Squandering The Legacy: Worst Artists' Kids

if anyone votes for rosanne cash i’m kicking their ass

Voted Jakob. I've never heard him but I can't believe he'd be any good.

touch choice between kelly and hank jr.

this made me laugh heartily btw, thx.

This thread was inspired by the global thread, where I realized that I've never liked any music by Fela's kids, and then started wondering whether his kids or Bob Marley's kids had done less with the parent's legacy. Then I expanded the field.

Rude to include Neneh Cherry tbh

Write-in vote for Carnie Wilson.

In 2006, Carnie released an album of lullabies, A Mother's Gift: Lullabies from the Heart,[2] created shortly after the birth of her daughter, Lola. She released her second solo effort in October 2007, a Christmas album entitled Christmas with Carnie[3] featuring a song written by her husband; "Warm Lovin' Christmastime".

Actually I just listened to a couple of Wallflowers songs because I'd never heard them, and then voted Dylan. What a pile of middly, 90s, shit drum sound and crap Hammond lines mainstream rock. Abominable!

Hate to see most of these options when Chet Hanks is out there.

Voted Sean Lennon because he's apparently a bitcoin bro now.

Sean also does an annoying thing on his instagram where he uploads a single photo in sections across 9 separate posts.

are any other the other people mentioned here into crypto/NFTs? it seems like a good thing for the child of a famous pop star to be into.

If we're expanding to non-musical factors, Hank Jr. managed to drag his father's entire name (first and last) into the gutter.

it's not really fair doubling up Neneh with Eagle-eyes, she's done loads of good stuff and Buffalo Stance is the absolute fucking sound of the summer of '89.

or it seemed to be released in '88 but fuck knows!

the Nelson kids

If we're expanding to non-musical factors,

― Texas Medicine v. Railroad Gin (morrisp), Wednesday, December 29, 2021 1:06 PM

lol that was the only thing i considered in my vote, because c'mon.

the Nelson kids

― hopefully this review helped someone (Neanderthal), Wednesday, December 29, 2021 1:11 PM

see if we were going purely by worst music, that's a tough one to top.

Hank Jr also responsible for Hank III

Forgot about the Nelsons, but tbf I've mostly forgotten about Ricky Nelson, too.

bad poll

Have seen seun kuti live and enjoyed his last album.

Seun's albums are the only modern afrobeat records I like, aside from a few Tony Allen ones (RIP).

Re: Fela's kids: have you heard this badass Femi Kuti song...?!?!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnEvx1URS2s

Damn it's crazy that Femi is now older than Fela was when he died

Surprised Lisa Marie wasn't included, for completeness' sake (though I hear her albums are actually pretty good)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_What_(Lisa_Marie_Presley_album)#/media/File:Lisa_Marie_Presley_-_Now_What.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Lisa_Marie_Presley_-_Now_What.jpg

THE FUCK IS ROSANNE CASH DOING HERE

Most of these spawn have recorded at worst bog standard music and a few record music not at all like their parents' (Cash). Even Certified Asshole Hank, Jr.

xxxxp Hank Jr cannot be redeemed by Hank III. It's more like Hank III was just rebelling against his dad's music than he was somehow restoring his Grandpa's legacy. The legacy of the Hillbilly Shakespeare would continue above and beyond both of them no matter what they did.

People seem to rate Baxter Dury but he just sounds exactly like his dad to me

Are there any musical offspring that are arguably better than their parents? The Wainwrights maybe?

I wanna say Jean-Michel Jarre but I did not realize what an expansive career Maurice had

Seems like it's a fairly common story in interviews with famous musicians that one or both of their parents were musicians who never "made it" but raised them on a love of music with a will to succeed at it.

Are there any musical offspring that are arguably better than their parents? The Wainwrights maybe?

Apart from Zak Starkey?

Are there any musical offspring that are arguably better than their parents?

I wouldn't, but some might say Jeff Buckley.

