What could have been a particularly sinister, obsessive piece detailing infatuation with a late actor has become rather endearing. The Waterboys’ endurance is in walking the fine line between wild and weird. Their ode to Dennis Hopper, heard as a tertiary bullet point in the Andy Warhol-loving Andy (A Guy Like You), is of the same light-hearted and spirited quality as their other singles so far. Their Life, Death and Dennis Hopper project has such an earnestness to it, that reading into it, however deep you wan,t shows the same thing. They are infatuated not just with the man, but with the spirit, the freewheeling way of life he became an image of for so many years. This is a dedication to the times, Andy Warhol, particularly. His influence is still felt in art today, which is more than can be said for The Waterboys’ tribute to him. That is the trouble with Andy (A Guy Like You).
Appropriation of the times through a self-serving song is no fun for anyone other than the band itself. There is a sweetness to the instrumentals, an of-the-time sound to the scratchiness, the graininess of the shuffling percussion. The Waterboys’ assessment of Warhol and his work is valid, but it echoes what everyone has said since his death. A second Mona Lisa is a charming sentiment for those who see the Michaelangelo as a pinnacle, not as a footnote. It is the niceness which prevents Andy (A Guy Like You) from being a charmless affair. The Waterboys’ genuine love for the 1960s and its aesthetic inspirations cannot be felt on this record, but their love is clear. Whether it has influenced them in the right direction, that much is up for debate. Its instrumentals soon fall into the background, a repeat listen or two leaving little to discover. Turn, then, to the lyrics.
Just as you do, they come to an end. Andy (A Guy Like You) is a blindingly short track which just as it begins to build some steam, trails off and burns out. An adaptation of Warhol’s work, perhaps? No, just a lighter than expected offering from The Waterboys. Brevity does little to benefit a band fawning for dead artists. Those hoping to experience the reason for this love, that “brand new” feeling which comes when encountering the work of a beloved artist, is not charted. The feeling certainly is, and for some, that is enough., Andy (A Guy Like You) is a flimsy representation of genuine emotion. That is the real shame of The Waterboys’ single.
Where it initially felt like Dennis Hopper would be the key focus, The Waterboys pull back the curtain to show what can only be described as a collection of curios. It would be of no surprise if Mike Scott owned a pair of kitchen utensils he swears the great artist once used. Andy (A Guy Like You) is a bit slack, a very loose song where the shortness becomes a relief, rather than a want for more. The charm of their lead single is all but diminished, the mask has slipped. In paying tribute to artists of a stronger calibre, they highlight their own weaknesses, not their influences. Andy (A Guy Like You) is, at best, vaguely touching. A spirit and optimism guide it but plays with such generalities, it is hard to pinpoint the moment in Warhol’s career that inspires or provides that drive to The Waterboys. A shame, too, given it could have been as lightly charming as the Hopper tribute.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
