Grimes/Claire Boucher thread

idk man you are moving the goalposts here i'm just trying to keep up

Like I have *no f'in idea* how I would address climate change if I were an artist (I probably wouldn't even try); but I don't get the "This ain't it, chief" response to an admittedly sketchy-sounding approach from an artist whom I would think deserves the benefit of the doubt (and who hasn't even released the album yet)... and even if it's a failure, at least she, like, did what an artist does(?)

What's the worst that happens -- it "backfires," and she sucks impressionable youth into sincerely identifying w/the villain schitck? What's the chance of that? Doesn't everyone hate her now; and isn't that her point about it being freeing, and trying to spin something productive out of all the negativity being directed at her?

(And the only goalposts I lay down were to point out that she seems to have embraced a somewhat complex p.o.v. when exploring "issues" in the past; which is why it seems odd to me for supposed fans of her to say, "UH-UH, CAN'T HAVE THAT" when she does it again now.)

lol this thread is the most overblown bs ever. As far as I can tell, she's creating and expressing, attempting to live her life on her terms, and actually attempting somewhat unique musical/lyrical themes within the context of mainstream music. If this is what gets ILM worked up these days (as opposed to shit in the past like "$90k + bennies") things have gone soft.

Maybe Whiney can make another ridiculous comments poll sourcing this thread.

I think the criticism leveled at her is that she just uses the news cycle for the promotion of her brand by doing and saying whack stuff, it worked ever since the hilarious story of the raft down the Mississippi and since there's been countless ways in which she finds herself making the headlines, sometimes good, sometimes bad. The environmental angle is just the latest and since it touches a difficult subject, some of the audience is questioning her sincerity.

It is not a big deal imo but it does exemplify a certain precarity lots of artist finds themselves with having to promote themselves and exist on a saturated market...

Brings to mind Dave Chappelle's skit about needing Ja Rule to make sense of a tragedy.

Elon Musk : Grimes :: Billy McFarland : Ja Rule

It checks out.

climate change : Grimes :: ground beef : Taco Bell

I think the criticism leveled at her is that she just uses the news cycle for the promotion of her brand by doing and saying whack stuff, it worked ever since the hilarious story of the raft down the Mississippi and since there's been countless ways in which she finds herself making the headlines, sometimes good, sometimes bad. The environmental angle is just the latest and since it touches a difficult subject, some of the audience is questioning her sincerity.

Seems to me that the torrent of criticism makes it all the most "interesting" that she's not playing it safe... diving into a difficult subject, via a weird/offputting approach, may express more "sincerity" (which is a tricky concept anyway for an artist) than if she backpedaled; and it also seems riskier as a commercial/PR move. But then I tend to take artists at face value when they talk about their work -- even when they're promoting an album -- which I know may be naive.

“I worked my whole fucking life for this and now everyone thinks I’m so stupid. I was just sitting there incredulous watching my life’s work go down the drain.”

^I thought this was a remarkable quote; you don't normally hear an interview subject express something like this, in such plain terms.

I don't look to Grimes for politics - her music to me has a strong sense of unreality to me, and I think she's just crafting a public persona. Like, visually, she's always heavily made up and costumed. It's a good defense for a slightly built, attractive young women, 'cos there are always guys who will creep on you if you just look like someone ordinary that might reciprocate their feelings. It's a way of maintaining privacy and keeping over-zealous fans at a distance.

Okay I'm going to skip that last comment (as should all of ILM in my view) and just note in an xxxxxxxxp sort of way that the last thing anyone on this website needs is another Whiney comments poll
(That said if he takes the bait I'd love to see my name up in lights)

her music does have a strong sense of unreality

FWIW dating Elon Musk is a major “$90k plus bennies” move

also agree that she is (continually) constructing a public persona while at the same time trying to maintain privacy and keep over-zealous fans at a distance

i think a lot of ppl on twitter and some of the more twitter-brained ppl on here felt v betrayed by her dating Elon musk and go kinda ott with reading stuff into these quotes, seem to see this stuff in the context of an internet culture war

Grimes, please release new music and save me from this fucking thead.

it's not even that I have criticisms, and I actually really like most of her new music, it's just that she's one interview away from revealing she was actually tara gilesbie of "my immortal"

like

Dark is going to be my main alter ego,” she says. “It’s visually the best thing I’ve ever come up with. Everyone is very tired of me making metal and screamo and stuff, so that can just be Dark.”