I'm sure people have argued Liza Minella v Judy Garland before?

lol Minelli

Pete Seeger v Ruth Crawford Seeger?

It's a different benchmark depending what you think is worse:

- for someone's kid to achieve a certain level of (undeserved) fame and success
- or that they barely get a career started at all.

There's pathos in the latter; I believe Roger Daltrey told his son he'd never be good enough to be a well-known musician.

thank you Roger Daltrey for your dedicated service to the curse of nepotism in music, now you can fuck off as well

I feel like Jakob is objectively the worst of the choices here, YMMV

I have seen Caspar and Seun live and they both totally ruled, btw

I saw Caspar live once too (opening for Helmet) and he was amazing.

I would guess Kim Wilde is better than Marty Wilde but I've never really heard anything he did and I'm sure I read that some of his 60s stuff was pretty good.

jay weinberg is a better drummer than max weinberg

He's definitely in a better band, at any rate.

Can't vote for Sean and Julian L. because "Too Late for Goodbyes" is for real a good track.

I would guess Kim Wilde is better than Marty Wilde

he wrote most of her 80s stuff!

I used to have a concern with artists who did wildly ambitious work that sought to redefine entire paradigms of music...and then their children performed relatively straightforward "genre" music. A lot of that has to do with my own preoccupations with "advancement" in music, parental legacies, what children owe their parents, etc.
Also, if you don't know the musicians' work in detail, you're just dealing with stereotypes. For instance, there may be old-school Tim Buckley fans that consider Jeff's work run-of-the-mill "grunge".
Voted the Lennons, but this poll made me remember Christgau's review of Hank Williams Jr's Family Tradition:

Since "To Love Somebody" isn't exactly Hank's kind of song, I guess he disavowed the Ray Ruff-produced side of this. On the other hand, "Family Tradition" (guess who that's about) leads off the other side, and it is exactly Hank's kind of song. Exactly. That's not so great either. C

This is something James Redd, Sr. would often harp on and so, even though I haven't heard him do it recently, I am somewhat reluctant to pass judgement. Maybe will have a look-see anyway.

Think I see a clear winner here anyway.

I was curious about Emma Townshend's record when I read a review in 1998, still haven't heard it and it looks like she never made another.

Are there any musical offspring that are arguably better than their parents? The Wainwrights maybe?

Albert Hammond, Jr.?

George Formby

Kelly is the only even halfway reasonable choice here (and even she isn't totally indefensible)

Second round should include Willow, Shooter Jennings, Promise of the Real, Dweezil and Ahmet, Adam Cohen, and Miley Cyrus, for starters

Miley Cyrus is more talented than her old man.

Granted, that's not a huge accomplishment. Still, not much of a legacy to squander.

I only considered Kelly Osbourne briefly before concluding that she is inoffensive at worst.

The Wallflowers were terrible, milquetoast crap but Hank Jr is abominable in every possible way.

Never heard him, to be honest, but I would hazard a guess Ross McManus was somewhat outshone by Elvis Costello.

Thread needs more Wilson Phillips

Hank Jr is abominable in every possible way

as a human being, almost definitely, but as I recall there are a handful of great Hank Jr tunes

OTM

Charlotte Gainsbourg is the clear winner of the "kid that works in the same field as their parents but in an interesting non-competitive way"

are a handful of great Hank Jr tunes

― Paul Ponzi, Friday, December 31, 2021 6:39 PM (thirteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

This.

what is wrong with Caspar Brotzmann apart from sartorial choices?
Massaker were a great unit, I think they still are.

I am getting the strange feeling maybe I should start listening to Wolfgang Van Halen.

Missing option for Ravi Shankar-Norah Jones

Missing option for Ravi Shankar-Norah Jones

Also Miley,
Nancy & Frank Jr
Shooter Jennings
Arlo Guthrie
Natalie Cole

Norah doesn’t bear her father’s “name” (which is apparently a key criterion here)

Also – rude

Some musician who I can't remember expressed their Adam Cohen outrage: "Your father is Leonard Cohen...but your favourite artist is Sting?!?"

