Arcade Fire talk trash about Brit Rock

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Arcade Fire talk trash about Brit Rock

February 21, 2007 9:14 a.m. by Justin Sheppard

Via: NME
Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler had some decidedly unkind things to say recently about the culture of competition that exists in the UK between its rock bands. Speaking to the NME, Butler stated that many bands from the UK force their music upon people:
"It's not like we shun success, but at the same time we don't want to shove it down people's throats. In the UK there's this kind of rock star competition."
Butler then goes on to name names and compares their careers to the guy who hawks appliances at your local box store:
"I don't know if U2 started it, or The Stones or Oasis but a lot of bands think in terms of: 'I'm going to be the biggest band in the world. Fuck all those bands who've got no ambition'. I think that's a total crock of shit.
"There's nothing less interesting to me than the idea of marketing the fuck out of something so people are forced to like it. Some bands are just manipulating people to buy music. That's how 90 per cent of the record industry works! It's basically the same as selling a fucking toaster or a cruise package."
What do you think the odds are that U2 will ask Arcade Fire to open for them again the next time they're in Montreal?

Posted in: ARCADE FIRE

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11 Responses

February 21, 2007 at 10:50 a.m.

Josh H.

That was probably the most hypocritical statement I have heard from a musician in, well, probably only a few weeks. But, seriously. Maybe Arcade Fire don't go on the Internet or just let their publicity people handle things themselves but the push for Neon Bible is almost unprecedented in rock history and, in my time at least, indie rock history. 1-800 numbers, crazy ass advertisements, weird covert pamphlets, playing like 22 shows in a row in one city, a special edition version of the record released at the same time. Jesus. I could go on and on. It was one thing to put up with the Arcade Fire ad barrage, press coddling but now to hear them say they aren't trying to be huge and in people's faces? That is just the rotten icing on an already inedible cake.

February 22, 2007 at 8:02 a.m.

Jim

I'm just amazed that bands who have very little output feel compelled to state their opinion as if they're legends. A couple of critically acclaimed indie albums on the resume and now they know it all. If the Stones came a knockin' I bet the gear would be packed in no time. "How much can we make on tour shirts ?"

February 22, 2007 at 8:47 a.m.

wendy

In defense of the band, PR people didn't set up the 1-866-Neon Bible number, that was the band. In fact, everything they do is their own idea. The phone number is something they put together to interact with their fans in a weird and mysterious way, but the whole idea behind it got blown early on. It was going to be kind of an intricate puzzle that people would eventually figure out.I should know, because I am working online promotion for The Arcade Fire and they don't really want to do anything we propose for them, they like to go their own way.

February 22, 2007 at 9:26 a.m.

Josh H.

Thanks Wendy, but that is not in defense of the band but in defense of PR people. Haha. It actually goes more to prove my point now that we know it is actually them behind a lot of their own hype and not people who get paid to do it for them (no offense to you''I'm not naive enough to think PR doesn't play a strong and usually smart role in helping bands out). But I'm done bitching about the indie rock capitalist machine and their biggest apologists. I'll just try to pretend I don't see the ads, the "news" stories, the photos, the lists, the bitching, the quotes, the mp3s, the fliers, the phone numbers, the pre-orders, the special editions, the three consecutive shows in my home town, and, um, god forbid if I run to them in the street or something. The End.

February 22, 2007 at 9:41 a.m.

Dave Park

Again, I totally disagree with you Josh. The amount of self-promotion that Arcade Fire has done is minor compared to what they could do. So they setup a 1-800 number to help promote the album. 5 shows in NYC? The demand was obviously there. I woke up at 9AM on a Saturday to buy tix and I couldn't buy them.They could definitely do a lot more to promote their album (see White Stripes, Bloc Party, U2, etc).

February 22, 2007 at 10:44 p.m.

wendy

Josh, I take your original point and can empathize with the viewpoint that some bands are overly promoted by the PR machine, but what annoys you so much about a band who makes their own way and comes up with their own plans on how they want to interact with their fans? The Arcade Fire has been offered everything on a silver platter, but they just aren't interested in any kind of commercial venture beyond their music. They aren't shilling for products, accepting custom-made swag and are turning down many opportunities including lots more money and a shot at much greater fame. They just aren't into that.They also play 5 dates in one city so they can play a venue that only holds a few hundred people instead of a stadium. Perhaps the quote at the top of this thread comes off as somewhat disingenuous for a band that seemingly has the world at their feet, but they certainly have a point. Good for them.

February 22, 2007 at 10:47 p.m.

wendy

...also, to clarify, our client is Merge and not specifically The Arcade Fire.

February 23, 2007 at 7:44 a.m.

BTW

I wish they would have played 3 more nights in NYC so I could have gone to the show... Neon Bible is going to sell itself once released. Record is dope...

February 23, 2007 at 11:50 a.m.

swh

Wow Arcade Fire, you saints!!! It's a bit erroneous to compare his band to any of those bands -in the first place- but also because they ie. U2, RS have a butt load of records they've released. For example, U2 hasn't ever really shoved their music down peoples' throats, especially in the beginning. Now one could argue that after the eclectic taste of success after Achtung Baby, it got overly-commercial. It probably did. But it wasn't really the band as a whole -just Bono's huge ego that gave an appearance of throat-pushing -along with the help from their label/PR. He and the others seem to be real genuine guys. You can't put them in the category with Oasis, Suede, et. all who were constantly bantering eachother and screaming that they were the best band -at least in the UK. But I think I know what he's trying to say. But it's not the UK. It's the mother, England. The Scotland scene is nothing like that. Many English bands have huge egos and think they have to prove they're better than their clones to the right and left of em. It might be the lingering grandeur of the Beatles -or the Stones. Mick jagger definately deserves to have a huge ego if he wants. The Arctic Chiefs don't.

February 23, 2007 at 12:03 p.m.

swh

Also, I think the self-proclaimed passive approach to their sophomore album is simply them not wanting to push their luck after such a huge success as was Funeral. I remember Butler saying how music wasn't as big a deal to him as it was to most bands. All bands who have a solid debut hold their breath around theur sophomore release, but it seems Arcade Fire has been holding it even harder. I haven't heard the new album but I'm going to assume it's good. It will be interesting to see how his attitude might change after a few successful records -goes back to my point that U2 released like 5 records prior to Achtung Baby.

February 24, 2007 at 2 a.m.

John Miner

I can actually see Win Butler's point, and I agree with some of the above comments as well. I notice, and no offense to British indie, but it seems a lot more competitive, whereas The North American indie scene is more collaborative. The only example I can think of that contradicts this statement is The Killers, Bravery feud a few years ago, and also the marketing push behind Sam's Town. I didn't fall for it though, because any band that comes out the gate and states that it is the best record in twenty years ultimately spells rubbish. I don't see a lot of cross pollination, which is actually detrimental to the music over there. I don't think Win is actually trashing the bands marketing so much has he is placing the idea of negative marketing at the detriment of the other artists. We also have to remember, that we have a more wide open scene which fosters communal relationships. As for marketing, outside of the indie community are we really having Arcade Fire shoved down our throats, lol, no, but I bet when the new Oasis record comes out, the British will have to listen to Liam claim he has the best record in twenty years. Enough for me on this, and yeah the new stuff from Arcade Fire is pretty sweet.