Sir Mustapha
Group: Musicians
Posts: 2802
Joined: April 2003 |
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Posted: Nov. 16 2005, 12:09 |
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At a moment like this, I could be defensive, and tell you to go read Mark Prindle's album reviews (in particular his Miles Davis page) and try to compare the things he writes with my reviews. On the other hand, I could be offensive, and say that I didn't force anyone to read what I wrote, and that I shouldn't be bothered with what the readers think. But no; let's go by parts.
First: I have a style of writing, and irony is part of my style, no matter what I'm writing. Sometimes I control that - like in this forum - but, in other times, I let it loose - like in my website. And if I were to make a personal website and try to control and soften my style of writing, I'd rather not do it. When I write my reviews, I don't really use the brakes when it comes to speaking my mind about the music, and I don't really worry about insulting the artist's feelings - if I did, I wouldn't write reviews at all, and I always separate the human being from the artist. The moment that the artist exposes himself, he must be ready to face "insults" like those. It's part of the game.
Second: I suppose the negative comments always jump out at the readers more than the positive comments. At the very same page, I throw heaps of praise over Amarok and dare to put it above the Beatles. I'm pretty sure that would get a bad reaction from Beatles fans... And I have to face that bad reaction, just like the artist has to face the negative reviews. And what I say is similar to what I said in the first point: I won't fight to change my style of writing. It works for me, and it works for some people. When someone tells me he finds my reviews funny, I feel very, very happy, because those reviews are there primarily for entertainment. Writing solid reviews, giving good summaries, making good recommendations and sharing opinions with strength are my goals too, but being entertaining is essential. So it all depends - I won't try to be "balanced" and judge music "objectively", especially when it's a negative approach. I'll go full throttle and bash the music I don't like, because that way, people will know it's my feelings, and not "objective analysis". I don't think music can be objectively bad. It can be bad in my mind, and that's what I make clear.
Third: well, the rape thing is a delicate point. I never intended to evoke actual rape in the reviews, and I only mentioned that because, seriously, the "vocals" on the song reminded me a lot of those "screams" from oriental cartoons, which really make my skin crawl. I used "bad animé character being raped by tentacles" exactly because it's so absurd and removed from reality, and like you said, my intention wasn't to make humour out of actual rape. "Tentacle rape" is an awfully disgusting thing, but I laugh at it to avoid crying, and I really won't condemn other cultures based on my beliefs - whatever floats them Japanese fellas' boats, good for them. They fancy little girls with huge eyes, and it won't be me who will yell. I've never been to Japan - I don't know what it's like. All I know is that I hate those screaming Japanese cartoons, and "Resolution" makes me think of them.
-------------- 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
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