NPR Does Wonderful Feature On Kip Winger

I love NPR. In fact, it is the only radio I listen to while in the car. Recently, Weekend Edition did a feature on Kip Winger and his move from the Glam world to classical. It's a really nice feature and worth your time.

Kip Winger went from playing hair metal and the MTV hit "Seventeen" to writing classical music for ballet.https://t.co/Fmze82ltCc

— NPR (@NPR) June 26, 2016

Comments

[Metalgirl!]

See what happens when Beavis & Butthead make fun of you?

It drives you to Greatness!

p.s. Thank you, Allyson, for posting this. I feel a little bit classier AND classical because of it, perfect for a Sunday morning!

[Bkallday]

Oh yeah, he's really cool since he's involved in classical music now. NOT!!! How lame, not the genre mind you but the fact that he feels he has to resort to this. I'm assuming it's more due to his losing his voice, though. Blackmore does renaissance music, Winger does classical, Vincent to country, what next....Phil Anselmo releasing a collection of folk songs? Smmfh

[Him]

Yikes . . . and of course! That's the old Bkallday I remember. The addition of the capital "B" suggests the gravitas of a comment like this. Thing is, no need for big letters when you swing sticks that big. You're gonna' hit something.

Blackmore veers over to acoustic . .. but can still play? Winger gets older . . . but can still sing (you realize he isn't Mark Slaughter, right)? Neil can't sing . . . but others do a country cover album the band endorses (unless you are really pushing his guest spot on the Justin Moore cover of "HSH")? The Anselmo jab is a bit more nuanced, what with his recent white powe . . . I mean, wine, issues. But he can get kinda' folksy when he wants. I mean, Pantera did a tasty cover of Sabbath's "Planet Caravan." And I hear he likes German volk ballads.

Just kidding. Well, no exactly. Like you, I am being serious. Why is genre-crossing something one has to "resort to" and/or "lame," esp. if you don't think the genre itself is lame? There's a certain busted sprinkler quality to all this lashing and bashing, no?

"Smmfh," indeed. On that we can all agree.

[Metalboy!]

Did you even listen to the 5 minute NPR segment, BK?

Winger's not being disingenuous. Believe me, he's not doing it for the money. There's no real money in Classical. He's doing it for the art!

[Him]

Thank you, Metalboy!, for being a tad bit more succinct and professional in your discussion of Burger King's rant. I wish I had the restraint you have.

Imagine that!?!? Restraint when passion is involved. I need to take a page from you in this instance. But, boy oh boy, his Crossfit rantings do goad me. He. Is. That. Good.

[Rita]

I seem to remember Sebastian Bach doing Broadway not that long ago.

Lame BK? Would you use that word on Bas too?

[Bkallday]

No but Bas is also still rocking tfo too. Sticking to his roots which I admire and appreciate.

[Metalboy!]

And Winger's still on the White Trash version of the Chittlin' Circuit (tongue firmly planted in cheek here with some aire of truth, if you will), yet, while sluggin' it out with the rest of the usual suspects at the festivals and in the clubs -- Great White, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse, KIX, Slaughter, Tesla, XYZ, etc., etc. -- he's admirably expanding his horizons.

Look, I don't even particularly like Winger's brand of Cheese Metal, but I will say this, I was impressed as h*ll when I saw him and his band perform at M3 several years back. It was flawless. Winger is clearly a h*lluva musician and he's, ahem, obviously spreading his wings in an amazing direction.

[Him]

To sorta' combine some of the previous comments (and this also traces back to a comment Metalboy! made on a previous post): difference between Bach and Winger (independent of their particular _styles_ of metal) is that Winger can still sing at a fairly high level. Bach still has his moments. But he can be god awful . . . and he is more often than he is not recently, even if he has toned down his "I can still scream with the best of them" antics. And this is coming from someone who prefers Bach's back catalog to Winger's.

