MIA

I rarely listen to music with any sort of overt political content/references.

I think that may be key. A lot of the criticisms people have of MIA are problems they have with politicised music generally. I don't hear many people saying that MIA does it badly but [insert artist here] does it well. Maybe it's because she heightens the contradictions and flaws of the form that she's become almost the sole flakcatcher. I see your POV but I don't have problems with real world issues popping up in fragmentary ways in pop music if (a) the records are good and (b) the intent (sorry Alfred) is sincere and not cynical.

Alex, this is from an interview I did with her when Arular came out. I don't know what she'd be like if I interviewed her now. I was just posting them as useful background info from a time when she was less paranoid and more willing to talk openly about stuff.

(b) the intent (sorry Alfred) is sincere and not cynical.

No way you can prove this! And who cares anyway? Constructing narratives and finding correspondences is our job, not the artist's.

xpost Yeah, I figured that was the time period, I just didn't know if the interview/transcripts were widely available or were your own personal interview.

It's interesting to see how closed off and blustery and purposely provocative (at times) she's gotten, especially because circa ARULAR, I remember her seeming pretty eager to discuss her work and engage and explain. The paranoia of /\/\ /\ Y /\ is maybe as much a reaction to responses to her project as anything else?

Not primarily, of course, but it seems as though especially since KALA there's been a pretty swift spiral towards the current 'connected to the Google' etc. iteration of Maya.

xpost. We just have divergent critical approaches. I love finding out, for example, that Whitfield/Strong's classic Motown protest songs were mostly cynical attempts to capture the angry youth market and that Whitfield didn't give much of a shit either way about Vietnam or black power. It doesn't mean I like Ball of Confusion any less but it enriches my understanding of it. In this case, it matters to me whether MIA is, however imperfectly, trying to say something that matters to her rather than chucking around some buzzphrases because they sound cool and will get her some attention. Again, it wouldn't affect my enjoyment of the songs if she was a shallow provocateur but it would affect how I discussed them.

yah its 'straight to hell' of sandanista

papa papa papa san

― deej, Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:42 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

― torch song trill o.g. (Whiney G. Weingarten), Thursday, August 5, 2010 7:29 AM (11 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

oh lord dude in the age of google brain farts arent even close to the lol zings you think they are

if you're just posting so you can make fun of other posters or shut down conversation, gtfo and feel lucky I don't just temp ban you from the board since this is basically what you do on 80% of the threads I see you on

― Mayor Hickenlooper and the liberal agenda (HI DERE), Thursday, August 5, 2010 11:55 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

and youre taking sides hypocrit

Alfred, why do you say who cares if people clearly care? If you don't want to consider intent that's fine. It doesn't HAVE to be relevant to one's take on a song. But there's no pure relationship between the listener/critic and song, our perceptions are shaped by what we know and believe. And if we know facts about and quotes from the artist that influence our opinion, so fucking be it. If there's no right answer we have to search for through journalism, there's no wrong answer either.

xpost lol someone just woke up

groan at all this 1940s-era new critic anti-intentionalist bullshit

p much what da croupier said

xpost lol someone just woke up

― da croupier, Thursday, August 5, 2010 6:42 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

just got back from work. hope u missed me

impressed by your restraint in not posting these belated "fuck off"s this morning, then

It's a natural instinct to read what an artist says if we're fans and/or the music leaves us with questions; I own quite a few rock bios and autobios. But it's too easy now with the internet to play the journalist and draw lines between this or that statement uttered by an artist -- it's that post-therapy world in which explaining your motives matters as much as what you're creating. Sometimes for the sake of saying a good line because the artist is drunk, bored, and wants to bullshit with the reporter.

I had problems with Dorianlynskey's "the intent is sincere not cynical" because, like I said, how do you prove this? Even when they're explaining themselves -- mediated by what the interviewer's included and the editor's chosen to publish -- there's no way of gauging cynicism or sincerity.

Part of my problem, I suppose, is that when I write fiction I never begin with intentions, i.e. "This is a story about loss and the pain of separation" or "I want to write a story about loss and the pain of separation." I sit down on the computer, tap some shit out, assemble it, and am kinda amazed that it coheres into something. That's why I'm always suspicious of intent -- most artists don't intend anything other than to write some songs and record them.

history mayne, check out your big brain! You know about New Criticism!