Not to be all captain save a Bocephus and no defense to his opinions at all, but it is probably not unsurprising he ended up being such a bitter hateful human in that he was pretty much exploited as a child and pushed out on stage at like age 8 as the family breadwinner after his dad died.

Miley Cyrus is more talented than her old man.

Granted, that's not a huge accomplishment. Still, not much of a legacy to squander.

― jimbeaux, Friday, December 31, 2021 4:27 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Thought it was hilarious when Old Town Road got huge and Billy Ray was more popular than his daughter for a brief moment

Sean or Hank would surely be the two most annoying to be stuck in a room with

I feel a little bad grouping Julian with Sean. John's older son had at least three passable songs and seems more sympathetic than risible. But Sean I've disliked since his first video where he was walking parallel to the sidewalk. Don't do that!

Haven't heard Sean much, but main Julian's main prob seems to be that his voice begs comparison with his old man's, in creepy, watery clone combination w the lite toons I've heard, back when he was having hits w the guy who produced Billy Joel Julian was no Billy Joel either: if he had half the gusto of Billy or John, might be less creepy, but at least he sounds kinda friendly, like Barney the Dinosaur--remember him, from the same era? Barney had more vocal prescence.
Rosanne (who can be too arty for me, but can be great) and Kaspar (judging by Massaker reissues, though they vary in quality) shouldn't be here; Jakob should.
If you're going to paste xgau on Junior, here's another:
Hank Williams Jr. and Friends [MGM, 1975]
Williams moved his country heritage toward rock and roll shortly after a confrontation with death on a mountain, and here the transformation conveys that kind of conviction. In fact, the authority of Williams' voice and persona, plus the good sense of his songwriting and selection, focuses an Allman and a Marshall Tucker and a Charlie Daniels into what I'm sure will stand as the best Southern-style rock of the year. No kidding--if you don't find Grinderswitch a suitable replacement for the Brothers, here's yours. A- (He means the roadies' band, not Garland J's Grinder Switch.)

Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound [Elektra, 1979]
At times his son-of-an-outlaw obsession is worse than shtick, but here he does justice to the formula. Two candid songs about women tell you more about his sexism than he knows himself, two others explain why he's in that mood, the covers from Gregg Allman and George Jones define his parameters, and "The Conversation"--with Waylon Guess Who, about Guess Who, Sr.--doesn't make you gag once. B+

Greatest Hits III [Warner Bros., 1989]
How embarrassing--when I let my guard down this flattering sampler catches me thinking that maybe the CMA has a point. The "Ain't Misbehavin'" isn't gratuitous, the miracle-of-science duet with his dad isn't dead, the star-studded "Mind Your Own Business" swings like a mother, the autobiography is good shtick, and the country songs are good country songs--"This Ain't Dallas" is a classic of the TV age. And though "Young Country" disses punks, I'll trade for r&b even up. B+
He mentions some others that are kinda-sorta, and that stupid-and-worse opinions can ruin others, but also I liked prob 70 percent of a box set, and about that much of several albums from the the 2000s, haven't heard any in recent years.

for some reason when I was a kid I thought the opening lyric of "Too Late for Goodbyes" was "What a difference an Arab makes"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Voted Jakob because tbf haven't heard Sean, otherwise maybe him and Julian, but Jakob is equally deserving, at least: just so nowhere, man.

Jakob has some songs that sound good on the radio, and at least he didn’t name his band DYLAN à la John Bonham’s son.

