Tourist Guide

Such Strange Strange Powers

Magnetic Fields sounded like a trance or an electronic type of band. I had no idea that it was a popular indie pop group or that I would be mildly interested in them even after seeing the movie. I never watched a movie in this kind of theater before, and was a little apprehensive as to what I was about to watch. But from my classmates’ positive reactions to the film earlier in the week I knew I had to go see it!

Stephin Merritt turned out to be very admirable especially in the music industry. It’s refreshing to see that not all musicians just want the fame and recognition. He was humble and perhaps a bit negative, but I don’t see how he can be any another way. His personality made the film quite interesting. It was about his music and his band. It showed how seriously he takes writing lyrics and producing quality music, but more so for himself and his own satisfaction.

Claudia Gonson was an interesting character as well. She brought more dynamic to Merritt. I became more and more sympathetic to his character. She was his manager but more importantly his childhood friend, who has been with him through obviously many hardships and is probably the only person that truly understands him. I found their relationship to be something sacred and intimate and without fully exposing this aspect of Merritt’s life, the film would not have been so intriguing.

The band, like probably many other indie bands are rarely talked about because they don’t have that spotlight like the mainstream music does. It’s disheartening that so much good music gets swept under the rug. Their lyrics are in my opinion more meaningful and they don’t concern much with becoming a hit on the radio station. After watching “Strange Powers” I am more open minded to hear indie rock/pop music and I’m likely to look up musicians like Stephin Merritt in hopes to discover something bigger than just a catchy beat and a high quality music video.