Odds and Ends 005

I'm sure if I write long enough, eventually someone will quote something dumb I said. 

Critics dish it out; they should be able to take it.  I myself have quoted annoying things I've found in print.

Regarding Joey's comments about Hyden/Beck.

Critics dish it out; they should be able to take it.  I myself have quoted annoying things I've found in print.  When apropos, I've said something like "the normally astute John Doe said..." (which is what I did when Jody Rosen claimed a Jamey Johnson track reminded him of Steve Wonder) and sometimes I won't pull any punches when I think the writer is a tool (the Pitchfork crew).  I'm sure if I write long enough, eventually someone will quote something dumb I said.  Sometimes they'll say I'm usually pretty smart; sometimes they'll say I'm a complete moron.  Kind of like life, actually.  Ain't no big thing -- I'd rather put my thoughts out there for people to judge rather than not at all.

Sure, comedy can be great art as can film, fiction, etc.  To me, the point would be is Louis K pazz or jop.  Isn't that the criteria for the list?

In addition to agreeing that Richard Pryor and Bob Newhart records were a riot, I'd point out that Negativland's Helter Stupid sounded a lot like a Firesign Theater record, at least as far as I remember it.  The difference is the former's presented as music and the later as comedy; pazz and/or jop as opposed to not pazz and/or jop.

Matos' vote would seem to be some sort of "protest vote" and, if so, not a terribly eloquent one at that.

Change of subject: what's the difference between Zappa's Bat Chain Puller over the one the Capt. released?  Is is that different or even better?  (I've yet to hear something that Zappa ever made better...)

The posthumous Zappa albums are always over-priced. So expensive that I've never bought one yet. I know Zappa's reason for never releasing the original Bat Chain Puller was because he thought the music was not up to par for the Captain, but it always sounded like bs.

Just read that piece and it was pretty painful - went for too much.  If there's an easier target than Pitchfork, it's "indie" music in general and its followers.  The overused "cultural capital" does sound like something from a sociology thesis. 

He should have at least cited Lady Gaga - as her whole stage concept personifies the paradox of being overtly materialist and image oriented while defacing it (blood all over a $20,000 dress, etc), and taking yourself very seriously while being really, really stupid. 

Thank god for digital music is all I can say.

Joey, I know it's different because I'm not a pro, but if I ever started worrying about what Xgau thought of my postings I doubt I'd ever do more than lurk here.