Nobody ever talks about this. They talk about her politics, her sexual preferences, her lyrics, her songwriting, her label, etc. Ani's a good guitar player.
I guess there's a lot of hate fodder, but I interviewed her once for a TV show and she was sweet, accomodating, forthcoming.
― scott m (mcd), Monday, 10 November 2003 17:06 (twenty years ago) link
And she scores extra points for publishing Hamell on Trial.
― dave225 (Dave225), Monday, 10 November 2003 17:34 (twenty years ago) link
― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 10 November 2003 17:39 (twenty years ago) link
― scott m (mcd), Monday, 10 November 2003 17:49 (twenty years ago) link
― scott m (mcd), Monday, 10 November 2003 18:02 (twenty years ago) link
― Blood and sparkles (bloodandsparkles), Monday, 10 November 2003 18:15 (twenty years ago) link
― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Monday, 10 November 2003 19:00 (twenty years ago) link
― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Monday, 10 November 2003 19:10 (twenty years ago) link
One of the things that originally turned me on to her was her distinct vocal cadence & idiosyncratic style, honestly. I think the thing I most love about it is that she feels actually affected by what she's singing, she doesn't feel detached from her own voice like many other singers.
Right now I think "Dilate" is maybe my favorite, she sounds like she's breaking down midway through it, but then when the lyricless singing parts come through it's so friggin' triumphant.
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 10 November 2003 20:06 (twenty years ago) link
― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 10 November 2003 20:28 (twenty years ago) link
I've mostly avoided her after knowing too many of the aforementioned tunnel-vision fans.
― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 10 November 2003 20:53 (twenty years ago) link
― Felcher (Felcher), Monday, 10 November 2003 21:30 (twenty years ago) link
― adam (adam), Monday, 10 November 2003 22:12 (twenty years ago) link
― adam (adam), Monday, 10 November 2003 22:13 (twenty years ago) link
**Incidentally, two of my best friends are a couple (lesbians) who don't like Ani DiFranco either.
― paige, Monday, 10 November 2003 22:14 (twenty years ago) link
the world's last minority
― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Monday, 10 November 2003 22:49 (twenty years ago) link
Ann, you misogynist!
― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Monday, 10 November 2003 23:55 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 00:21 (twenty years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 00:26 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 00:28 (twenty years ago) link
I made a compilation of Ani's best jazzy/balladic stuff for my boyfriend - who was suspicious because of the uncritical love by lesbians - and I surprised myself at how totally unlike the public idea of Ani it was.
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 00:45 (twenty years ago) link
― Agent Uranium [GPC], Tuesday, 11 November 2003 01:30 (twenty years ago) link
-- Kenan Hebert (edito...), November 10th, 2003."
Oh, c'mon, I want to kick Darren Spooner down the stairs after her...
― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 01:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 02:05 (twenty years ago) link
― M Matos (M Matos), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 02:06 (twenty years ago) link
― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 02:07 (twenty years ago) link
I am bothered by:*her weird vocal affect*her guitar tone (thuddy, jarring)*her general aversion to melody
I am much more bothered by:*listening to people trying to imitate her weird vocal affect at open-mic nights*listening to sound engineers at my college tweak the EQ on any acoustic guitar to make any acoustic guitar to make it sound like hers*her popularity among my ex-boyfriends
― Kevin Erickson, Tuesday, 11 November 2003 13:03 (twenty years ago) link
― Felcher (Felcher), Tuesday, 11 November 2003 19:39 (twenty years ago) link
― Adrian (Adrian Langston), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:40 (twenty years ago) link
― Lauren S, Tuesday, 30 March 2004 06:23 (twenty years ago) link
― AaronK (AaronK), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 12:00 (twenty years ago) link
― Matt Smut, Tuesday, 11 May 2004 15:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 16:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 16:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 16:18 (nineteen years ago) link
"Folky Drivel" would be a great name for a record label. Better than "Righteous Babe", at any rate.
Now where did I put that "A Mighty Wind" DVD?
― kjoerup, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 04:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― djdee2005, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 04:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― mookieproof (mookieproof), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 04:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Al (sitcom), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 05:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave q, Wednesday, 12 May 2004 13:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― subgenius (subgenius), Wednesday, 12 May 2004 15:12 (nineteen years ago) link
Although maybe she's hot. Is she?
― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 13 May 2004 04:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 13 May 2004 12:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― The Lex (The Lex), Thursday, 13 May 2004 13:10 (nineteen years ago) link
Incidentally, the irony of Sasha's complaint is that Ani's old (and not especially numerous) feminist rants were always funnier and more involving than the more generalised Mike Moore style anti-military/industrial complex stuff that she does now (though in her defence "Your Next Bold Move" - which I disliked initially for the aforementioned reasons - utilises its inter-connected metaphoric imagery superbly)
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Thursday, 13 May 2004 22:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― Sasha (sgh), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― the 'surface' 'noise' (electricsound), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:06 (nineteen years ago) link
http://www.righteousbaberecords.com/images/m_chunkmagnets.jpg
― martin m. (mushrush), Thursday, 13 May 2004 23:10 (nineteen years ago) link
Haha Revelling/Reckoning was my introduction to Ani! And it's ironic given what's generally considered to be her biggest flaw (self-editing) that her double album is the only consistently brilliant LP I've heard of hers. Dilate comes close, but nothing else.
― The Lex (The Lex), Friday, 14 May 2004 01:58 (nineteen years ago) link
boy Jon Hassell sounds great on "Pulse."
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 26 March 2015 23:59 (nine years ago) link
It seems like she was popular because she presented a confident image and said what a lot of young women needed/wanted to hear. As a songwriter and performer I find her abysmal -- obvious, didactic lyrics with awkward phrasing, worst guitar tone I can imagine, not catchy
― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 18:44 (six years ago) link
good to know dude
― brimstead, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 19:00 (six years ago) link
Explain what you hate about Ani DiFranco.
― IF (Terrorist) Yes, Explain (man alive), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 19:01 (six years ago) link
Casual fan here, albeit one who hasn't heard anything she's put out since around the turn of the millennium, but there there is a certain type of gay guy who is obsessed with her that was a bit annoyingly overrepresented in my social circle for a while.
― iCloudius (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 19:36 (six years ago) link
Ani's in that select group of people I hate but have no desire to slag in public
― rip van wanko, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 19:38 (six years ago) link
(i do not consider hurting's post a slag btw)
― rip van wanko, Tuesday, 10 October 2017 19:40 (six years ago) link
the new album is great
― uberweiss, Wednesday, 24 March 2021 21:50 (three years ago) link
The first half sounds like she has been listening to D'Angelo.
Agree this is great, trying to decide whether it's her best since Knuckle Down or Red Letter Year or Allergic to Water (though really the albums after Knuckle Down tend to blur together for me).
― Tim F, Thursday, 25 March 2021 00:35 (three years ago) link
Am I inventing this memory or did she complain that Eno “stole” her observation that the Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmonizer sounds great when you overdrive it?I can’t find it anywhere on the internet right now. And yeah, dudes take credit for women’s ideas all the time. But even still, this is some weak sauce.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 25 March 2021 01:41 (three years ago) link
"shrinking violet" is achingly perfect. it's like "if i believe you" (the 1975) mixed with "tolerate it" (taylor swift)
There's nothing I can sayBeyond this whispered wishYour anger has a hunger, misterAnd I'm its favourite dishThere's nothing I can saySo I don't make a soundI just wipe the counter and II keep my head down
― überweiss, Friday, 26 March 2021 16:10 (three years ago) link
The last Secondary English Curriculum I used incorporated the lyrics of her song “Amendment” and asked students to analyze the language she employed. I got more out of it than the kids, but they’re apathetic to everything
― beamish13, Friday, 26 March 2021 18:52 (three years ago) link
Gotta say I did not expect to see much Ani love on ilm, but heartened nonetheless. I listened to her a ton in college, then fell away for a bit but have been paying more attention to her recent stuff. Hoping to get my copy this weekend.
― soaring skrrrtpeggios (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 26 March 2021 19:03 (three years ago) link
OTM but also lol at this Beatlejuice-like attempt to manifest Brad in this thread.
― Tim F, Friday, 26 March 2021 22:28 (three years ago) link
I realized that I hated my roommate 26 years ago when he asked me if I liked Annie. Me thinking Annie Lennox replied, “Oh my God I totally love her!” and then he started playing Ani Difranco… 🤢
Ani Difranco has no redeeming qualities to my ears. Sorry to those who like her but fingers on a chalkboard are more appealing than her incessant whining and dreadful stream of consciousness word vomit.
― Mbaby, Saturday, 15 April 2023 21:04 (one year ago) link