Frank Clare’s “Die Apotheose”… aka thepaintedman’s Attempt at Becoming a Bit More Cultured
Piano ballads, classically inspired pieces, world class compositions… these things are not what you’d generally associate with this aging punk rocker who hates Oscar bait, writes off adult contemporary music, and (while undiagnosed) exhibits many symptoms of ADHD. If I’m watching a silent film, I’m not listening to the original soundtrack most of the time – in fact, the only time I ever enjoyed Nosferatu it was when I watched it while blaring a horror punk compiliation. So… naturally, seeing me write about a classical style piano piece that playfully weaves in and out of homage and satire of the classical genre, complete with lengthy moments of silence and near silence, feels a bit off. When a song is 12 minutes long, you’d (rightfully) assume that I am typically not too interested.
Alas, Frank Clare’s latest music video and single, “Die Apotheose”, somehow has captured my attention… in spite of my typically inability to focus on such a work. Clare’s unique approach and sparse instrumentation feel like a welcome change of pace to my thumping hip hop beats, metallic riffs, and 3 chord punk tracks. While it’s certain that this is never going to be the style I gravitate towards, discovering artists I enjoy within a genre I generally don’t love is always a real pleasure. In this case, that’s exactly what Frank is.
Check out the video for “Die Apotheose” below:
