In the wake of the epic hosing the public has taken at the hands of crashing bank system, populism is at the zeitgeist of current politicial thought in the United States. There’s the idea that there’s some vast and incoherent rage “out there” in the sticks, and the guys who successfully tap into it will reap the rewards. Populism isn’t really a political ideology as it is a force, a strong feeling that can be manipulated in any direction. Basically, whenever there’s a large group of people who feel like they’re being cheated out of their possessions or their way of life, populism isn’t too far behind. And while populism has made the way for positive advances on both sides of the political aisle, no one should completely forget that David Duke and George Wallace, two of the most popular populist leaders in the history of the country, were… um… let’s be nice and say that history’s decided those two were on the wrong track.

Nowadays, there are so many different niches of people, so much that makes us unique now more than ever before, that coming up with a generic set of ideas and ascribing them to “the people” makes for good media copy and storytelling, but it rarely provides concrete answers for the problems people face anymore – mostly because the concept of “the people”, some shifting homogeneous mass, doesn’t exist anymore. It’s all well and good to romanticize the people, because most of the people are um… pretty good people?

But if you’re smart, you’ll remember that many wonderful concepts, ideas, and works of art have been ignored – or treated with contempt – by the general public. Sometimes things that shock and upset the status quo are just the things that are needed to move the rest of the crowd in the right direction.

alexis thompson @ richard’s cafe. © richard call.

And naturally, that story takes us to Tennessee. Nashville, being the epicenter of the country music world and all that, defies almost every stereotype of the place you might have heard about from people who’ve never been there. Great weather, relaxed atmosphere, and a sense of scenery even in downtown that’s missing from most major cities helps make Nashville one of the few cities in our box culture society that has a singular feel to it, in the people and in the architecture – a writer or a photographer could spend months in Nashville without getting bored with the scenery.

With all that said, Nashville’s deep history gives it an entrenched structure on the musical side of things, and there’s a machine that’s every bit the rival of how Motown Records operated in the 60’s. If you’re using Nashville as your launching pad to national success, you need to look a certain way, sound a certain way, and work with certain people.

Without delving into an essay on the stylistic quirks in Americana, Alexis Thompson has found a style that’s just outside of Nashville’s conventional wisdom. Since she lives in Bell Buckle, about 40 minutes out from Nashville city limits, it’s probably an appropriate place to be. At the age of 24, she’s self produced seven records (singing, mixing, and playing for every track). Guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, banjo, piano. Works full-time. Goes to school. And squeezes in a little vintage modeled photography (we’re sure she’d prefer the term “printmaking”) on the side because, hey, you’re not supposed to be playing video games or anything fun like that in your spare time.

And as busy as she’s been in the last few months, (especially with her next album coming out this summer – and this time with a full band), I was surprised to hear someone with a personality and sound that seems soaked in retro and calls to mind so many names from the past (Johnny Cash, or a higher pitched Lucinda Williams) say that she’s not real educated in rock and roll history.

“I’m not real educated in rock and roll history. I know what music I like, and that’s about it.”

Right, exactly like that. Eh. So much for popular perception. But even though that urge to buck trends and create something that stands on its own, there are one or two records that really stood out.

“When I heard The Velvet Underground & Nico I was in high school. I want to say it was around the time I was in the 10th grade. I started to really explore music at that time. I actually bought the album because of the artwork. I was a huge Warhol fan at the time. Then I went home and listened to it and I was mesmerized. It was unlike anything I’d heard before.”

The album’s cover, if you aren’t aware, was created by Andy Warhol, the band’s manager, and generated a lot of hype on its release because of the unusual yellow banana with the words ”Peel slowly and see” written close to a pierced tab. If an interested listener pressed the tab, it slowly revealed a pink peeled banana. Owing to this, the album has sometimes been referred to as the ‘Banana Album’. Warhol’s presence was all over this record, and despite his lack of musical influence on the record, he’s credited as the producer. Of course, his lack of production contributed plenty to the record’s final form – he contributed name value, and a way to hush people who might have stuck their hands in it otherwise.

But that popularity was used as a sort of smokescreen for some very unpopular stories and sounds. Prostitution, drug abuse, sexual deviancy, sadism, masochism, and all that other fun stuff – the band’s name itself takes after a book covering the seedy, hidden world of consensual giggidy. “I’m Waiting for the Man” was a description of an attempt to get heroin, “Run Run Run” is centered on drugs. “Venus in Furs” was derived from a 19th century novel about BDSM. “Heroin” is either about fresh buttered corn or heroin. So what we’re trying to say is… this is heavy stuff to lay on a tenth grader. And for 1967, the music was as abrasive as the subject matter. John Cale and Lou Reed’s experimental and unconventional approaches to writing threw in self-invented instrument tunings, lowered tunings and other weird creative choices.

“I was intrigued immediately, but the songs did have to grow on me. It was a love/hate situation. It was so different that I could hardly force myself to listen, but I WANTED to listen. Then eventually I fell in love with the songs. There were some songs that I loved from the start, though, naturally.”

And of course, none of this caught on with the wider public. And why the hell would it? Even the pointyheaded music critics harshly panned it, dismissing it as a noisy exercise in gimmickry, and although part of this was a backlash to the hype that had built before the record’s release, the critical success of the album was minimal at best, and it was a financial failure. But still, it pried a door open that others could almost walk through.

“I don’t believe any band has ever reminded me of The Velvet Underground. And I’m glad. I relate punk music to The Velvet Underground more than anything. I’m not sure why… the sounds, perhaps. The attitude. Not sure. I do think that The Velvet Underground & Nico should have made other bands yearn to be better, more artistic, more individual and more strange. I don’t know that that happened. I don’t listen for the invented tunings and such in other people’s music. If it’s good enough, it will hit me. I’ve heard people attempt to create their own tunings or use ‘alternative’ tunings and it all sounds phony to me. I, personally, have tried to invent tunings and as much as it is fun… I feel like a copycat when doing so.”

We also asked Alexis if she thought there were others in that position – groundbreaking work that wouldn’t be recognized for years afterwards. “I’m not sure,” she said. People who’ve followed her for a while know that promotion can be as much of a job as songwriting; the scenario of the undiscovered genius toiling in complete obscurity doesn’t draw much sympathy. “I think people today are more exposed to a bigger music selection than in the past. You couldn’t ’search’ for good music online in the days of The Velvet Underground & Nico. You had to go to a record shop and take your chances… or listen to radio. I guess what I’m saying is, it doesn’t take as long for good music to get around these days. It gets recognized one way or another.”

The album was recorded in New York in the Scepter studios in April of 1966 and was released in March 1967. The release was dampened by legal battles between Warhol and Eric Emerson, a cinematographer from the movie Chelsea Girls. Mr. Emerson claimed that the photo featured at the back of the group’s album was not an original photo, but a photo that was taken while the group was performing at a shooting of his movie. MGM pulled all copies of the album until the matter was settled. The distribution of the album was also halted completely for the duration of the suit. This image of the band reappeared on the cover of the album in it’s reissue in 1996.

The Velvet Underground & Nico annoyed some and insulted others, but greatness isn’t always about reaching out to what the masses want. When we can cast a level eye to what’s on the mind of the masses, but still create something that’s bold and apologetically ours, we remember that individualism has its own rewards.

You can find Alexis Thompson online at http://www.ohalexis.com, where she’s trying to get her next record released on vinyl. We all love vinyl. It’s obviously a superior medium. It sounds so warm. We’ll keep you up to date on any major developments.

Tags: Alexis Thompson, Andy Warhol, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, mp3, Oh Alexis, The Velvet Underground

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