express writeup
The 5/04 edition of the Washington Post Express includes the article about the upcoming Black Cat Live nite in the Weekend section.
I like this article, not just because it quotes me and has my picture with it, but because of the title and the way it is constructed.
When a reporter asks you "do you think electronic musicians are smarter than other musicians?" you should say "no" unless you believe you are, in which case you should of course find a way to say "no" unless you are dumb and say yes, which produces a paradox that, I can imagine, would (and should) amuse the reporter greatly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you don't mind being *pffted* by all manner of non-electronic musicians who might happen across your quote in an article, but not minding that could only mean you are dumb and crazy.
One thing I learned from reading this edition of the Express is the Chick Corea is playing in town the same night as myself and the Live nite crew. He is one of my all time favorite musicians, I wrote him a fan letter (snail mail, pre-email) many years ago, it was kind of a 'gushy' fan letter, and I talked about how I felt about playing music. He replied. I kick myself that I do not have that reply anymore, but I remember what he wrote: "yeah, I get how you feel about your music...". To see Chick Corea in his trio would cost $50. Am I damning myself if I admit that the idea that anyone should ever pay $50 to see me perform seems absurd?
To see the 8 electronic musicians plus visuals costs $5. Does this mean that (adjusting for genre particulars) if we can exceed one tenth of the value of a Chick Corea performance [how do you assign valuation to that?], we will have reached a higher bracket (albeit still Lilliputian in relation to Mr. Corea)? So, is this the challenge, that if *I alone* could exceed the tenth of the value....
and that whole "value" notion is so stupid (so much for smart electronic musicians). I know for a fact that people (including me) have paid more for worse music than I or any of the other Live nighters have put out. But people will gladly pay high dollar for the skillfully hyped brands. It is a mystery, this power of skilfful hype; like it or not, to be neither loathed nor idolized: part of the strange magic.
I like this article, not just because it quotes me and has my picture with it, but because of the title and the way it is constructed.
When a reporter asks you "do you think electronic musicians are smarter than other musicians?" you should say "no" unless you believe you are, in which case you should of course find a way to say "no" unless you are dumb and say yes, which produces a paradox that, I can imagine, would (and should) amuse the reporter greatly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you don't mind being *pffted* by all manner of non-electronic musicians who might happen across your quote in an article, but not minding that could only mean you are dumb and crazy.
One thing I learned from reading this edition of the Express is the Chick Corea is playing in town the same night as myself and the Live nite crew. He is one of my all time favorite musicians, I wrote him a fan letter (snail mail, pre-email) many years ago, it was kind of a 'gushy' fan letter, and I talked about how I felt about playing music. He replied. I kick myself that I do not have that reply anymore, but I remember what he wrote: "yeah, I get how you feel about your music...". To see Chick Corea in his trio would cost $50. Am I damning myself if I admit that the idea that anyone should ever pay $50 to see me perform seems absurd?
To see the 8 electronic musicians plus visuals costs $5. Does this mean that (adjusting for genre particulars) if we can exceed one tenth of the value of a Chick Corea performance [how do you assign valuation to that?], we will have reached a higher bracket (albeit still Lilliputian in relation to Mr. Corea)? So, is this the challenge, that if *I alone* could exceed the tenth of the value....
and that whole "value" notion is so stupid (so much for smart electronic musicians). I know for a fact that people (including me) have paid more for worse music than I or any of the other Live nighters have put out. But people will gladly pay high dollar for the skillfully hyped brands. It is a mystery, this power of skilfful hype; like it or not, to be neither loathed nor idolized: part of the strange magic.
posted by Utenzil at
12:02 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home