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Continued from Part Two<\/a>…<\/em><\/p>\n Anton Barbeau <\/strong>feels similarly about progressive rock. \u201cAt one point, I decided, ‘Oh, I don’t like that stuff at all.’ But not long ago on one of the XTC<\/strong> [online] forums, people were debating how much of a prog band XTC was.\u201d He continued, \u201cAnd I see it now, even though I was debating against it. Even if you listen to something like ‘Wake Up’ [from 1994’s The Big Express<\/em>], you realize, ‘Ah, yes! It does<\/em> have that sound.’\u201d<\/p>\n He mentioned a recent Facebook post of his, a link to a Youtube clip of King Crimson<\/a><\/strong>‘s \u201cElephant Talk.\u201d from their 1981 album Discipline<\/em>. \u201cThe first time I saw that clip [on Fridays<\/em>, ABC-TV’s clone of Saturday Night Live<\/em>], I was a teenager. And they were ‘new wave.’ That’s how it looked to me. It’s interesting, the topic of genres, and how much they either limit your vision of music, or<\/em> allow you a way in.\u201d He struck a hopeful tone: \u201cI don’t think it matters now the same way it did then. When I was a teenager, genre mattered<\/em>.\u201d One simply had to like this, dislike that. Barbeau affected a mock-pompous voice and said, \u201cI was new wave. With punk overtones. Still liking pop music, but anything that would rock<\/em>, quote-unquote. Disco? Despised<\/em> it. When Paul McCartney<\/strong> put out a disco single [Wings<\/strong>‘ 1979 12\u201d single ‘Goodnight Tonight’ b\/w ‘Daytime Nighttime Suffering’] I felt so<\/em> betrayed!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut now,\u201d he continued, \u201c I listen to disco, and love it: ‘Wow! Great track! Great recording!’ So, if King Crimson were new wave, then so were Kraftwerk<\/strong>. But they’re krautrock<\/em>, too. And then you go into the krautrock genre, and it’s kind of…prog. And you think, ‘Yeah, I can see that.’ And you start to see how it all blurs together.\u201d That delightfully blurred sensibility is a hallmark of Barbeau’s music, and listening to different genres informs his own musical view.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/barbeau_magic2.jpg\")
<\/center>Since the subject had turned \u2013 albeit fleetingly \u2013 toward krautrock<\/a>, one of my favorite styles, I jumped at the opportunity to name-check some of the German bands I liked, seeing that once our interview concluded, I would be off to visit several of Kreuzberg’s many fine used vinyl shops. I mentioned 70s-era bands including Jane<\/strong>, Birth Control<\/strong>, Guru Guru<\/strong>, Eloy<\/strong><\/a>, and Grobschnitt<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cSee, I’d listen to something like that now,\u201d Barbeau replied, \u201cbecause I didn’t then. Anything I rejected, I’m really curious to hear. I didn’t even get into Led Zeppelin<\/strong> \u2013 into them in the sense that I spent money on them \u2013 until maybe ten years ago. And then I was like, ‘Ohhh…dude<\/em>.’ I think the whole idea of genres is there to protect us, sometimes. But then, take Grobschnitt: are they krautrock, or are they really drifting toward art rock? Who knows? These days, I’m sort of rebelling against my own teenage rebellion. I’m going back to older music and asking myself, ‘What am I getting from this now?’ If something resonates, it resonates.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/center>\u201cWe did it!\u201d he said. In the final seconds of his crowdfunding campaign, Anton Barbeau’s fans had helped him to the finish line. The upcoming Magic Act<\/em> had now secured its funding goals. Minutes later, Barbeau posted this thank-you to his backers on the crowdfunding site’s page:<\/p>\n