Thoughts in order

1. Paging https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Philipp_Emanuel_Bach to thread

2. Wow tough crowd here

3. Yeah it was probably pretty easy for someone named Nancy Sinatra or Ziggy Marley or Jakob Dylan to get a record deal, vs. the same people surnamed Smith

4. But the Wallflowers were at least okay, and maybe would have had a few alt-rock / college radio hits even without the famous last name

5. Maybe not very much awareness of the 1990s folk scene hereabouts? Teddy Thompson is good. Eliza Carthy is very good. Kate Rusby is good. Watersons and Carthys and Thompsons are very much around and are doing stuff that I think is relevant.

6. Can we maybe discuss some of the Wainwrights because those folks also seem salient to the discussion at hand.

7. Thread is low on Zappa-related content

7(b). no dweezil, no justice

Don't know if they recorded---maybe live---but Dweezil's touring Zappa Plays Zappa orchestral celebration, with some Frank vets, even a couple Mothers, maybe? was anointed by Rolling Stone The World's Greatest Cover Band, or maybe it was just Best, but still. However, the last I read, he and Moon discovered, right after their mother's death, that Gail had left control of the Vault and all Frank matters in the hands of brother Ahmet and kid sister Diva---and Dweezil claimed that Ahmet wouldn't let him use his own name for the band, Ahmet said, all Dweezil had to do was---I don't remember, could look it up but what a drag; I've known families who came to that.

The big news to me about the Thompson Family album was---Linda is back! She's done more good stuff since, but had been very slowly recovering from vocal problems. Teddy and all the other younger relations did okay, but way overshadowed by Richard and Linda.
The Lucy Wainwright Roche solo tracks I've heard were amazing, incl. lyrics and settings, but live solo sets w just her guitar seemed v. ingenue, shy. Much more impressive w her mother, Suzzy, and I linked some of their live performances on the Roches thread.
Haven't heard her on The Wainwright Sisters album, but Martha's always been powerful since I first heard her vs. lovely haze of The McGarrigles Hour w song about and directed at her father, I think. Later some tendency to oversing, like Rufus, but they both got it together eventually, and for inst I really liked her 2012 album:
Martha Wainwright---Come Home To Mama So, like Cat Power and Fiona Apple, very confidential-to-allusive-to-cryptic-to-let-it-blurt (and back), singer-songer Martha Wainwright now uses tuneful beat science to parse hot mess. Even further into the studio as self-expressive/referential protection and risk than the Power, less (eventually) tending to monotony than the tirelessly delving Apple, Come Home To Mama has more of a band feel than either, and knows from Prince, Stevie, Ziggy, Dolly, her parents and brother, while always being her own story. Good on drugstore headphones too.

Also--pasted from one of her threads to current Hype and Slander re EOY noms:
nother nom, Martha Wainwright, Love Will Be Reborn--thought I'd said more than this! She's learned from the great French balladeers, as well as her own life, incl. in American and Canadian music:

New album is wild, thematic and gooooing with the floooow, theme as raft, well-lashed, only comparable contemporary sonic experience coming to mynd is Maria McKee's Pre-Raphaelite shout out to Beatrice, La Vita Nuova.

good interview:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/07/this-much-i-know-martha-wainwright-my-divorce-has-given-me-wisdom
and concert review, w more quotes:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/04/first-live-concert-masks-martha-wainwright-pandemic

― dow, Monday, October 4, 2021

― dow, Friday, January 7, 2

Lucy Wainwright Roche solo *studio album* tracks, I meant to compare to her live etc.

For instance, in her rebroadcast solo set on Mountain Stage, which still has that, and her remarkable quarantine show w Suzzy, available online.

thanks, dow, for the solid Zappa- and Wainwright- and Thompson-adjacent content - looks like I misunderstood the intent of the thread however because I belatedly see we're supposed to be discussing BAD things, not good things

Tomorrow People is neither great nor a legacy-diminishing travesty. I think I saw Damian Marley (in maybe 2006? 2007?) opening for Bob Dylan and felt decidedly meh, but again - does it squander the legacy? Not sure.

