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Question: Who is Mike Oldfield? :: Total Votes:86 Poll choices Votes Statistics A musician 22  [25.58%] A guitarist 4  [4.65%] A multi-instrumentalist 19  [22.09%] A composer 24  [27.91%] The writer of "Tubular Bells" 6  [6.98%] The writer of the «Exorcist» theme 2  [2.33%] The writer of "Moonlight Shadow" 3  [3.49%] The creator of "Tr3s Lunas" 0  [0.00%] Here he is! (while showing a photo picturing him) 0  [0.00%] None of the above (Please specify below) 6  [6.98%] Guests cannot vote

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Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Feb. 03 2005, 18:26 What would you reply to someone who doesn't know who Mike Oldfield is, and asked you "Who is Mike Oldfield" ? As always when I post a poll, I'm curious to see what percentage will each item end up with, but please don't limit yourself to the suggestions above. Any kind of answer is allowed. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

raven4x4x Group: Members Posts: 1535 Joined: Jan. 2002 Posted: Feb. 03 2005, 18:59 I would vote if I could for a combination of the first four options. Obviously he's a musician, he's a multi-instrumentalist who's main instrument (for me at least) is the guitar, and he's also an extremely talented composer. "The writer of Amarok" would be another good option.   This is a great topic, by the way. Quite insightful. -------------- Thank-you for helping us help you help us all. Back to top

Tati The Sentinel Group: Members Posts: 3360 Joined: Feb. 2002 Posted: Feb. 03 2005, 19:01 Voted for multiinstrumentist,but when I do have to answer this question,I say something like that: Mike Oldfield = english musician,a self-taught multiinstrumentist,creator of Tubular Bells,which is known as The Exorcist theme,although the only soundtrack he did for a film was for The Killing Fields.His main instrument is the guitar,and he has got a unique guitar playing technique that quite impressive. If you've heard of any Moonlight Shadow playing on bashes,it's a cover version of one of his most popular tune of the same name. About the music he does:well,you'd better listen and then give me a feedback,I really can't describe what is like.Tell me what you like on music,then I'll recomend one stuff from him to listen.Genre it's on prog rock,not new age at all,but I'd say it's Oldfield Progressive,since it's a unique blend of styles to create a complex,rich,atmospherical,moody,with elements of Celtic and African music included.Hard to describe it! -------------- "But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014 "I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011 Back to top

moonchildhippy Group: Members Posts: 1807 Joined: Dec. 2004 Posted: Feb. 03 2005, 21:01 I chose none of the above, or should it be all of the above, If  someone would have mentioned Mike Oldfield to me some 15-20 years ago I would have said composer of Tubular Bells then Moonlight Shadow also recorded a version of the Blue Peter theme (for non UK residents Blue Peter is a kids TV programme, c1958-present).  Sorry if you already knew that!! I would certainally regard Mike as a composer, multi instrumentalist,musician and guitarist foremost.  As for "The Exorcist Theme" I understand the opening of TB was used without Mike's permission, much to his annoyance.   I would also add to the choices creator of Ommadawn, Hergest Ridge , TSODE, TB2 and 3 to the list         . -------------- I'm going slightly mad, It finally happened, I'm slightly mad , just very slightly mad If you feel a little glum to Hergest Ridge you should come. I'm challenging  taboos surrounding mental health "Part time hippy" I'M SUPPORTING OUR SOLDIERS BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!! Back to top

Alan D Group: Members Posts: 3670 Joined: Aug. 2004 Posted: Feb. 04 2005, 04:32 Well, sometimes I refer to Mike Oldfield, and people say 'Who?'; and if I say 'You know - Tubular Bells?' they say 'oh, yes, I remember'. Basically, that's the quickest way to get someone to realise who he is. It's not satisfactory, but it is practical..... So you can see how and why I voted, though it's a dull response and not the one I'd like to give. Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Feb. 04 2005, 07:25 "A musician". Simple and direct, and encompasses 'composer', 'performer', and everything else. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

familyjules Group: Members Posts: 1190 Joined: May 2004 Posted: Feb. 04 2005, 07:37 I voted 'composer' because there wasn't an option for "mysterious person who posts on the tubular net forum". I do think of him as a composer above all else and that is what I think he should be remembered for above all else too. Jules -------------- I like beer and I like cheese Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Feb. 04 2005, 09:33 Well, maybe the initial question was wrongly put, because my own answer would be a combination of most of the options above. So, it had better be rephrased this way: "If someone who doesn't know Mike Oldfield asked you who he is, what would be the very first thing you'd tell him or her as a reply?" -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

