Post #8079 by Tiki_Bong on Wed, Sep 11, 2002 9:25 AM

Seems the discussion here is the degree to which one artists work resembles anothers, in this case Shag.

Of concern should be to what extent is the influence evident.

For example, the musical sytle of the Blues is not the white man's creation. Yet nobody is concerned that it is the white man that has made the vast majority of money off the black man's art form.

Should we take The Rolling Stones, The Beatles or Stevie Ray Vaughan to task for copying the style of say Robert Johnson?

Nothing is created in a vacuum. Everything is influenced by something or someone else.

Of the 40 plus songs I've written, I can listen to the tracks and pick out artists I've been influenced by such as Zappa, The English Beat, or Hank Williams Sr (I listen to a wide range). But this isn't to say that when I write a song I say 'OK I'm going to write a Zappa-style song or a Return to Forever-sytle song. It's just that these influences creep out onto the tracks.

In summary, it is a fine line to be crossed or avoided when any type of artist is creating something. If when they begin their creative process they say 'I'm going to do a Shag piece' that's wrong.

Conversely, if they do not make that mental statement and Shag creeps out onto the canvas subconsciously, then in my mind, that's alright.