I Am The Greatest
A House
One of these great Irish bands I love so much and sadly forget about sometimes. So I’m sneaking this one in before it’s too late. Too many songs/artists to shoehorn into these last few weeks of 2022.
A House feels like a distant cousin to the Go Betweens. A great sounding band — a fusion of post-punk and indie pop/rock. They have some big songs and hooks too.
This band possessed an unwavering conviction and commitment to making the records they wanted to make. It was inside them. And it wasn’t just the kind of songs they wrote, but how they recorded them and where. And who was in the room with them.
I admire it so much — and it’s exactly my new approach. There are a whole lot more filmmaking deal breakers for me now. On our previous movies, I was a little too desperate at times to be making something. Too eager to please. And some of my actions and decisions would go against my creative impulses.
A House was wiling to turn their backs on record labels. They were gloriously stubborn and doubled down on their music. Their unwillingness to pander is remarkable. Even their most commercial records still sound exciting to me, and it’s because of their commitment to the art.
I thought I would choose The Strong and the Silent or Endless Art, but I am drawn to I AM THE GREATEST today. I love the affirmation. Muhammad Ali said it and we believed him.
Coming from A House, sure it’s ironic, tongue-in-cheek. 😂 The song is flat-out hilarious on one level. But every artist must believe in themselves if they want to continue making things and thriving. Artists tend to be good at putting themselves down. We have to change that and this song helps me. I love its simmering anger, frustration and honesty. And the last minute is brilliantly bonkers — how it evolves into shouting.
After all, its title is a mantra that’s ridiculous and untrue. But maybe we need to believe it sometimes to keep going? The desire to be great or make something great is a lost art and something we should never be ashamed of as artists.
Whatever happened to good music? You know in the days that you could feel it?
It was almost sexual, sending shivers up your spine. This, I believe is
because songwriters were not restricted by the small music dictatorship which
now exists. Let's hope the future holds something better than the present and
let's leave the past alone. The music business is incapable of bringing music
to the future, as it sits just waiting to pounce on any third rate trend,
milking it to death, once again putting money where the music is not. I only
wish I was born before all the great ideas were used. While I struggle to
working around this, the most annoying thing is watching others succeed
through stealing them. I could have been a legend in my own time; I could
have sold a lot of records; I could have enjoyed it as well. I could have
been a lot of things. One thing that I know I am and will always be: I am the
greatest.
I bumped into this bloke the other day we used to know in school. We didn't
say 'hello' because he had his hair slicked ______ and I had all mine shaved
off. He was always a bit of a clown. He used to be a hard man, but he did
his homework, because he knew that one day he'd be going places. I knew I
should have asked him there and then 'was he happy now that he'd finally got
there?' He goes to bed thinking of ways to fiddle ten more pounds on his
expenses. Me? I go to bed thinking of all the reasons why I am the greatest.
We always use other people as the mirror in which we judge ourselves. So, we
are constantly changing to meet their expectations. Maybe we've forgotten the
meaning of the word 'individual.' It's as if everything we do or think is
valued for its conformity. Anything fresh or original is hacked down and
always brought down to size. You don't even think for yourself, as a life
that is led for you is some kind of problem. You wouldn't recognize a new
idea if it spat in your face and screamed out hairy name(?). Who am I to
talk? Who the hell do I think I am? I am the greatest.
Welcome to the wonderful world of show business. The dark and dank place
rarely lit by the harsh light of reality. I look around and I see the big
monolith(?) rock stars with opinions on everything and answers to nothing.
Burnt out old men with money to burn. Bandwagons full of bands with
sycophantic fans with no lives of their own. A place where image is king and
music is a poorer relation that I can relate to. I am the greatest.
I am the greatest.
I am!
