sometime i read christgau and am amazed...

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Please hire Dave Q.

Seconded.

please pay attention to the section before you start recommending they hire people who already write for it.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Matos do you think there is a slight chance they already knew that? A very slight chance that Nicole at the very least knew that? That perhaps implicit in the comments was just a good-natured statement of approbation for dave?

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I was going to say...

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:13 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I meant he should replace Christgau.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"It's great that you get it, but some of us might chalk that up to proximity. Without the context, it's just a bunch of words for a lot of us."

Good point. For people (or at least outer space aliens) who never heard of Blondie, the Pope, dicks, or reincarnation, it's completely understandable that they wouldn't be able to decipher Bob's cryptic runes. So yeah: Context is everything, I totally agree.

― chuck, Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Jeanne, again, what else could that review POSSIBLY mean?

I haven't a goddamn clue!! If you honestly think that the first (or fiftieth) thought in my head when I read that was "I bet these are lyrical references," you're dreaming. What has me annoyed is that by your line of thinking, there's an allusion to the fact that if I don't get it, I'm stupid. (What Broheems is saying.)

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

more bullying from rock critics, please.

― hstencil, Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree with everyone on this thread except for Chuck.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, I always thought the songs that he mentions in parens were simply recommended tracks and didn't necessarily relate to the preceding blurb.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Broheems do you think there is a slight chance I already knew they knew that? A very slight chance that I knew that Nicole at the very least knew that? That perhaps implicit in the comments was just a good-natured kidding around with my fellow regulars?

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I enjoyed the Xgau as a bizarro shrugworthy line. I like Dave Q's conciseness more, though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently, Jaymc, you're correct (if I'm understanding Chuck), and this instance is coincidental -- I was assuming differently, though.

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

xxpost

― Hurlothrumbo (hurlothrumbo), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

was does xgau make us hurt ourselves so?

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

er, makes us that is.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Where is a serious Xgau who aims reviews?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

anyway, I the squibs are cryptic but they're tacked on and irrelevant unless you already care about the subject and/or writer. he does require deciphering a lot of the time, absolutely.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It didn't occur to me, no Matos, else I wouldn't have posted that! Sorry. But I wasn't trying to start a fight, I just thought the statement seemed unnecessarily stroppy in the context of some light-hearted remarks. I must be too attuned to look for Raggett-esque smileys or something.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't think people are stupid who didn't get it; I just think you could probably pick ANY well-written review and there would be people who wouldn't get it; if there's a review that EVERYBODY gets, it's probably in Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone, and it's horrible writing. And there are many reviews (including a few New Order and Boogie Down Productions ones by Xgau himself) that I don't get, too. (And there are Dave Queen and Don Allred and Scott Seward reviews that I don't fully get, but that crack me up anyway. "Getting it" is hardly the only standard of good music writing.) But TO ME anyway, I think this particular review was pretty clear. Christgau is such an easy fucking target. And yes, he writes a bit convoluted sometimes, and doesn't always make complete sense. So how, exactly, does that make him different from, say, Bangs or Meltzer or Marcus or Powers or Kogan or Eddy or Queen or Fury? Sorry, but I don't get that at all.

― chuck, Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

no, I came across way more brusque than I intended to, your response is understandable. no worries.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I just assumed they were lyrics because how else would you know from an album what the singer thinks? I can see why someone would find the review less than satisfying but Honorable Mentions aren't really about satisfying as much as flinging in your two cents. I was going to say if you want to get pissy you should get pissy about his no-context duds, but I actually love seeing albums get dismissed without a single word of explanation.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I must be too attuned to look for Raggett-esque smileys or something.

I didn't use one the other day and Jess complained. My heart was ruined!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard of Blondie (and heard them, too), the Pope and reincarnation. Plus, I have a dick. Apparently all this means I should know what he's fuck he's talking about. I don't. Therefore, I need to be spoonfed and am a lazy reader.

