I wanted to issue one last thought on the subject of the ethics of music criticism. I’d like to thank my friend Sam for posting a fantastic response to my original essay. One of the points he brought up, however, I don’t exactly agree with. He drew issue with the idea of needing to persuade others to agree with your opinions, instead suggesting that everyone join together and embrace their different opinions to improve the overall discourse about art. While this sounds great on a very idealistic level, I don’t feel it’s completely practical for a couple of reasons.
First, as Sam did point out, this kind of exchange of ideas can really only happen with people who really care about art and music. Expecting a casual music fan to devote the time and energy to these things is absurd. They have actual lives to live, unlike people like me, who just blog way too much when they should be doing constructive things. Casual music fans count on critics to do the heavy-lifting when it comes to music criticism.
Second, I don’t think media criticism is completely benign. With so many opinions and egos jostling around, critics do develop a competitive sense, trying to make sure their opinions are the ones that last. I’m borderline obsessed with something one of my teachers refers to as “the game” in art. “The game” is the process through which we decide what “the greatest albums of all time" are or other such things. Certain people’s opinions have “won” over time, creating the sort of “Hall Of Famer” albums we deal with today (Sgt. Pepper’s, Pet Sounds, Highway 61 Revisted, Nevermind, etc). I want my voice to be one of the many that dictates what albums become Hall Of Famers in the future. This is the competitive element of the whole process and my goal as a critic is to try to be on the “winning” side of things.
As always, if you’ve got thoughts to share, please comment away!
First, as Sam did point out, this kind of exchange of ideas can really only happen with people who really care about art and music. Expecting a casual music fan to devote the time and energy to these things is absurd. They have actual lives to live, unlike people like me, who just blog way too much when they should be doing constructive things. Casual music fans count on critics to do the heavy-lifting when it comes to music criticism.
Second, I don’t think media criticism is completely benign. With so many opinions and egos jostling around, critics do develop a competitive sense, trying to make sure their opinions are the ones that last. I’m borderline obsessed with something one of my teachers refers to as “the game” in art. “The game” is the process through which we decide what “the greatest albums of all time" are or other such things. Certain people’s opinions have “won” over time, creating the sort of “Hall Of Famer” albums we deal with today (Sgt. Pepper’s, Pet Sounds, Highway 61 Revisted, Nevermind, etc). I want my voice to be one of the many that dictates what albums become Hall Of Famers in the future. This is the competitive element of the whole process and my goal as a critic is to try to be on the “winning” side of things.
As always, if you’ve got thoughts to share, please comment away!
well played, sir. I might have some reply, but I've spent the day as a teacher's aide in a nearby middle school.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, I'm burnt out. Great response though.
-Sam
As someone who spends the vast majority of their life submerged in literary criticism (we can talk about whether that's 'on the same level' as other-media crit later), I think I see where the breakdown happens: your approach is commercial, Sam's is more academic. Which is great, 'cause I need you both.
ReplyDeleteYou bring a (worthy) product to the consumer; I go out, buy a CD, listen to it a billion times & learn to love it - for all the reasons you told me I would, & more. But - and this happens to me with books all the damn time - if I've invested that much time and emotion into something, I want to read & fight about it more in-depth, & that can't be done with someone who is writing for "casual music fans." I need articles written at my level of nerd or above - I need Sam and his "improving the overall discourse about art."