I don't think I ever want to hear "sitting on a pebble by the river playing guitar" ever again, so maybe that. Cibo Matto is pretty cool tho

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57864034

I have to assume this record is rubbish, though I've not heard it and only became aware of it when it was included on NME's best-of-2021 list.

I Blame Coco

Fiction Plane

Some of these options are offensive, but every one of them is competent or better-than-competent except for Kelly Osbourne, who is the walking definition of showbiz nepotism.

Inhaler's terrible xp

Sting's kids have a couple good songs each, but are otherwise Inhaler-level terrible. But still not Kelly Osbourne-level terrible.

Lol at

"From starting off in small clubs in the UK to where we are today, never did we think during the making of this album that this would be possible for us four chancers,"

Well do I remember how Nancy Sinatra, the Lennon boys, and Jakob Dylan started off in small clubs, paying their dues, etc.

Me, I saw Drew Barrymore in a small community theater production of "Annie" back in the day; she was just starting out, learning her chops etc.

Martin Amis, Lily Collins, the Smith kids, Dan Levy, let's take a moment to recognize their struggle

Anyone dismissing Hank Jr. wholesale has only heard the "All My Rowdy Friends" version of Hank Jr. A good decade of that MGM-era stuff from the 60s to mid-70s is quite nice.

(Not to discount the beard & shades Hank Jr at all, who I also like in moderation.)

Yeah, I defended Junior upthread, w/o overdoing it (he's a mixed blessing for sure). Nancy Sinatra's been mentioned here a couple times in passing, and yeah having your Daddy own Reprise prob didn't hoit, nor did the duets w him, nor w Hazlewood, but she also made some good records singing solo---I didn't know about "You Only Live Twice" 'til it was used to beautiful effect in Mad Men!

I can't think of much to say about most of the people on here that I think (may be wrong) are bad---that's been a problem in pop music for a long time. Once, some artists, and they were truly that, could be gloriously, awesomely shitty! The Four Seasons were the Kings of Shit, thought. Yall name a few.

Started to say, Beach Boys, even Beatles of Shit, but the Seasons depended on non-band writers.

dow do u know Nancy's 'Sugartown"? check it out if not

she would be in the running for "best artists' kids" thread IMO

She had a bunch of early singles that did not sell, and was in danger of getting booted off Reprise, before Lee came up with "Boots"

"Boots" is on its way to having more of a cultural (ahem) footprint than any of Frank's countless smash hits.

but the Seasons depended on non-band writers.

Bob Gaudio was actually a Four Season.

I know people think the Beatles invented the idea of pop groups writing their own material but pretty much all of the Four Seasons' early hits were written or co-written by Bob Gaudio, apart from the odd obvious cover version, like "Stay".

And the Beach Boys too

Been following this thread...Nancy seems pretty solid to me, for "Boots," "Some Velvet Morning," "Jackson," and, yes, especially "Sugar Town." Do they have to be pop musicians? Frank Jr. is the real culprit. He made a few albums, but his biggest claim to fame is a possibly fake kidnapping. (Also Dean Martin's son, of Dino, Desi, and Billy fame. They really didn't do a lot.)

Yes, Nancy was a good popstar, had a good cool/detached singing voice (a bit like a proto Debbie Harry) and a good image. And the songs when she'd hooked up with Lee Hazelwood.

Did we even mention Will Smith’s kids?

I mentioned them. FTR I think "Transparent Soul" is good not bad

Safe to say Willow is at least not squandering the allegedly brilliant lasting cultural legacy of (checks notes) the guy who did the "Men in Black" theme and (checks notes) the theme song of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

I mean, one _could_ make the case that it's her father's oeuvre that is the drag on the legacy, and she's bringing something he didn't.

