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Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 00:45
by GoogaMooga
I suppose the guru thing starts with the Maharishi in Bangor, Wales, in 1967. The Fabs took the train to meet him, and the next year they were in India with Mia and sister, Donovan, and Mike Love, in his ashram. Didn't John Lennon leave early, disillusioned?
Then there was Pete Townshend and his guru Meher Baba. Melanie also dallied in Baba's teachings. And much later, unfortunately, Bobby McFerrin quoted him in the rather stupid "Don't Worry, Be Happy".
Carlos Santana had a spiritual phase in the 70s, following Sri Chinmoy, and changed his name to Devadip Carlos Santana. That was later dropped, but we got some interesting albums out of that, not least "Love, Devotion, Surrender".
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 07:02
by Nervous Ned
David Sylvian had his own guru ... to the extent that she even appeared on a track from one of his albums.
Needless to say, several years later he became disillusioned with the whole thing ... and wrote a song about that too
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 07:53
by Quaco
"Don't Worry Be Happy" is any stupider than half of the stuff you post about?!?!
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 09:15
by Darkness_Fish
The Residents claimed to be disciples of N Senada, and his theory of obscurity. But the likelihood is that he didn't exist.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 09:51
by Penk!
DJ Premier supported a Guru for much of his career.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 10:23
by Walk In My Shadow
Cat Stevens
Terence Trent D'Arby
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 11:24
by The Modernist
GoogaMooga wrote:I suppose the guru thing starts with the Maharishi in Bangor, Wales, in 1967. The Fabs took the train to meet him, and the next year they were in India with Mia and sister, Donovan, and Mike Love, in his ashram. Didn't John Lennon leave early, disillusioned?
No, Ringo left early when he ran out of baked beans and became disillusioned by the flies.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 14:09
by GoogaMooga
Quaco wrote:"Don't Worry Be Happy" is any stupider than half of the stuff you post about?!?!
Yes. As a matter of fact it is. IMO.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 14:10
by GoogaMooga
PENK wrote:DJ Premier supported a Guru for much of his career.
And great they were.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 15:40
by Count Machuki
Ah, this is the perfect place to ask about something that's been bugging me. I spent about a week or so reading up on George Gurdjieff based on a comment I saw here about somebody following him.
Was it Kevin Ayers?
Quaco, I think I remember you mentioning this...no?
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 16:23
by HotRats
GoogaMooga wrote:I suppose the guru thing starts with the Maharishi in Bangor, Wales, in 1967. The Fabs took the train to meet him, and the next year they were in India with Mia and sister, Donovan, and Mike Love, in his ashram. Didn't John Lennon leave early, disillusioned?
I'm pretty sure most musicians SHOULD follow Donovan as a Guru. After all he did invent folk, taught the Beatles how to play folk guitar, invented the White Album, and probably invented Gurus too for that matter. Just ask him.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 16:33
by HotRats
Nervous Ned wrote:David Sylvian had his own guru ... to the extent that she even appeared on a track from one of his albums.
Needless to say, several years later he became disillusioned with the whole thing ... and wrote a song about that too
I remember reading the interview with David Sylvian in Mojo for the Now Playing bit at the front, and wondering whether it had been ghost written by Charlie Brooker.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 17:18
by Quaco
Count Machuki wrote:Ah, this is the perfect place to ask about something that's been bugging me. I spent about a week or so reading up on George Gurdjieff based on a comment I saw here about somebody following him.
Was it Kevin Ayers?
Quaco, I think I remember you mentioning this...no?
Fripp has connections -- his favorite philosopher, JG Bennett, was a Gurdjieff scholar. There's also this ...
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 17:45
by Count Machuki
Was is Fripp? I could sweat it was somebody a bit more...fried. Thanks though.
That Gurdjieff stuff is wild - it's a lovely mix of profound and preposterous.
Plus, look at the guy:
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 19:41
by The Modernist
Gurdjieff was tremendously influential on early 20th century thought. The counter-culture can be traced directly to him in many ways.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 22:26
by Snarfyguy
Darkness_Fish wrote:The Residents claimed to be disciples of N Senada, and his theory of obscurity. But the likelihood is that he didn't exist.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 22:28
by clive gash
The cream of BCB followed our Lord and saviour J Coan to the promised land.
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 09 Mar 2019, 05:33
by Charlie O.
GoogaMooga wrote:
Robert Christgau wrote:On the back cover is a photograph of three men. Two of them are dressed in white and have their hands folded--one grinning like Alfred E. Neuman, the other looking like he's about to have a Supreme Court case named after him: solemn, his wrists ready for the cuffs. In between, a man in an orange ski jacket and red pants with one white sock seems to have caught his tongue on his lower lip. He looks like the yoga coach at a fashionable lunatic asylum. Guess which one is Sri Chinmoy. B-
Re: Bands or band members who follow gurus
Posted: 09 Mar 2019, 05:46
by GoogaMooga
Yeah, I remember Christgau's write-up - a classic! LOL