Our Instrument / Scrap Heap of the Uncool

Gaylon Mathews · From: Jasper, Georgia

What a crock of crap! According to this reporter, the pedal steel was nothing until Robert Randolph came along. http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-42493sy0dec27,0,7764015.story?coll=dp-widget-life

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Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

The sun revolves around the earth...
No one could ever possibly fill a 10 megabyte hard disk...
The earth is flat...
Chickens have lips (aplogies to Johnny Hart)
Oh, and the moon landings were faked on a soundstage in Burbank.

[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 27 December 2005 at 08:36 AM.]

Bob Strum · From: Anniston Alabama

The writer, Sam McDonald..well, how long has he lived in a closet! Argh!

[This message was edited by Bob Strum on 27 December 2005 at 08:46 AM.]

John McGann · From: Boston, Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Frank Zappa:

quote:
Rock Music Critics: People who can't write,
writing about people who can't play
writing for people who can't read.

Not that RR can't play, but this type of 'journalism' has always been around.

To ignorantly disrespect the likes of John Hughey with that comment about Conway Twitty- John Hughey has more "cool" in his pinky than an entire convention of bowling shirt/sideburned record store clerks/"journalists" rock fashionistas have in their entire ancestory...

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http://www.johnmcgann.com
Info for musicians, transcribers, technique tips and fun stuff. Joaquin Murphey transcription book, Rhythm Tuneup DVD and more...

[This message was edited by John McGann on 27 December 2005 at 08:56 AM.]

JW Day · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA

I am for anything that uplifts the steel guitar, but I just cannot see why you would spend money on a steel guitar to make this type of sound or music if you prefer. I truly belierve you can get the same sound out of a 49 dollar wal-mart 6 stringer, with a very cheap amp.

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

Well you know what they say about opinions.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I wrote the guy a note, here it is..
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I respect that you wrote an article but where do you come off thinking that the rest of the planet thinks the Pedal Steel is in the scrap bin ?

How would you know ?

What makes you the authority ?

Are you even a musician ?

Yes,Robert Randolph is a fine exciting new player, well respected by all covering many genres... But before you use his name in an article about a SCRAP pile you had better learn what he thinks..and who his influences are and who's on the top of the scrap pile...

I seem to recall a certain few Country acts that are selling somewhere in the 100,000,00 CD range each where the Steel is a dominant part of the music...

No one has claimed that this Instrument is the number one Instrument of choice..but no one other than you has ever stated it's in a scrap pile..

thats about as narrow minded as anyone can get....

By the way, speaking of RR, whats his gross CD sales at now ? I mean if you are gonna cut to the chase, lets see where the chase ends...

respectfully
Tony Prior
Steel Player
Telecaster player
Musician of 40 years

Ricky Davis · From: Bertram, Texas USA

....and I don't ever remembering hearing pedal steel guitar in a Kenny Rogers song; so that right there, to me; DISCREDITS this writer right off the bat.
Ricky

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Like him or not, Robert Randolph IS a hot player who is bringing the steel guitar to the attention of a new audience. But that is not what this tread is about.

This thread is about the ignorance of the writer. This guy has obviously never heard of Buddy Emmons or Curly Chalker or Jimmy Day. It's reasonable to assume he also never heard of Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton. Or John Coltrane or Beethoven for that matter.

He probably thinks music was invented by Jimi Hendrix.

Here in L.A. this sort of thing is all too common. There are countless people here who think rock and roll is the only music in the world, and everyghing else, be it country, jazz, classical or whatever is "the enemy."

Not long ago I was in a record store, that they were playing a steel string version of the Conceirto de Aranjuez, and I remarked to the clerk how much I liked Miles Davis' version, and the clerk didn't know who Miles Davis was.

It's very sad.