1. Really liked that Femi Kuti song posted up there!

2. Really like that "Family Tradition" includes calling a doctor "sawbones.

3. Julian's main prob seems to be that his voice begs comparison with his old man's, in creepy, watery clone combination w the lite toons I've heard

Adam Cohen's got this too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvq1BiHLaW0

He also recorded "Summertime" and is an often terrific actor, c'mon now

xpost

Don't really want to diss Will, just saying that Willow isn't squandering a legacy - seems like a pretty confident artist charting her own path

X Æ A-Xii

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH8lwX6uYAM

Frank Jr. is the real culprit. He made a few albums, but his biggest claim to fame is a possibly fake kidnapping.

Frank Jr. ended up being his father's conductor on his later tours, and would also handle a good bit of onstage vocal doubling that covered the increasing deficiencies in the old man's voice.

Which seems like a path some of these kids end up following, taking over their parents' affairs, handling stuff on the road etc. Roky Erickson's son Jegar did a similar thing on his dad's last several tours.

Tony Bennett's son has been his manager for the past 40 years.

Terrific Sinatra Jr. story from '94, almost feels like the basis for a Scorsese film

https://deadspin.com/frank-sinatra-jr-is-worth-six-buddy-grecos-1000516479

Kelly Osborne clearly owns this if we are just going off the list available.

both sean and julian have recorded worthwhile music, in fact I like a fair amount of sean's output.
'one headlight' is a good song and that saves Jakob.

adam cohen seems like a good dude and his work on that final leonard cohen album is great.

Kelly is as much reality show cash-in as celebrity kid cash-in

+1

Ozzy chose to do the show, she just took advantage of it

not familiar w Kuti offspring but Hank Jr probably has the most bangers. I do love R Cash though. too bad (but not terribly surprising) he’s basically the celebrity ur-chud

pretty much all of the Four Seasons' early hits were written or co-written by Bob Gaudio

As was 1972's "The Night", to my mind their finest moment.

I'm really glad I started this poll because it reminds me once again that there is no song, album or artist so shitty that no one on ILM will rise in passionate defense. No matter how bad it is, there's someone around here who loves it.

lol

wait someone defended Kelly? if so, I missed it

She might be the only one. And there's still a possibility. Hell, I'll go; her second album was better than her first.

That's because Linda Perry made it for her.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

miccio no longer posts here; he'd defend Osbourne.

I will defend "One Word."

there is no song, album or artist so shitty that no one on ILM will rise in passionate defense. No matter how bad it is, there's someone around here who loves it. Just the opposite of Old ILM, as revivals of some olde threads still remind us.
Wait, does this mean Junior won votes of defenders, and/or those who think he's indefensible? I voted Jakob simply because he's the most boring choice (of the ones I've heard---has Wolfgang even released anything??)

Just the opposite of Old ILM

lol this is so true, no matter how good the band/artist there's always some long-gone poster saying how much they hate it/them in the first three posts

good question, dow!

i voted hank jr because his music is terrible, as is his personality.

if we were supposed to vote for the best of these choices, the kutis win easily. but that's not the topic title ("squandering the legacy" and whatnot), so i'm overthinking this.

xpost Wolfgang released an album last year as Mammoth WVH

has Wolfgang even released anything??

Mammoth WVH is the name of his band/project, and he topped the mainstream rock chart over the summer of 2021. It's pretty boilerplate stuff imo, but I follow Valerie Bertinelli on twitter and she's a proud mom.

Also, people are really shitty to him, so even though I don't like his music I don't think he deserves to be trapped in his dad's shadow.

Hank Jr. is a loud right wing dick, that is the reason he won this contest. As a country music artist, he's one of the most popular of the mid 70s to through the 80s. At his peak, he could sell out arenas - he's probably as 'popular' as all the rest of these people combined at least in the US.

More like BOGUScephus, amirite?

Hank Jr. is a loud right wing dick, that is the reason he won this contest.

