Empty gesture of a poseur

[Ghoulish Delight]

Having just watched what I thought was a top notch SNL performance by Arcade Fire we thought we'd check Arcade Fire's tour schedule. First thing we learned is that Arcade Fire's host wasn't prepared for this apperance and the increased traffic. Site's down.

So I thought I'd pop over to Wikipedia and see if anyone had said something about the performance.

Here's the link, and at the time I checked it (I'm sure it's likely to change at any moment), the last item under trivia read:

The writing on Win Butler's guitar on the February 24, 2007 episode of Saturday Night Live, "sak vide pa kanpe", is a Creole proverb which means "an empty sack cannot stand up" and refers to the injustice in the lives of the Haitian working poor and the hope that they maintain despite their struggles. At the conclusion of the song, Butler ripped the strings off his guitar and proceeded to smash it on the stage floor, the foolish empty gesture of a poseur.

Something delightfully ironic about someone using Wikipedia to call someone out for a "foolish empty gesture of a poseur".

[Kevy Baby]

Ridiculous!

At 9:40 a.m. this morning, it's gone:

The writing on Win Butler's guitar on the February 24, 2007 episode of Saturday Night Live, "sak vide pa kanpe", is a Creole proverb which means "an empty sack cannot stand up" and refers to the injustice in the lives of the Haitian working poor and the hope that they maintain despite their struggles. At the conclusion of the song, Butler ripped the strings off his guitar and smashed it on the stage floor.

[mousepod]

I just watched the performance on SNL. The songs were great - the band was tight. The smashed guitar - I didn't get it. It seemed more rehearsed than passionate. I hate to sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but if you can't do it better (or at least differently) than those who came before you, then why bother?

This is the quintessential smash. Never done better.

(Well, maybe the Clash at the Palladium)

[lindyhop]

Originally Posted by mousepod

This is the quintessential smash. Never done better.

I don't know. Even there they're smashing things up because they're expected to. I saw The Who in 1967 and it was kind of silly seeing them smash things up in the afternoon knowing that they had another show that night. But we would have been disappointed if they hadn't done it.

The stupidest thing about that particular show was that the Who wasn't the headliner. My friends and I went to see the Association who closed the show. I was 13, what did I know?

[Ghoulish Delight]

I agree that it was a relatively uninspired bit of guitar smashing, but I give him points simply because it's been a long time since anyone's done it on SNL. And the quality of the performance (which is no easy trick on SNL where 99% of musical guests sound horrible), in my mind, earned him the right to try, even if he kinda failed to pull it off well.

But mostly I was amused at the picture of some guy so outraged by it that he...went straight to wikipedia and dissed the hell outta him.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

But mostly I was amused at the picture of some guy so outraged by it that he...went straight to wikipedia and dissed the hell outta him.

As was I. And I didn't even see SNL last night.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I think he pulled off the smashing. I think AF is one of the most incredible live bands out there. That guy could sell me anything

[Stan4dSteph]

Arcade Fire are crazy! I was very entertained when they opened for U2.

[blueerica]

I actually love Arcade Fire, but I guess I look at guitar smashing as kind of passe... I didn't see the SNL skit.

However, I have two points:

1.) I want something more creative/less common than a guitar smashing. Why not trash... I don't know, the drum set... the keyboard? Just a thought...

2.) Do Haitians make guitars? Because then it might be interesting. Kind of. Well, if a Haitian made it. Which is unlikely.