i see that
everyone and their sister
is talking about
beck’s blog
[ or, more precisely his journal ]. intrigued, i decide to check it
out with the appropriate degree of skepticism. and despite my best
attempt to view the journal through jaded and cynical lenses, i
have to admit that i’m impressed. although it appears to be updated
sporadically, entries like
press
junk and junket
might just make me a regular reader:
“interviews range from chit chat about your favorite
food to justifications for your actual existence. usually what
interviewers do is find something that somebody said somewhere
about you that wasn’t particularly nice, then ask you “a lot of
people think or say blabedy blah about you, what do you think about
that?” its the tactic they’re taught in school; to find the
‘conflict’, flesh it out and get their story. which is ok when
you’re doing a story about a kid who gets stuck in the bottom of a
well, but with someone who’s writing some silly little songs and
prancing around a stage, its kind of overkill (unless you’re
mainlining drugs of mass destruction or you’re locked in heated
oasis battle). otherwise its just tedious–“a lot of people say
you’re unoriginal, a lot of people say you have no soul, a lot of
people say your last album ended your career”, ad nauseam. here’s
my view on this kind of thing, though its no justification or
intended to change one’s aesthetic sense; one could admire the
actual physical feat of standing under 110 degree lights, 2 hours
sleep, a scrutinizing audience, and trying to sing in tune without
actually being able to hear anything, etc. I don’t tend to rip on
other bands in the press, cos I think its a waste of time and
energy and I know what goes into making a record, touring, press,
etc. I only have respect for people who go through the mill and
down the gauntlet just to play a few tunes for
people.”
no rss feed, a restrictive legal statement on
copying content and use of the word ‘Cos’ are all definite
turn-offs, but hearing the faint sounds of a coherent, strong voice
might just stop me from passing over
beck
the next time i go shopping for tunes.