Cliches slip into all aspects of life, whether the musical or the mundane.
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It goes something like this...
by Phil Houseal
Oct 27, 2010
I hate cliches.
I reject them in life, writing, songs, and conversation. I tire of them in musician’s patter.
I spent many misguided years sitting on stage with musicians of all abilities, playing venues from smoky bars to swanky nightclubs and raucous festivals. One common strand was the annoying gems uttered by well-meaning front men. (Full disclosure: I have been guilty of saying all these myself)
Examples:
The more you drink, the better we sound.
We've had several requests, but we're going to keep playing anyway.
(or... We’ve had several requests, but the guitar won't fit)
He wanted to hear us play in the worst way, and that's how we played it.
Last call for alcohol.
And my favorite:
Here's a little tune, and it goes something like this...
That one drives me insane because it states the obvious! Of course here is a tune, because we are a band and we are playing tunes! And why say “it goes something like this?” It goes exactly like this! So why say anything at all!?
I have come to loathe cliches in any aspect of life or culture. They start as innocent shortcuts, a handy way of stating observed truth, shorthand for common knowledge.
But then they morph into excuses for lack of thought, flags that announce we have just given up.
This is not just about cliches in writing. They pop up in conversation ("How's the weather?" "It's not the heat; it's the humidity.")
They may be most damaging when they infect the way we live. Most often, cliches are disguised as "tradition." Birthday parties, weddings, holidays have become endless cliches, from the singing of Happy Birthday and blowing out of candles, to the predictable patter that accompanies the white elephant gift exchange.
Supposedly we find comfort and security in tradition. But if traditions were so valuable, we'd still be banging on hollow logs, sacrificing goats and dancing around a burning tree.
Tradition may have given security in the terrifying world faced by our wandering ancestors, the pioneers, and the pilgrims. But I submit that today a surrender to tradition can stifle growth and hobble creativity (Comte wrote that tradition is letting the dead govern the living).
I know, I know. I know how meaningful Aunt Minnie's secret stuffing is to the Thanksgiving table, or how the yellow ribbons made cousin Andrew cry.
Fine. Cry and eat. But how do you even know where Aunt Minnie’s secret recipe came from? Maybe her great grandma learned it while serving a prison sentence. How much more meaningful our next occasion might become if we spent ten minutes thinking up some novel way to mark it. Saddle your kids with a new tradition!
Traditions become habits that become cliches. Cliches keep us from thinking.
I admit I’ve written my share of songs where I rhymed “romance” with “dance,” “please” with “knees,” “love” with “above,” and yes (cringe) “moon” with “June.”
But you can be more original. I heard a rapper explain how he created original rhymes. He could even rhyme the unrhymable word “orange.” He used “door hinge” and “porridge.” I’ll admit it made for a strange song, but he definitely avoided cliches.
So fellow musicians, take up the banner, cry from the hustings, and join me in declaring once and for all - no more cliches! After all, they are a dollar a dozen.