Collected Animals

I don't really look up to anyone, I pay respects but feel that very few people I've ever met are genuine idols. I think this is a pretty healthy attitude, I'm well aware that I'm animated dust and feel lucky that I'm alive pretty much every day but the downside is that I tend not to put anyone on too much of a pedestal. I was thinking, though, I genuinely adore and idolise Dave. I think his whole attitude, every time I hear him speak, he's so sincere and yet doesn't seem to take himself very seriously at all, he just seems to be like 'I'm doing my best, expressing everything I can, trying to move forward and learn', I find that incredibly engaging. I find his songwriting - as a 36 year-old man - beyond anything else I've ever heard in how deeply he connects with me in ways I can't hope to verbalise. I'm watching a live video of Laughing Hieroglyphic now and I'm on the fucking floor. I love music but most of it might as well be jingles to me, or it connects with me through some kind of intermittent fluke but nothing intrinsic to the person behind it. That's kind of what I feel about Panda Bear music now, great craft, means almost nothing to me. I think that the Dave and Kria stuff might actually be the best music I've ever heard. He's actually a real life hero for me.

Definitely.

As a visual artist and someone who likes to create things, I am constantly inspired by what they do. They've been in my life coming up on 10 years now and I can say without hesitation that they've positively impacted pretty much all aspects of who I am.
To me, their designation of heroes comes down (but not limited) to these 5 components:

1. Their work ethic
2. Their desire to keep trying new ideas and methods towards making music
3. Their positive outlook on life, ability to adapt and embracement change
4. Their sincerity with themselves and with their fans
5. Their unique approaches to lyrics, vocals, instrumentation, production, distribution and collaboration

It'd be a lie for me to say that I idolize them all the same, but they all add something unique to the band's identity that makes me appreciate and look up to each one of them in a different way. Dave provides a very relatable and sincere attitude and seems to be the guiding creative force of the bunch. Noah provides lyrics that act as advice on how to live a more fulfilling life. Where Dave can sometimes be overly abstract, I appreciate Noah's clarity and directness. Josh provides a sense of vulnerability and has been the most rewarding to watch grow as a person/musician. His struggles and success are some of the most humanizing and relatable elements of the band. Brian is an interesting one because he seems the most "normal", but as I get older and see the value more and more in organization and stability, I appreciate that his role usually stays the same. He acts as an anchor, which is crucial in the creative process. But most importantly they're all ridiculously talented and fun to watch

avey panda geologist & deakin are definitely my heroes and i'll probably be able to honestly say that for most of my life. the four members of AC are each have a vast influence on me. i admittedly copy their attitudes & manners of thinking / speaking, which i think is totally natural & even necessary for a kid in high school. this is super cheesy & embarrassing but i can't count how many times a day i look at the CA2 Q&A and Reddit AMA archive thread to read their responses & conversations. their wholehearted & honest vernacular is beautiful. i could listen to them speak forever. in fact i'd die a sad sad man if none of those guys ever wrote a book or a collection of essays or something like that. i wonder if any of them could have ever imagined that anybody would one day fall in love with the way they discuss graffiti hehehe. oh and their music is pretty good too lol

i mean, yeah

i mean, yeah

/thread

i dont know. i've always loved ac, but if i had to pick a musical hero it would be phil elverum.

I can't resist this thread. It's killing the lurker in me.

I don't know if I can use the word "hero" fully (that word is so weighty), but I can say that PB's solo work has probably come as close to musical heroic levels as I will probably ever get. I think for me, the way he has reflected on life's changes, challenges, and battles (personal and global) has resonated with me in a way that other musicians have not. After my daughter was born, I experienced some crazy postpartum depression and had a hard time letting go of my former self - it was like a death in some ways. I found that his music paved a bit of a parallel golden road through it. Almost illuminating the journey and normalizing/spiritualizing it. He talks about totems often, and that is quite a bit how it felt to listen to his music. That and his very humble and thoughtful delivery made me really respect him as more than a musician. I met him after a show and tried to thank him in person but how the heck do you do that without sounding like batty cat lady? So, I kept it pretty concise.
So, hero... I'm not sure how I can define that word in a big picture way - but personally, the way Noah has translated personal noise into such public and consumable art, it is perfectly heroic to me.

i dont know. i've always loved ac, but if i had to pick a musical hero it would be phil elverum.

Wind's Poem....

I kinda think about this a lot. I think AC are my heroes mostly because of their perspective on music/art and how that's informed my own perspective. I always go back to what Avey said about Radiohead in the old Q&A, how liking music is really about a personal/emotional connection that you can't really explain. Before I got into AC I just didn't really understand this idea for some reason, I thought that music had to be good for a reason. Like when I was in 9th grade I was really into prog rock because I thought it was more complex than other music, and therefore better. But the idea of music just being this highly unpredictable and subjective thing that you can't really control, for some reason that really opened up new worlds for me just in how I listened to music. Before I got into AC, I feel like I would listen to music and it would bother me if the music wasn't doing what I wanted it to. Now I feel like I try to allow each piece of music (or tv show, or movie) to be good or bad completely on its own terms, instead of trying to expect something from it. And I feel like I enjoy music so much more when I have this perspective on it. Which makes sense because if you don't go into a listening experience expecting anything in particular then it's easier to not be disappointed

This is probably all really obvious to a lot of people but this was super eye opening to me. of course I also believe that there can be a lot of conscious thought that goes into the listening process. I think that music criticism and trying to deduce why a piece of music has a certain effect on you can be a v rewarding exercise when you approach it with the right mindset. But for the most part I think that music is processed by our brains in a subconscious way and I also think that's why it's so powerful, because we really can't fully understand it. And I definitely credit AC for making me think about music that way

Sort of related, they're also my heroes for making me realize just how huge the world of music actually is. It was super revelatory to me when I started listening to all the bands that AC mentions in interviews, like all the artists in that SPIN Centipedia article. I had barely heard of most of the artists they talk about and for me it unearthed whole genres/spheres of music that I didn't even know existed. I've always been amazed by the huge range of music that they listen to, it def inspires me to be willing to listen to as many types of music as possible and be open-minded. I've only listened to AC for around 3 years but it feels like I've listened to more music in those 3 years than I did in all the years before that combined

i'm a bit older so i connected with different musicians, but i get what you mean. sonic youth opened my ear to a whole new way of creating music as sound instead of a structured song. bjork also tuned me into a whole new world of electronic music through her remixers. they both also mentioned great music of wide varieties that really appealed to me in interviews. back then that's all you could go on for outsider music. nirvana was the first to key me in on great music through interviews.

