A Day For Destroying Things
I wrote this as information about Sarah Records and A Day... when I used them in a photography project.
Sarah Records was a record label, active in the late 1980's and the first half of the 1990's. They had destruction to some extent in everything they did, as the original company concept was to release 100 singles and then stop trading. Each new release was a double edged sword - sweet pop songs, soulful guitars, vocals to break your heart, but it was also one step closer to the end, to anihiliation.
However this wasn't a long, drawn out death. Though the exact date was unknown, estimates could be made, parties booked. There is little worse than a prolonged death. It's emotionally draining for all concerned and eventually it's common to want to scream "just get on with it and die, damn it!" Watching the elongated suffering of a loved one is not the best way to spend your time.
The same applies with popular music. Seeing aging musicians pretend to be youthful once again is cringe-worthy, and somehow belittles any good music they may have made in the past. The only way to avoid this is to stop whilst the going is good. To bow out at the peak of your career is the only method of guaranteeing fond memories amongst the audience, and takes far more courage than to keep on ploughing ahead because it's the only thing you know how to do.
But how do you spot when "the peak of your career" is? This is often very difficult as obviously all the answers wiull be subjective. Does it not make sense then to pick a random point in time and to stick to that decision, come what may?
These are the principles which were the building blocks for Sarah Records. They chose their point in time - 100 singles into the future - and went for it with all their hearts. Once that point had been reached however, it was clear that the world needed to be aware of it. A summary was necessary, some method of saying "we did it." An adver was placed in the weekly music magazine Melody Maker. "A Day For Destroying Things..." is the text from that advert. Everytime I read it, it still sends a shiver down my spine. It speaks of passion and love, of daring and taking chances, of living and not merely existing. It's a contraversial piece as it challenges widely held notions and the idyllic middle class dream. But those people who feel threatened by it and who feel the need to explain and defend themselves against it are not those who would probably have made much of a difference to the world anyway. Only those who feel love and desire coursing through their body and soul are likely to rise to the challenge of standing out, of being difference, of changing the course of their lives and the world.