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"Never underestimate the value of eccentrics and Lunatics" -Lional Luthor (Smallville)

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Everything is point of view. These rockers judge by what they are familiar with (which is basically a distorted guitar). My own uninspiring career of 45 years has taught me to recognize who has chops. Though many old timers here may not like RR, he does have more "chops" than 98% of the rock steelers of the '60s-'70s time period, as well as more chops than many players that post here. That his style is not common does not mask his ability, to me, anyway. Progression occurs in all genres, and he's a great rock steeler. No, he doesn't play like Emmons or Green, but he may inspire someone who one day does.

That the writer of the article doesn't recognize the talents of our more traditional player-heroes has little bearing or credibility to us, just as what Ralph Emery might say about the great rock groups would have little bearing or credibility among aficianados of that music.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Kenny Rogers used steel? Maybe on a B side, but not on any of his hits that I can recall.

I think this guy mentions Twitty and Rogers because they're the only country singers he's ever heard of. What's he doing writing about music, anyway?

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Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

I just read the article and he seems to have a valid point. Robert Randolph has done quite a bit to put our instrument center stage in front of millions of new music fans.
You gotta admit, Robert is a bona fide superstar pedal steel player. Really the first ever to have any significant fame outside of the very small circle of people who even know what a pedal steel is.

Most of us are rarely featured sidemen hired to help the singer sound better. That is not near as "cool" as being the star of the show in the eyes of the non pedalsteel playing public.

Lets admit it, the writer can't find his ass with both hands when it comes to knowing what he is talking about but in a basic way he does have a point.

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Bob
My Website

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I hope this does not turn into another typical Robert Randolph diatribe. I am sick of it.

Amongst the writer of this article AND the folks that this writer is catering to---THE PEDAL STEEL GUITAR IS NOT THOUGHT OF AS COOL!!!---He is right.

I hear a lot of silence from a lot of you and you are looking at the computer screen like a dog watching TV trying to get a grip on what you just realized.

Robert Randolph just keeps trudging away traveling all over doing concerts and opening up an entire new dimension of the PSG to an entirely new group of folks who either did not know what it was or if they did, they thought it was just about as cool as a sackbutt. How much more noteriety is this man going to have to get and how much more is he going to have to promote the PSG before some of you stuck in your E9 two left pedal mashing black guitars are best if it ain't country it's PSG began with Buddy Emmons and will end when he does I read music just enough not to hurt my playing if there is no steel in the band it ain't county and I won't listen to it or buy it universe will give this guy the support and the respect he has EARNED!!!

Robert Randolph knows about and has in interviews paid his respect to several great PSG players. He has given them the credit and respect that he can't even get here.

I stopped in a CD place on Christmas Eve to get my wife a CD she wanted. Blaring on the music system in the store is Robert Randolph. I approach the wonderfully geeky looking white teenager behind the counter and ask him if he knows who the artist is playing. He not only knew Robert Randolph, he had been to see him several times, knew all about his website and filled me in on future music coming from him.

One day I am going to log on to this forum and there is going to be a post from Robert Randolph. That will be one of the coolest things that could ever happen to the supposedly uncool.

How about we start supporting this guy overwhelmingly as a forum like we should, if for no other reason than the common bond we have with him via the instrument.

Bill McCloskey · Posted 27 Dec 2005 10:27 am

At a holiday party a few days ago I was speaking to a middle aged accomplished jazz and blues guitarist. One mention of Robert Randolph and his eyes lit up! He told me he had been completely blown away by Robert Randolph.

I don't think he could have mentioned another pedal steel player.

At least the writer didn't talk about how uncool the acordian is.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

I'm Proud to be in this un-cool scrap heap, and that dummy belongs in the scrap heap of writers.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Bull****.... please ,no one take offense... Its the only reply that seems to make sense in this case...bob

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

wow... I guess some sort of dirty word blocking software has been installed, because i DID leave the word you are thinkin of in my reply... bob

David Doggett · Posted 27 Dec 2005 10:46 am

Relax, guys. This is just typical insular rock critic hyperbole. He's exagerating for effect, and obviously writing for an ignorant young rock audience. There's certainly a grain of truth in his hyperboles. Much as we love steel, "cool" and "hip" are not words anyone outside of country music would ever use to describe steel or anything else in country music. But this writer is so unfamiliar with country that his two examples (Conway and Kenny) just come off as odd. Nothing wrong with those two, but what even half-assed country fan would name them as the first two country artists that come to mind? As pointed out above, Kenny hardly ever even used steel, and was as much pop as country. And even Hughey doesn't play much in the style he used years ago with Conway (which I loved). And the alt-country groups that have used steel weren't trying to "rehabilitate" anything, but have seemed to relish a sort of novice, primitive style of steel completely different from Nashville studio steel.