Animal collective are like everything to me ...

Its past being a fanboy , obsession .... ac is life now ...

Dont think a band or anything else can ever make me feel the way ac has ...

I will never find the words proper enough to thank them for all they have done for everyone ...

they definitely feel like heroes to me in a way, stanshant i also agree w what you said about dave. i connect with his music the most, his vulnerability and expressiveness is just so!!! amazing!! their music has changed everything for me. i really admire the way he seems to look at the world. i hope i can talk to him some day. i've had the chance to exchange a few words with noah and brian and josh but at those times dave wasn't around. at the camping weekend i saw him around a lot but was so shy and didn't really know what to say if i approached him...i feel like i'd just start crying because his music means so much to me.

See latest instagram

Are you Cameron or Savannah?

God what an amazing and cool thing for the boys to do

Are you Cameron or Savannah?

The follow up video from Abby looked so awkward. Just the two of them awkwardly dancing at the barrier. I would've at least forced myself on stage with them

awkwardly

Im so awkward

Was that you there??

Was it incredible?

It's like they're aware of this thread...

For real though, amazing experience Stan, I'm glad for you

Hahaha I needed that.

animal collective are just some good ole maryland boys

i wouldn't necessarily say they're my heroes, but when i met panda after a show of his a few years ago i told him i'm really grateful for his music since it really helped me get through some really deep depressed episodes, so they're definitely a huge part of my life. i guess i'm more grateful for them existing and making music than they are necessarily heroes to me, but the boys make good role models for the young'ns.

They used to be. Then I heard stories from people who've hung out with them about how they treat other people in real life, and I realized they're just human beings with strengths and weaknesses of character... just like everyone else.

So no. But musically, yes. They're great fucking musicians, and they did it completely by themselves. Which is really, really impressive in a business like the music business. And in the time they did it, too -- the music industry has kind of devolved within the last 15-20 years. They didn't get any help, they're damn inspiring in terms of professional success. But there's more to being human, and I've heard of them falling short in other areas.

Can they be our musical heroes without being our hero-heroes? That's what it is for me.

they are my heroes

In nine years following them, I've never heard anything negative about their behaviour as people. In fact, every single person I know and read about has said that they're incredibly warm and patient, considering they're not the most gregarious characters. I can imagine Noah being a bit grumpy, because we've seen this in interviews, but genuinely surprised to read this LIBELLOUS SLANDER.

hahahahah
I'm sure everyone has shortcomings in their personality

anco are my heroes <3

They used to be. Then I heard stories from people who've hung out with them about how they treat other people in real life, and I realized they're just human beings with strengths and weaknesses of character... just like everyone else.

So no. But musically, yes. They're great fucking musicians, and they did it completely by themselves. Which is really, really impressive in a business like the music business. And in the time they did it, too -- the music industry has kind of devolved within the last 15-20 years. They didn't get any help, they're damn inspiring in terms of professional success. But there's more to being human, and I've heard of them falling short in other areas.

Can they be our musical heroes without being our hero-heroes? That's what it is for me.

In nine years following them, I've never heard anything negative about their behaviour as people. In fact, every single person I know and read about has said that they're incredibly warm and patient, considering they're not the most gregarious characters. I can imagine Noah being a bit grumpy, because we've seen this in interviews, but genuinely surprised to read this LIBELLOUS SLANDER.

Well, I think earlier this year it was established that they did lose their Magic...

Well, I think earlier this year it was established that they did lose their Magic...

haha

I wouldn't go as far as to say they're my heroes, but I look up to them yeah

he·ro
ˈhirō/
noun
1.
a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
"a war hero"
synonyms: brave person, brave man/woman, man/woman of courage, man/woman of the hour, lionheart, warrior, knight; More
2.
NORTH AMERICAN
another term for submarine sandwich.

yes

ac def influenced me to feel like capturing the magix of music is something that is important and spiritual, lightning in a bottle kinda stuff

They used to be. Then I heard stories from people who've hung out with them about how they treat other people in real life, and I realized they're just human beings with strengths and weaknesses of character... just like everyone else.

What stories? Got kinda curious now

Magic wrote:

They used to be. Then I heard stories from people who've hung out with them about how they treat other people in real life, and I realized they're just human beings with strengths and weaknesses of character... just like everyone else.

What stories? Got kinda curious now

i too am curios

I think he just means that while most people have had positive interactions with them, some have have had negative interactions, meaning that they are in fact human and not the demigods we have built them up to be. It's a strange post really because I don't see how someone having faults, i.e. being human. stops them from being somebody's hero.

I've heard a million stories saying the opposite so this coy shit muncher can fuck one. Either be transparent or don't say it.

Black and white fuck rancher.

Yeah, they're human beings, what a bunch of absolute bastards.

to add my own story, i hung out with noah after his most recent show in boston, and he was the absolute nicest guy. willing to talk about anything and extremely kind with every response. definitely heroic imo.