Dorianlynskey, sorry for snapping at you.

pretty sure everyone's "suspicious" of intent here, just not a fan of the popist/rockist false dichotomy where it must matter or DOES NOT matter

holy moly, just used the phrase 'false dichotomy' twice unrelatedly on here this evening, check out my big brain

u are really caught up on this passage-of-time thing huh

the two minutes between your last two posts, were u just sitting in silence marveling at your double-use of 'false dichotomy'

pretty sure everyone's "suspicious" of intent here, just not a fan of the popist/rockist false dichotomy where it must matter or DOES NOT matter

Yes.

Dorianlynskey, sorry for snapping at you.

It's OK - I took it as impassioned rather than rude.

annnnnnnnnnd it's time for another deraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai-aiiiiiiiii-aaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiil (ding)

lol maybe not

Thursday, August 5, 2010 8:24 PM I Love Music User: blap...tremendo has been banned from thread: MIA temporarily

"We’re going to make films about UFOs. Nobody questions my right to talk about aliens."

Here she reminds me of that political girl in the art class scenes from Ghost World. You can't take an art class simply to learn about art, you need to have a dialog.

"I sit down on the computer, tap some shit out, assemble it, and am kinda amazed that it coheres into something. That's why I'm always suspicious of intent -- most artists don't intend anything other than to write some songs and record them."

Isn't this what the anti-MIA contingent is accusing her of? Purposeless (maybe even witless) grab-baggery?

Yes, but some of the pro-M.I.A. rebuttal is "it can be as witless as it wants to be if I enjoy the end product".

I guess I'm with the proMIAs, then. Rocky IV is pretty awesome regardless (maybe because?) of intent/witlessness.

entire genre of rock and roll to thread.

she's in a real O-mind

Blingee!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfbQ5mHWkOs

lol

This video contains content from Vevo, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.

:(

now you know how I feel whenever I attempt to watch Cure videos

Can I just interject say how much I love that she actually uses "Like Puzzle Bobble on PC" as a simile ("Space")

delfi

Blingee!

Everything I've read about this today said it was like 'animated GIF' or '90s screen saver' and they were all wrong. But Blingee, totally!

The sparkling roses, java water reflection are super animated gif myspace comment/90s website.

(and also Blingee)

it's Blingee meets Lisa Frank through an MIA prism of irony. Also, she's giving this gay boy imaginary boners with her sexiness.

seems entirely unsexy to me, but i am often wrong about things. and i'm not sure i understand your objection, adam bruneau. blingee = animated gifs, surely? in a style that's been popular at least since the 90s.

No objection, i was just surprised no sites i was looking at was actually saying "Blingee!" After i read about the 90s screensaver look i was disappointed to find no flying toasters ;-)

seems entirely unsexy to me, but i am often wrong about things.

I totally meant "sexy" in an early 90's hooker sorta way.

MySpace is mid-'00s, let's get this straight.

M.I.A.'S MUYSPACE IS AWESUM U STOP IT

T|-|/\/\/|<$ 4 /\DD|/\/G /\/\3

/\/ ()
|> |2 () |3 | 3 /\/\

i like this video!

http://i.mynicespace.com/104/10486.gif

flowers are so lewd

After reading Jenny Eliscu's fantastic article "M.I.A. Radical, Chic" [RS 1110], there is no doubt in my mind that the Sri Lankan sensation finally has it all: a killer third album, fame, a loving fiance and a beautiful son. She's certainly come a long way from sitting in the back of the classroom with "the poor kids." Now if she could just figure out how to get through a show without technical difficulties.

Rachel Scott
Via the Internet

Alright guys, I laughed at Trufflegate like the rest of you and I put off hearing the new album for a few months to let all the hype and criticism die down a bit. Wasn't anticipating much from this new album (actually, I didn't enjoy the previous two all that much, so maybe my expectations were just low?). But I played this through today for the first time and it sounds fantastic. Would I be nuts to say this is my favorite MIA album?

She's had a rough year. Who got uncool faster, MIA or Lebron James?