genius that created artistic and philsophical gold that belied his age and experience. Now at 40, he can't seem to be able to fight his way out of his own lmited imagination. But he still has the voice that I would enjoy listening to over all others. I won't go to see him with his "rock band" if they were playing in my back yard. But I'll go see him sing Live tunes with an acoustic guitar any day of the week.

This post has been edited by FishOutaWater: Feb 28 2011, 12:15 pm