By
Maggie Burnett
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Musician Bob Schneider harps on the entertainment industry yet finds himself in a musical limelight
Most people would not come right out and label themselves a "walking contradiction."
Then again, Bob Schneider, a musician from Austin, Texas, is not like most people.
Despite the successful sales of his latest album Lonelyland - the CD sold over 15,000 copies in just one Texas store - Schneider's far-from-ordinary view on the music business makes him stand out from some of the more mainstream artists in the circuit.
"My motto is 'Steal from the best, fuck the rest,'" he said with a laugh. "The entertainment industry and our entire culture is a consumer-based society. Everything in our society is based on consumption of worthless crap you don't need."
Schneider, performing at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., Sunday night at 9, could not describe his style of music in one word.
"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture - you can't describe music. You have to listen to it to understand it," he said. "The music is actually touching you. It moves the air. It caresses you and you have an experience with it unlike any other."
Still, Schneider admitted his opinion of the entertainment industry is a perilous one, especially for an up-and-coming artist trying to make his way in the music world.
"It's dangerous and not good for business at all," he said. "We're told that stuff is important constantly. No matter how much we question whether we need it, part of us is going to say we need it so that your life can have some structure and stability even though it never will."
So how does a musician with this kind of attitude get his work signed to a record company? Apparently without much effort.
Lonelyland, Schneider's second solo album, was picked up by Universal Records earlier this year after he released it himself under an independent record label.
"Universal is a bit of an anomaly because the people who run that label are kind of old-school guys and they do believe in art as a vision," he said.
Although it may seem Schneider bears angst toward the entertainment industry and consumerism in general, he takes an ironic approach to his profession.
"You can put on my record and it will be something you can play on the radio or MTV or VH1 and they'll see that side of what I do," he said. "It's great for Universal, it's great for me. I'll make a lot of money which is good because then I don't have to work, and I can keep making more art."
Schneider said he knew he was one of the lucky ones from a young age. Playing the guitar since the age of 3 and the piano since the age of 6, Schneider also attributes his musical influence to his opera-singing father.
"His friends from the opera were always around," Schneider said about his father.
Even so, Schneider said he did not decide to pursue music as a profession until he went to college. Before that, he was headed toward a career in fine art.
"I really think in terms of making art instead of writing hits," he said. "Writing a song is more about the creative process. That lets the listener fill in the gaps for themselves and make it whatever they want to make it."
Leaving the music's interpretation open to the public also leaves room for it to interpret the artist. But Schneider said despite any criticism he may receive, he knows his own self-worth is all that matters.
"Here's my whole goal in life - just to be happy," he said. "To be able to look at myself in the mirror and go 'this guy's OK, a good person' and be at peace."
So maybe Schneider does contradict himself. But even the most outlandish of his assertions about society are based mostly on opinion.
"I'm making all of it up. It's just my opinion, and I have absolutely no idea about the truth of it," he said. "It's just stuff I've learned. I'm just trying to live life, to experience it. What you do while you're experiencing it is what matters."
Bob Schneider performs at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St., Sunday night at 9. Admission is $5 at the door. Call 798-1298 for more information.