moonchildhippy Group: Members Posts: 1807 Joined: Dec. 2004 Posted: Feb. 04 2005, 18:36 I agree with Ugo, about the wording of the question.  It was confusing . I'm sure we all know who MIke Oldfield is, that's why wer'e here on this messageboard     . -------------- I'm going slightly mad, It finally happened, I'm slightly mad , just very slightly mad If you feel a little glum to Hergest Ridge you should come. I'm challenging  taboos surrounding mental health "Part time hippy" I'M SUPPORTING OUR SOLDIERS BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!! Back to top

Hendrik Group: Members Posts: 27 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Feb. 05 2005, 08:36 I would say , as I do to everyone when I answer to my musical taste and who is unaware of Mr. Oldfield: "...He is multi instrumentalist and the greatest guitar player, who played over 20 instruments in an 60 Minutes Epic called Amarok, be better known for doing (my most hatered but/because most famous song (in germany))moonlight shadow or Tubular Bells..." Back to top

Inkanta Group: Admins Posts: 1453 Joined: Feb. 2000 Posted: Feb. 05 2005, 11:59 How I introduce him and which talking points I use at all, or use first depend on whom I'm talking to, but they go like this. Mike is: --a British composer/musician who plays most of the instruments himself (the term "multi-instrumentalist" can be lost on people). --has created over 20 works that pretty-much cover the entire gamut of music.   --wrote the music for the Killing Fields (I may mention this first), his Tubular Bells was adapted for the Exorcist (I may mention this first if the person is over 45 or into horror flicks), he wrote an entire work based on one of Arthur C. Clarke's novels, the Songs of Distant Earth (mentioned first if the person is a librarian or scifi enthusiast), wrote Incantations and Hergest Ridge (first for the pagans, and then I describe them). --His Tubular Bells led to Richard Branson's empire (then I usually have to say, "you know...the balloon guy--Vrigin Records, Virign Air, Virgin Condoms, etc.....then they get the connection--well, this is midwest USA and most have heard neither of Mike nor RB, but have heard of Virgin.) --he has been called the Godfather of the New Age, though folks liking nuage would have their brains affected by some of his stuff, like Amarok.... and yadayadayada....... BTW...last weekend, I introduced 30-some people to his music through dance...maybe more on that later, on a different forum topic..... -------------- "No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From:  Moongarden's "Solaris." Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Feb. 06 2005, 08:38 Was that dance videotaped? I'm such a junkie for Incantations in all its possible forms, variations, and interpretations, I might want to see it. -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

Inkanta Group: Admins Posts: 1453 Joined: Feb. 2000 Posted: Feb. 06 2005, 09:49 Quote (hiawatha @ Feb. 06 2005, 07:38) Was that dance videotaped? I'm such a junkie for Incantations in all its possible forms, variations, and interpretations, I might want to see it. No, but there is a way too long-winded description a couple threads down.  Pagan happenings tend not to be captured due to privacy. There are exceptions, and some groups post pictures on the Web, but its always with everyone's consent. In this case it would have been hard to shoot the dance without getting everyone else, since it was in a circle. Religious freedom or at least freedom from religious intolerance is a bit of an issue around here--there have been people who have lost their jobs when they were discovered to be pagan.  Makes folks camera-shy. In fact, I was supposed to be at a pagan retreat in Hannibal this weekend, but the venue canceled due to threats of boycott and protest from the Christian right. The Church of Wicca holding the event is 501C3, participates in interfaith activities and peace initiatives in the Columbia area, and has a lawyer, so we'll see what happens. Still I wish the dance had been taped, because I usually goof something up and am pretty self-critical. It went weirdly well, and felt like I was being carried by Brid herself.     -------------- "No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From:  Moongarden's "Solaris." Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 09:47 Hello M-C. Sorry for going off-topic, but I need a little bit of explanation from you. Do the words "paganism" and "pagan" refer to rituals, practices and people which don't have any link to any particular religion at all, or do they refer to one specific religion, belief or faith? In Italian they seem to have both meanings. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Inkanta Group: Admins Posts: 1453 Joined: Feb. 2000 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 13:41 Hey Ugo! I should really be saying "neo-pagan and Wiccan"  because "pagan" is one of those elastic words that means different things to different people. Your question is a good one, and here  you will find more an in-depth discussion (and definitions) of that whole issue. -------------- "No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From:  Moongarden's "Solaris." Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 14:05 Interesting definitions in that link, with some problems. The one for Wicca glosses over that it was created by a man who was born in 1884 and invented it in the 1950s (it is hardly ancient by any means). The "pre-Celtic era in Europe." part belongs to Part 3, the "ancient polytheists". The definitions seem to miss the fact that many of these "ancient" traditions have survived to this day. It (the third meaning: "Third meaning: Pagans are ancient polytheists") relegates them all to Biblical passages, or refers to them in the past tense. Native American traditions somehow avoid fitting any of the definitions (unless one thinks that their beliefs are something consisting mainly of "idols, taboos, and talismans!") -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 15:41 M-C, thanks for the link. Hiawatha, thanks for the clarifications. Hearing one with such a nickname talking about Native Americans is interesting, to say the least. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 15:47 Thanks ! It's just that the Native American traditionalists I have known did not appear to be bedecked with idols or talismans, or caught up in taboos : ) Maybe the definition was primarily thinking of aboriginals elsewhere. Or I have not met "Typical" Native Americans. -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