I didn't vote for him but this is otm

Terrific Sinatra Jr. story from '94, almost feels like the basis for a Scorsese film

https://deadspin.com/frank-sinatra-jr-is-worth-six-buddy-grecos-1000516479

Reminds me of the Don Rickles story he told on Letterman, that Sinatra told him the kidnappers returned Jr. after they heard him "humming in the trunk"

Hank Jr. is a loud right wing dick, that is the reason he won this contest. As a country music artist, he's one of the most popular of the mid 70s to through the 80s.

Because being popular is always an indication of quality.

Mind you, I don't disagree that his personal convictions are why he so thoroughly dominated this poll, but saying he sold a lot of records doesn't hold a lot of sway for me.

Sean Lennon's politics aren't necessarily better than Hank Jr's!

Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound is a great album

or, put it this way, Hank Jr. has a shitload of fans that like him, because of his songs, that don't listen to his dad's music at all

Cherry (Neneh, Eagle Eye) 2

Two users need to stop huffing paint immediately, your friends are concerned about you. And I love don.

that's absurd lol for sure all the kids that were loving Buffalo Stance were like "did you hear??. she's DON CHERRY'S DAUGHTER how rad"

same with

Chappies banging dustbin lids together

(President Keyes) at 6:30 31 Dec 21

Missing option for Ravi Shankar-Norah Jones

also true for her, other than I'm assuming growing up affluent, she got no advantage from her dad's career, she didn't promote that fact and she works in a completely different

smh Roseanne Cash received the same amount of votes as Wolfgang Van Halen

This is ridiculous.

Rosanne Cash does not deserve inclusion. Who the fuck voted for her? Show yourselves.

Nor does Hank, Jr.

also true for her, other than I'm assuming growing up affluent, she got no advantage from her dad's career, she didn't promote that fact and she works in a completely different

Really? "Ravi Shankar's daughter" was one of the first things I heard any time someone mentioned her when her first big album came out. I might not be a representative listener, though.

Yeah, Marissa dot dot dot

Safe to say Willow is at least not squandering the allegedly brilliant lasting cultural legacy of (checks notes) the guy who did the "Men in Black" theme and (checks notes) the theme song of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air."

the first two Fresh Prince/DJ Jazzy Jeff records are really charming and better than people give them credit for, they connected hip hop with an almost 50s everyteen aesthetic, think "Yakety Yak" etc, there's actually some really strong Run DMC era rapping on some album tracks

"Summertime" is obviously an all time classic, perfect song

"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" is good if a bit corny

xpost sund4r I think that's not representative - she sold 12 million copies of that first album

either way she did it on her songs, her talent

I don't even think I knew who her dad was until way after she was famous

Interesting. It was mentioned in the AMG review but I fully acknowledge that my perception of it could have been slanted. In any case, I definitely don't think anyone listened to her adult contemporary/vocal jazz records and thought worse of her estranged father's sitar playing.

Of course not because “squandering the legacy” is not really a thing

come one we all know she coasted to fame on Ravi Shankars massive 2002-era popularity

He's not a minor figure. Even if people didn't listen to Hindustani music, they would have likely known of his name, reputation, connection to the Beatles, etc.; it wouldn't be a meaningless promotional hook.

See the first reply to this thread from 2002, for example, afaik the earliest Norah Jones thread on ILM: RFD: Norah Jones & Her Ilk

lol that "this year's Fiona Apple" is meat to be an insult

Here's how I would break it down:

Helped by parent's legacy, but actually have songs or albums that people care about on their own:
Hank Jr
Jakob Dylan
Roseanne Cash

Have albums/songs people care about on their own, parent's legacy helped to a smaller degree, but as more of a "fun fact" biographical detail:
Neneh Cherry
Norah Jones

Greatly helped by legacy, had a pleasant hit or two, not major artists
Ziggy Marley
Eagle Eye Cherry