That said, we do run into one of those mind puzzles that personal tastes tend to decide: Winger does classical, Bach does Broadway, Slaughter contributes to Fox Sports, Stanley does a Folger's Coffee spot, Tyler does country . . . oh wait, what?!!? So I guess I am charging up my own hypocrisy meter: what counts as a valid move into another realm? Sure, a Broadway is not Folgers is not classical. But is this, yet again, an issue of personal taste (I guess that is my attempt to support all sides in this discussion)?

[Nice to see a comment from you, Rita. I don't see posts from you here as much anymore. I hope all is well.]

[Rita]

Hi Him,

Thanks for noticing. I am always here everyday, reading all the good stuff posted by Allyson, the regulars, and some new folks. Lately, I will comment if I feel like I have something to add to the discussion. Doesn't seem to be as often these days.

Hope all is well with you too. Life get's in the way of fun sometimes, as you. I hope to get back to fun sometime soon. Take care.

[Him]

I hope you get back to fun, Rita, sooner rather than later.

I appreciate your spirit, your willingness to respond to ridiculousness (no need to rehash the times when what you did was more than necessary), and your perspective on the music that we love.

You are right: life gets in the way of fun. As I once mentioned to you, this place was a life-line and a life-saver at one of the lowest ebbs for me. So I hold this place in great regard. In a world where people don't often seem to care, people here surely did. In a time (now as then), where so much that is wrong with music seemed only to get worse, there were people here--Metalboy!, Ace, Gary, Bob, oper8n, you, etc.--who seemed to temper my thoughts even as they educated me on what little I actually knew. Heck, even the squabbles were and are fun, given that they add nothing to the problems of the world, even if they occasionally shed light on all the wonderful things that metal can and does contribute to people's live. So, yeah, I guess I am a fan of this site. And you are a part of that.

And I offer this to you as well: if ever you want to talk--about music, about life, about whatever--drop Allyson a line and ask her to give you my email. Or don't. I know that most of us are not "friends," per se. But I have connected with several people on this site, behind the scenes and because of shared interests in music. It has been rewarding.

Allyson created something special. At the very least, muster up the strength to post more. I know I won't be the only one looking forward to another post or two.

[Rita]

Thanks Him. That meant a lot to me. Another example of why some of these BBG readers are so amazing. And I will take you up on that kind offer of yours for sure.

[Him]

I think most readers on here would do the same, Rita. There is a horizon-line that some won't cross, sure. But, since I have been posting, I have found this place to be a generally positive and upbeat forum. A rarity in this day and age.

While I read other sites, I can't even fathom why there is a reason to post on them. The negativity, the slurs, the needless detours into misogynistic garbage. Allyson cultivates a following that is hard to replicate and speaks to the benefits of this site, for posting or reading or whatever else it might be. We are lucky she did and does this.

You get a lot of variety on this site. Hey, I even Bkallday and I end up agreeing on some things. But it never goes beyond a certain point. I can only recall one time where this site shut down comments. Only one. On other sites, they should probably shut down every other week. So I am a fan for life. And my small attempt to show that gratitude is posting features on occasion.

I think back to my initial postings on here. Metalboy! thought I was Fletch. Turns out, I am not! I spoke mistakenly about Ace. But I found out that I was wrong and that he had a historical viewpoint from which I could learn. I'd love to meet both of them. If I am lucky, I might. Still, I gain a lot from reading what they, and others, write. New bands. Old bands. Details I didn't know and ones I somehow forgot!

As I said, Rita, it was an offer and only that. I was glad to see your post earlier today. And I look forward to many more. If we get a chance to talk, so much the better. All my best. Like I said, I hope the fun shines on you soon. On this site and, more importantly, elsewhere.

Enjoy your weekend.

[Dj]

Never a bad idea as a musician to step outside your comfort zone and try a completely new genre. Absolutely no problem with it, different creative ideas can lead to different artforms and I think it's great.

[Rita]

Him,

You touched on why BBG is a great thing that Allyson created and continues to nurture and support. I also saw that recently on some health related posts by oper8n and then Metalboy!

Makes me proud to be a part of it,however small. Good folks in a sea of bad and negativity. With awesome taste in music, to boot. And that is and always will be the common thread and perhaps the reason we connect so well and respect each other, for the most part.

Enjoy your weekend too.