There is no question that RR impresses non-steelers more than he does steelers. I think that is because so many people have steel stereotyped in their own minds as corny Hee-Haww country or slick Nashville country. They are caught by surprise to hear another genre on steel. I think even steelers who choose to only play country realize you could play any genre on steel, and so they are less impressed. And if you ever hear RR's mentor Chuck Campbell on pedal steel, it takes some of the Jaw-drop away from RR.

The real test for all this is whether we will eventually see more musicians in various genres playing steel. If not, then RR hasn't "rehabilitated" steel any more that alt-country has.

It will certainly be interesting to hear RR's new album with Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Maroon 5, The Roots, and Gretchen Wilson. And with Daniel Lanois and Mark Batson producing, maybe it will move further out of the gospel/blues rut.

Darryl Hattenhauer · From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Unfortunately, that author's attitude reflects a lack of knowledge about the steel, and in this he is like millions of other people. So I'm asking the rest of you three questions: Is there a list of readings about steel that we could use not only for our own education but to inform other people?
And is there some "best of" list of tunes to play for people? I think a lot of the jazz influenced stuff would be good, also experimental stuff like Perlowin's work and Bobbe's latest CD. Should we start a separate thread where we can put together such lists, and where we can hatch a plan for publicizing steel?

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"Drinking up the future, and living down the past"--unknown singer in Phoenix

Rick Garrett · From: Tyler, Texas

I was wondering how long this thread would run before someone emailed the guy to give him what for.

Way to go Tony!!

RR is in fact placing the pedal steel guitar in front of millions of people who would otherwise think the steel guitar is only fit for country music. How can that be bad?

I've had people say to me "You play a steel guitar? You mean that whiney thing?" This instrument we all love is way more versatile than we realise.

Rick

Jim Walker · From: Headland, AL

Whatever happend to responsible journalism? I wonder if this writer even finished high school? Research, Research, Research.

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Pete Finney · From: Nashville Tn.

Yes, this thread should be about the ignorance of the writer, NOT about Robert's playing which has certainly been talked about enough here! (I happen to be one of the old timers that really like what he does...).

I sent the "writer" an email too, here it is:

Hello,

I rarely feel it's worth responding to third rate "journalism", but such a demonstration of truly smug ignorance shouldn't go unanswered...

So yes, the pedal steel is associated with Nashville and country music, and so in a superficial way is automatically "uncool" in certain circles I suppose, but if you spent any time hanging around with truly "hip" musicians from many, many fields you would realize how incredibly respected the intrument is, and other musicians especially almost always have the highest praise for anyone that can play such a difficult instrument. As opposed to your totally unsupported and ridiculous generalizations that is a FACT, proven to me time and time again through 31 years of playing it for a living in MANY kinds of music. There is more soul in some of the country music that you casually dismiss than you could ever know, but aside from that how about the prominent pedal steel on albums by: REM, Sting, Metallica, Dire Straits, Los Lobos just for some examples of bands that even YOU should know...

And if you knew ANYTHING at all about what you were talking about, you would know that Kenny Rodgers is the worst example from the country side of things; NONE of his signature tunes feature pedal steel...

I've spent some time with Robert Randolph over the years, and believe me he would be the first to tell you how wrong you are!

From proudly atop the "scrapheap of the uncool"

Pete Finney
Nashville, Tn.

Joseph Meditz · From: Sierra Vista, AZ

Just another clueless journalist.

However, steelers should not be upset by this article. Quite the contrary, because, as they say in show biz, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Joe

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