Carried on tradition or spirit of parents work:
Ziggy Marley again
Sean Kuti

Useless rich kids:
Wolfgang Van Halen
Kelly Osbourne

Classic trust fund kid doing whatever arty stuff they want just because they never have to work ever (but some interesting stuff):
Sean Lennon

don't really know where to slot Caspar Brotzmann, he does his own thing but in that small niche world I'm sure his dad's name rang bells esp early on

stratch eagle eye from that an add julian lennon in pleasant hit category

Just heard Martha Wainwright's "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole," nice work.

it's weird to me to think that having rich, famous parents heavily connected to the music industry could only "help" you in terms of it being a promotional hook. it's about having doors opened for you, having all your family friends and well-wishing adults who watched you grow up being music industry people who want to help you succeed. just as much as if your parents owned a car dealership, you're probably in good with all the Chamber of Commerce folks in your town and are not going to have a problem getting a nice gig right out of school, if you want it. music-wise, you're getting into meetings and lunches and parties and conversations that other people, of similar or perhaps greater 'talent,' aren't going to get access to. it's not something we can exactly 'fix' or control for, and it's not by itself a slight against the music... but let's not pretend Norah Jones or Eagle Eye Cherry is just humbly sending in a demo, an exec hears it and goes "who is this kid?? find them and sign them!"

minor fact-check: i believe Neneh Cherry is Don Cherry's step-daughter. and he and her mother had Eagle Eye together, so he's her half-brother.

I'd sooner relisten to "Save Tonight" than anything by anyone else on the list ("Blue Moon with Heartache" is close).

uhhh what

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ZxQyaWScE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QCLGWTNZak

They're fine, don't really stand out for me?

let's not pretend Norah Jones or Eagle Eye Cherry is just humbly sending in a demo, an exec hears it and goes "who is this kid?? find them and sign them!"

I don't know Eagle Eye's story, but I think Jones got signed on her own merits.

Yeah, iirc Ravi wasn't even really a part of NJ's life growing up and she made her bones for years before anyone connected the dots.

Yeah, and she very very much went out of her way not to make the connection or talk about him.

She even legally changed her name from Geethali Norah Jones Shankar to Norah Jones.

Kip Beethoven

The musician Moby is following in the footsteps of his long-distant ancestor Herman Melville and turning to the literary arena, with a ...

huh, okay, did not realize Jones was that far distant from Shankar.

Also as someone whose dad is *technically* a stepdad and whose sister is *technically* a half sister I don’t see much value in those corrections tbh

Appreciate that - definitely don't mean to suggest that they are not meaningfully "his" kids. I should have represented that as additional biographical detail rather than a fact-check.

Shame Mabel didn't feature in the poll to see how she'd do against her mum.

don't really know where to slot Caspar Brotzmann, he does his own thing but in that small niche world I'm sure his dad's name rang bells esp early on

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 12 January 2022 15:05 (five hours ago) link

The family connection was def a thing when I first became aware of him in the mid-90s, but yeah not sure where to slot him since other than been "intense" and "loud" he really isn't anything like P Broztmann musically.

I think you could make the case he would be roughly the same level of renown if his name were Joe Bag'O'Doughnuts. I mean I'd probably buy a Bag'O'Doughnuts Massakar record

Personal story, untold until now...

Back when I was trying to start or join a band based on my freshly written songs, one guy told me that one of my songs was very similar to a demo tape he'd heard of Julian Lennon's. Five years later, I got to hear his tune in the chart. My song was called "Too Late". And yes, it does sound like one or other of us was copying.

Nor does Hank, Jr.

Ew, no

Sean Lennon's politics aren't necessarily better than Hank Jr's!

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, January 12, 2022 1:53 PM (yesterday)

not gonna defend sean who seems like a pretty annoying bitcoin bro but i dunno, hank seems significantly worse to me

Hank's decent as long as his rowdy friends stay at home.

well they have settled down

listening to Hank Jr, "OD'd in Denver" rules

yeah not to be corny indie dude but i heard the Oldham/Callahan cover of that in 2020 and it really made me rethink my opinions on Hank Jr, hell of a song.