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Hop On Pop
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6/17/2009 6:22:58 PM
Excellent rant on the death of music criticism
I've interacted with this guy on a couple of other music dork boards.
Great rant, here:
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Jesse Adams
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6/17/2009 6:37:38 PM
No one with any sense would listen to a critic anyways... it's just their opinion. Obviously we all have our own taste, so if you had you head on straight you'd want to form your own judgement IMO.
Guys like this are going away because any ol' schmoe can write his opinion on anything and say he was a 'critic'.
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Hop On Pop
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6/17/2009 6:44:01 PM
---- Updated 6/17/2009 6:47:48 PM
That's exactly his point.
Did you listen to the rant?
He's talking specifically about criticism, not just opinion. He's talking about, yes, stating an opinion, but also thoughtfully defending it, with context and insight. Paraphrasing his words, "Not just what is good, but why it's good."
As sort of one of the three points in the system of checks and balances in the production of art helping to keep the artists honest, and challenging them to greater achievement. Because, as we all know, the public is not going to be looking for the next great statement. But the critics will.
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Jeff Allen Myers
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6/17/2009 8:18:06 PM
---- Updated 6/17/2009 8:23:43 PM
The problem is "critics" often come off as pretentious, especially when they themselves can't sing, play, or write a song to save their life. Defending an "opinion" is all well and good, but to the average listener it comes down to "I like The Beat", "I like the sound of the singers voice" , or the all insightful "I like the Music".
Hearing a critic expound on the virtures of key modulations and syncopation often times leaves the average listener bored to tears. These kind of reviews or "critiques" usually appeal to other musician/writers. Or, the music afficianado who takes great pleasure in catogorizing his/her music collection, and smiling inside knowing they are more cultured then most.
Music can be dissected of course, and we can all learn a thing or two. However, each critic has a different message to convey, and each has different goals. Some feel they are educating the listening public and furthering the art form, while others are simply egotistical bores. It has been said, "Those that can... do while those that can't criticize"
I can take them or leave them,, they serve a purpose...however I find myself disagreeing with them often...this includes Music as well as Film critics. One thing I do know, I do not need a critic to keep me "Honest" or drive me to a greater height as a songwriter.
Regards,
Jeff
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Hop On Pop
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6/17/2009 8:26:43 PM
The problem is "critics" often come off as pretentious, especially when they themselves can't sing, play, or write a song to save their life.
For the most-part, I agree. However, I do enjoy reading insightful criticism, whether I agree with the opinion or not. At its best it causes me to look at/listen to something from a new perspective. At its worst, well, its just a pompous asshole spewing forth a bunch of fecal matter.
For the record, the guy you see/hear in the video above actually IS a musician. He's the drummer (or, rather, was the drummer) in Parts and Labor.
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Jeff Allen Myers
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6/17/2009 9:32:55 PM
Drummers are musicians???? I am kidding.... I think :)
Todd, you are a writer/musician as well as a music afficianado so you can dig deeper then most.
My comments were not directed at you by the way :) I thought about it after I wrote it and thought oh shit, Todd listens to a ton of eclectic music :)
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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6/17/2009 11:06:05 PM
Critics---- Schmitikz!!! LOL
--are we insecure?
for example:
Whose farts smell best?
or on the other hand ----if a critic doesn't like something we have already recorded, are we going to go back and change it or keep working on the "next" song?
good vid
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Village Jammers
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6/18/2009 6:55:01 AM
to quote Ricky Nelson..."You can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself"
I say take good advice to heart and to hell with the rest. Trust your compass.
Rob, I keep a sheepish grin just in case I let go, hee hee.
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Hop On Pop
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6/18/2009 1:21:33 PM
Jeff:
No offense taken.
As I said, I just think that, with honest critics, we do have a whole group of people actually searching out new, underexposed music to bring to the larger public. It's another voice, with a larger platform (once name recognition has been cultivated) that can do some cool things. (Or not, depending upon the person.)
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Bob Elliott
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6/18/2009 6:05:33 PM
You know who I think is good at the critic role here, but he won't do much of it anymore because of the backlash? Scott, Father TIme. He is insightful at it and sometimes hilarious.
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Bob Elliott
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6/18/2009 6:07:34 PM
I don't say that because he favors my tunes. He's actually usually pretty rough on me. But he's just good at that review thing when he wants to be.
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Jesse Adams
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6/18/2009 6:46:50 PM
"Did you listen to the rant?"
Not really. I got bored a couple of minutes in and decided I didn't care what this guy had to say.
:)
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thebernreuter
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6/18/2009 7:44:10 PM
---- Updated 6/18/2009 7:56:33 PM
Musical ability doesn't have to have much bearing on one's ability to evaluate music. Our program director probably hasn't played a note in his life, but he revolutionized modern rock radio in the mid-to-late nineties and made it listenable, before it all went to shit again in the early part of this decade.
A lot of times my academic and technical music background clouds my judgement and makes my critique of an album completely useless to the average listener.
"Jon, why do you listen to this song? It sucks."
"Yeah, but that snare sound is killer. Totally worth the price of the album."
"Well it sucks, and what the fuck is a snare?"
Incidentally, we're playing Fleet Foxes right now. Haven't heard 'em yet.
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SILVERWOODSTUDIO
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6/18/2009 10:36:31 PM
__I should expand on my comment----as I think it is different for a solo songwriter or artist, working away in a home studio---needing feedback?
--compared to a group or collective (like we are) where we all have input and critisism b4 we do our final mix----we can argue into the wee small hours about the finest detail---and finally come out with a satisfactory compromise!
so we don't really need someone who has not been part of the process, coming in with their 2 cents worth---Unless of course they LOVE IT----then we cut and paste and put it in our testimonials---!! lol
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