Inkanta Group: Admins Posts: 1453 Joined: Feb. 2000 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 19:57 Quote (hiawatha @ Feb. 08 2005, 13:05) Interesting definitions in that link, with some problems. The one for Wicca glosses over that it was created by a man who was born in 1884 and invented it in the 1950s (it is hardly ancient by any means). The "pre-Celtic era in Europe." part belongs to Part 3, the "ancient polytheists". The definitions seem to miss the fact that many of these "ancient" traditions have survived to this day. It (the third meaning: "Third meaning: Pagans are ancient polytheists") relegates them all to Biblical passages, or refers to them in the past tense. Native American traditions somehow avoid fitting any of the definitions (unless one thinks that their beliefs are something consisting mainly of "idols, taboos, and talismans!") Hi Hiawatha! Yes, the information seemingly glosses over Wicca, but if you follow the links to the FAQs, etc., you'll find much more specific information. I was taken aback momentarily to find Unitarians included, lol! There are so many different sects of Wicca, BTW, and we call ourselves by many names. I would describe myself as an agnostic Wiccan. My oldest daughter considers herself Neo-Pagan, as does our Priest of Last Resort; and yet, what they do isn't very different from me. And...we're all at the same sabbats. A close friend who is a heriditary witch describes herself as Wiccan, even though her family practices would pre-date the term "Wicca." Maybe it's not so much what we call ourselves or what others call us, but that we are treated with respect (BTW...the Hibernate in Hannibal incident has made national news!! Click here for details). Regarding Native American traditions/belief systems/spirituality/religion, they fell way short--and, as you noted, even include the myth of the vanishing Indian (think we should write to them?). For Native people still living traditionally, even among modems and motorcycles, spirituality is not a separate thing (maybe we need to go someplace else to discuss religion vs. spirituality). It's not something you do only at church on Sunday or Saturday. It's lived every minute. Every act is a form of worship. And...what I've just written is true of spiritual people of all religious traditions. I would need to spend several pages explaining this within the context of Native belief systems (which I did at the Unitarian Church a few years ago and have that paper around here someplace on another computer) but it at best only an etic (outside) view since I am not part of one. One thing that they could have said would have been that Native traditions must be practiced within the context of their culture--you can't extrapolate or appropriate it intact to another one. Native traditions also completely lack the missionary spirit (i.e., they don't attempt to convert people--hmm....neither do Unitarians or Wiccans or Neo-Pagans.) As I lead us further afield -------------- "No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From:  Moongarden's "Solaris." Back to top

hiawatha Group: Members Posts: 2391 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Feb. 08 2005, 20:55 Thanks for the excellent ellaboration. Yes, I did not go beyond those 6 initial points, or I might have seen the rest of it (especially about Wicca). I missed the point about "the vanishing Indian"... what is that? Add to the list of non-converting religions this one: Zoroastrianism. It is the indiginous religion of Iran. -------------- "In the land of the Dacotahs, Where the Falls of Minnehaha Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, Laugh and leap into the valley." - Song of Hiawatha Back to top

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