― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 16 August 2003 21:54 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 16 August 2003 21:57 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 16 August 2003 21:58 (twenty years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Sunday, 17 August 2003 01:42 (twenty years ago) link
And I fine the perverse racial boxes that most " enlightened" music and cultural critics, just as damaging and harrowing as any aspect of institutional racism in america. If christgau just hated donny hathaway's music, the level of his critical denigration would have been strictly to his art. My problem with the " Lives on in duet after duet." is that it relates to his person. I know christgau doesnt like music from genteel white people either, but nearly everytime I have heard him talk about music and his critical dislikes, Donny Hathaway comes near the top of his list. Now coming from a man who has reviewed thousands of CD's over a 35 year span as a reviewer that's saying something profound.
My question is why? I'll be the first to tell you that his albums are flawed( sans his live one). But the core of donny hathaway's music and his motifs: were gospel influenced music and lyrical imagery, a kind of healing, a search for an innerself through humane gospel imagery, made flesh and all too human through one of soul's most powerful and arresting baritones. Now much of what I said is my opinion. But the work itself, Humanist Gospel influenced soul music, is what it is.
My question out of all the turgid, intolerable and inhumane crap that has been put out in modern popular music, in which one can listen to during a 35 year span, why would be someone like hathaway be on top of any sane person's list?
Lastly, I guess what sticks at my gut is that to lump him in the same boat with barry manilow as "genteel" and milquetoast overlooks or ignores the immense amount of pain, that any person with a scintilla of feeling can here in his music. I'm not saying that just because he committed suicide, either. " thank you master for my soul" is an entendred way of donny thanking god that he didnt kill himself that day. Or the way on " I hear voices" he tries to humanize schitzophrenia by contextualizing his voices in a hip fashion. Or " givin up" or " lord help me" or " a dream", to name some examples. What christgau,(and marsh and marcus who perversely rated him on that death scale he had) doesnt see is that hathaway's music comes from and is a link to the core of the spirituals and work songs, that it music made by a people to keep from killing themselves. IMO, to describe his music as genteel and milquetoast is assuming a freedom that hathaway, along with the millions of african americans who sing gospel or come from the gospel tradition, never had.
I know I will be and have already been piloried ( by a wonderfully sarcastic aide by vahid)for saying what I just said. And I know my way of thinking is quite reviled around these parts. But I had to say It.
― robert lashley (brotherman), Monday, 18 August 2003 01:03 (twenty years ago) link
― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Monday, 18 August 2003 01:22 (twenty years ago) link
― robert lashley (brotherman), Monday, 18 August 2003 01:27 (twenty years ago) link
"They bitch because everybody compares them to Joy Division, and they're right. It's way too kind, and I say that as someone who thanks Ian Curtis for making New Order possible."
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 18 August 2003 07:13 (twenty years ago) link
― dave q, Monday, 18 August 2003 07:29 (twenty years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Monday, 18 August 2003 07:37 (twenty years ago) link
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 18 August 2003 07:40 (twenty years ago) link
DUDS:
Christgau
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:16 (eighteen years ago) link
NEVER FORGET
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:45 (eighteen years ago) link
-- Anthony Miccio (anthonymicci...), December 7th, 2002.
OTM
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 13:47 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:01 (eighteen years ago) link
we all think shit like this at times, but why put it in print?
never cared much for donny hathaway myself, but the man upthread's got a point.
― m coleman (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:07 (eighteen years ago) link
His "work" illustrates the perils inherent in doing that, as evinced by the fact that he has come to the wrong conclusion about nearly every record he has "listened" to.
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:23 (eighteen years ago) link
― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:39 (eighteen years ago) link
― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:45 (eighteen years ago) link
you mean the one where he told everyone that if their comments appeared online they wouldn't be paid, so tell him right now if they don't want their comments appearing online and therefore not getting paid, which he would completely understand? that one?
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:47 (eighteen years ago) link
― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:52 (eighteen years ago) link
god, I love that line.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 14:53 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 15:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 15:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 15:21 (eighteen years ago) link
― Eppy (Eppy), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 15:29 (eighteen years ago) link
― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 16:43 (eighteen years ago) link
I think this mindless statement says more about YOU and your lack of critical judgment than it does about your "criticism" of other critics on this thread.
― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 16:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― js (honestengine), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:17 (eighteen years ago) link
― j blount (papa la bas), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:25 (eighteen years ago) link
― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:33 (eighteen years ago) link
― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:36 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:37 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:38 (eighteen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:41 (eighteen years ago) link
― latebloomer: band to the planet mars (latebloomer), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:42 (eighteen years ago) link
― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― timmy tannin (pompous), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― The Day The World Turned Dayglo Redd (Ken L), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:49 (eighteen years ago) link
― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:54 (eighteen years ago) link
and his nose doesn't fail him w/r/t aerial
― old man, Wednesday, 29 March 2006 17:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― A|ex P@reene (Pareene), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 18:02 (eighteen years ago) link