|
|
March 10, 2006
Ladies' man goes solo
Page shows a more serious side on his new album.
DAVE GORDON
Who would have thought 15 years ago that a bespectacled, chubby
Jewish kid from the Toronto suburbs would play to sold-out international
stadiums, performing a song in which he caterwauled like Yoko Ono?
Then again, that pretty much sums up the wacky charm of Barenaked
Ladies, fronted by Steven Page. The band's first full-length CD,
Gordon, introduced their finger-snapping sound and Page's
whimsically clever lyrics to audiences in 1992, with a string of
radio singles: "Be My Yoko Ono," "If I Had a Million
Dollars," "Brian Wilson" and "Enid." But
it wasn't until the popularity of the Grammy-nominated Stunt
in 1998 that they became a radio staple, as fans everywhere began
to take notice with their number one single, "One Week."
It seems like the success happened in one week, but Page formed
the Barenaked Ladies with singer/guitarist Ed Robertson in 1988,
while the two childhood friends were at summer music camp. About
a million records have been sold worldwide for every year they've
been together. Page attributes it to never over-thinking the music.
"If we go in thinking that way, it never works out that way,
and it's never organic," he said. "I think it's important
for us to sound like ourselves, first and foremost."
And what makes BNL (as fans know them) stand out among the fleeting
pop acts of today, he believes, is the emotional attachment to the
songs and the down-to-earth style of the band mates. "Some
of it has to do with the personality of the band members and that
fans have gotten to know us and grown up with us," said Page.
"It's the value of the songs for those people. This song, or
this or that album, they tell us: 'It reminds me of a special time
in my life.' Rather than see this as transient, they see it as timeless."
Along the way, BNL has developed a reputation as one of North America's
best-loved live acts.
Page says he still isn't sure whether being goofy has helped or
hindered the band professionally. "We are more tolerant of
people who are dismissing us as a comedy band," he said, "but
they miss out on the good work we do. But that's partially our fault
because of how we present ourselves. Something that really bothered
us about other artists is their desire to be important, serious.
That wasn't the point of making music. We did it because it was
fun. We weren't going to pretend it wasn't fun just to impress people."
From "Be My Yoko Ono" to last year's "Chanukah Blessings,"
few other singer/songwriters can be said to be so musically diverse,
silly and serious all at the same time. One particular song, the
semi-autobiographical "Brian Wilson," does have a deeper
meaning to Page, however. "There are lots of points in my life
where I thought, 'What would happen if I just didn't get out of
bed today?' I think that song is about the power of music to help
you find value in your life. That song I like to get back to, to
get myself up and do things."
Among those things is a new record by Page and partner Stephen Duffy.
This solo work, The Vanity Project, reflects a less humorous
side of Page than is usually reflected in his Barenaked Ladies material.
"There was a lot going on in the world around the time these
songs were written, and a lot going on in my own life," Page
said, by way of describing the tone of The Vanity Project.
"The album is sort of a series of tableaux with a bit of a
storyline. It's not intended as a rock opera or anything like that,
but there's definitely a thread – it's about missed chances
and bad choices. Did I want to compete with Barenaked Ladies? No.
Did I want to break away? Not really, no. This was a way for me
to express something different, something that was more emotionally
raw. The songs express a certain vulnerability, and I wanted to
let that show through, rather than worry about making everything
sound perfect." Rock star, yet human being. Humorous, yet serious.
Something different, indeed.
Dave Gordon is a freelance writer whose work can be found
in the Baltimore Sun, Toronto Star and National Post.
^TOP
|
|