― frankE (frankE), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:32 (twenty-two years ago)

actually, yeah.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

So how, exactly, does that make him different from, say, Bangs or Meltzer or Marcus or Powers or Kogan or Eddy or Queen or Fury?

Don't get me started on Marcus. Or Meltzer. Or that Eddy. Grrrrrr.

― frankE (frankE), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I am always completely baffled by the rain of venom that comes down everytime Xgau's name is mentioned here, and it always looks like really ugly player-hating to me.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

well . . . sorta, J0#n, but "player-hating" has become the tiredest, tiredest, tiredest of tropes, here and everywhere. so I try to think of it as something else, I have no idea what. (spoonfeeding, maybe?)

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I was just gonna say, I'm so tired of "you're just a player-hater."

― hstencil, Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

i've yet to see a one of these where the hata's arguments amounted to anything other than 'dumb it down plz' - there's a reason blender exists folx, have at it!

J0hn otmx1000

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Christgau is such an easy fucking target.

Exactly. (Of course the only reason I would care is because I've read something he wrote quoted on ILM.)

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

the word yall are looking for is crybaby market demands

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Good point. For people (or at least outer space aliens) who never heard of Blondie, the Pope, dicks, or reincarnation, it's completely understandable that they wouldn't be able to decipher Bob's cryptic runes. So yeah: Context is everything, I totally agree."

Outer space aliens. Ouch. Consider me put in my place.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:42 (twenty-two years ago)

xgau writes for blender!

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:43 (twenty-two years ago)

oh wait occasionally losers whining about rock critics arguments do manage to break past 'dumb it down plz' to 'just tell me if i should buy something cuz i can't figure out my own taste that's right i'm that fucking stupid why cuz my momma dropped me on my head'

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

his stuff in blender and rolling stone is really normal. read him there!

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

miccio i know xgau writes for blender - i was giving these people something to aim for (babysteps)

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

hopefully they're quick enough to figure out a titshot (don't count on it)

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

c'mon y'all, talking about the pope's dick is supposed to bring people together...

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not player hating. I don't aspire to be the dean of rock critics or even the teaching assistant. It's just a difference in philosophy, and I'll admit, much of this difference stems from form.
I'm a working journalist for a daily newspaper. I value clarity. Obviously, Xgau takes a much different tack.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:45 (twenty-two years ago)

well rock (or art or literary or film or architectural or food or even porn) criticism /= journalism so that might be your problem

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

[BLONDIE] believes in reincarnation, [BLONDIE] wishes the pope had a bigger dick.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The bar is set pretty high for Christgau threads on ILM:

This is the thread where you ask for help in parsing one of Robert Christgau's sentences.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

In the critic-reader relationship, the reader should be the more important. If you're just writing for yourself, keep a journal.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:47 (twenty-two years ago)

And I realize criticism does not equal journalism, but the best critics are able to convey their points with the aforementioned clarity.
Obfuscation should not be a badge of honour.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

He wanted to share what he thought was most interesting about the album, and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the music on a Blondie reunion WAS less interesting than those tidbits.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

corollary ilb thread: 'roger angell: why doesn't he just give the boxscore? what's with all this gobbledygook? clarity plz! ps: tell me which team to root for'

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:50 (twenty-two years ago)

banjomania that's every dumb it down argument ever (ie. the folx in the stix won't get it)(ie. how we (=usa) got to this place)(bush/cheney 2004 - 'dude don't think so much')

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Forget it. I'm just gonna go back to reading Greg Kot. That's where I belong.

― frankE (frankE), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:52 (twenty-two years ago)

The only way the HM could be unclear is if you dont understand that the comma is an "and"

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

banjomania what exactly is obfuscatory < / sylvester the cat > about 'dick' or 'pope' ('reincarnation' maybe but tackle that one also while you're at it)?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 22 April 2004 19:53 (twenty-two years ago)

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