This is probably gonna end up long. Just a thought that crossed my mind as a result of an argument last night. It will generally rope up parallels and things in common with what it is that I hold praise for, most notably Lordi.

I feel that Mr. Lordi has a lot to be recognised for. He's got a lot of work on his plate with his band, and he knows it.
He paints, he writes both music and backstories to the characters, he does vocals, he makes those (frankly amazing) costumes....He's a very talented man.

But - wait a second.

He's an imitation.

What is Mr. Lordi, particularly? Outside of that costume he's possibly the biggest fan of eighties band 'KISS' in Finland. His collection of KISS memorabilia is astounding.

What's Lordi?
An imitation of KISS.

I KNOW a lot of fans won't really like what I've just said, but it's true.

It's essentially Mr. Lordi's lifelong tribute to the eighties, the decade of horror films, 'classic rock', and general living spirit of the Hard Rock genre. He has every right to honour it, it brought us some fantastic, now iconic franchises and many more besides.

But it is still an imitation of KISS. His music does have a few likenesses. It always will. Because that's his largest inspiration. From direct homage to simple light reference, it's what created Lordi. It's what inspired a child to start drawing some funny monsters on scraps of paper. Interestingly I've been told that Mr. Lordi in fact used to suffer from depression...



I can relate - I'm an imitation.

What am I particularly? Not counting a depressing cartoonist?
Not only am I notoriously old fashioned, but I'm a huge collector of British comics and merchandise related. The Beano being the largest.

What's Pigface?
An imitation.

Pigface follows in the footsteps of those at times revolutionary, seventy plus year running comics. He's based on a jumble of artists, writers, and even a few childhood books.

It generally 'honours (that's a laugh)' traditional cartoons. And it's easy to tell. The general style is very 'Beanoesque', with a different twist in places, sure, but it's still an imitation of the styles that inspired me as a child to start drawing, flat.

Granted, Mr. Lordi is far more talented than me. And ever will be. Lordi are still a very original project and one which I can't help but compliment - it's a hugely complicated set up and one that doesn't really get enough recognition when it comes to effort.
But he's still following in someone's footsteps.

As am I.

I'm not supremely talented or original. I'm not as talented as many artists, I don't expect myself to be. I'm not as talented as I'd LIKE to be, but improvement is slowly staggering in. Slowly but surely, it's seeping in.

But Lordi, no matter what some may say, is an imitation. Most creative projects from the last twenty years or so have had a direct inspiration that gets homage throughout the entire life of the project.

Perhaps occassionally other inspirations clamber in as it grows, but original roots stay in place.

It's how creativity works, it seems. Are original ideas still in place?

Or is life one big imitation?