I was walking outside Hogwarts. It was snowing and raining so there was no sun, which I was very happy about. A lot of preps stared at me. I put up my middle finger at them.

lol otm

musk: i got u a gift..
grimes: is this... an invader zim hoodie?!?!
elon: :)
grimes: this is so fucking EPIC

— eric curtin (@_ericcurtin) May 23, 2018

I guess I read "I like artists that are willing to use themselves as battering rams to explore controversial and provocative ideas - how that process plays out in public is what's interesting to me, not the ideas themselves necessarily." as something Chuck Klosterman said about The Real Housewives. I'm also just giving you a hard time.

― Fictitious Business Name: (Sufjan Grafton)

don't blow my cover..

Yes but is unreality the same thing as unrealiti? Discuss.

https://i.redd.it/a7c286pgdps21.jpg

I have not read the rest of the answers yet, but this struck me:

What's the worst that happens -- it "backfires," and she sucks impressionable youth into sincerely identifying w/the villain schitck? What's the chance of that? Doesn't everyone hate her now; and isn't that her point about it being freeing, and trying to spin something productive out of all the negativity being directed at her?

This was explored much more successfully in the early 1940s by a man that was much smarter than myself. He called it L’Étranger. Other very smart people have written classic songs about this.

Grimes needs to brush up on her history, I reckon.

Back to the rest of the replies now. . .

. . .and, upon doing so, I guess my main thing is, this is egregiously terrible:

Dark is going to be my main alter ego,” she says. “It’s visually the best thing I’ve ever come up with. Everyone is very tired of me making metal and screamo and stuff, so that can just be Dark.”

For many reasons. Yes, I'm deeply and personally by her words here. No, I would not like to discuss it.

Discontinuing my interest in her music was a wise decision; that is abundantly clear now.

bc it's corny or... some other reason? that seems like a pretty dramatic response to that quote.

He doesn’t want to discuss it!!

In my personal life I do this too. If someone does something corny or embarrassing I take it as a personal attack and remove them from my life. And when questioned I solemnly tell them I don’t want to talk about it.

Hi Treesh,

The reason I am not willing to discuss it any further is because, as a person living with a Dissociative Personality Disorder, it is discouraging to see people flippantly use this as a means for "art." The way my brain adapted to handle my father's intense physical and psychological abuse when I was five years old created Andy. Andy makes music for therapy now.

It's all indicative of the terrifying and reprehensible recent sway towards the glamourization of serious mental illness. If Claire would truly like to draw attention to things she feels need some, she would do so in a respectful and provocative way; as opposed to just being provocative for the sake of being so. She would like my attention very much.

But that will never happen because she is a speaker, not a listener.

If she would like to continue to play with her "alter-egos" that everyone "hates", she is welcome to do so. If she would like to trade places and incur the trauma that I did, so her art is more vivid and legit, she is more than welcome to. I hope she likes being locked alone in dark basements for days at a time, with random unexplained beatings inflicted upon her.

For the record, I do not want anyone to experience what I have. Thanks for reading.🙂

with all due respect "alter egos" used in music are common and are generally not a reference to dissociative personality disorder or other mental illnesses

yeah, i didn't even think of dissociative identity disorder at all when i read that statement from grimes. it's about performance. i understand if it is triggering for you though austin and have full sympathy for that

yes i should state that i am in full agreement with treeship's last statement

I am not looking for sympathy. Andy is about to finish his solo album and I'm fucking excited for it.

However, making statements like:

Everyone is very tired of me making metal and screamo and stuff, so that can just be Dark.

Is exceedingly irresponsible. There are several valid perspectives on why; I will just go with this one: tumblr kids are v impressionable.

right there with you Austin, well put

"everyone is tired of me making metal and screamo and stuff" seems kinda overstated when she's released like... two tracks total that are even adjacent to that ("scream" and "we appreciate power")

have we forgotten the suicide squad soundtrack so soon?

lol she was on the suicide squad soundtrack?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OXor30_XZMY

also her collab with poppy

I haven't heard any of her collaborations, but she also did stuffwith Bring Me to the Horizon and the guy from Mindless Self Indulgence.

feel like it's hard to top Microsoft's artistic contribution to this subject matter https://twitter.com/tayandyou

Pretty Dark isn’t a bad song.

https://i.imgur.com/r3noYkL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6AkZvj8.jpg

you have to admit this absolutely shits on wahlberg's normie efforts

Words to live by.

at this point i can't tell how much of that is like 'in character' or not

Using regiment to mean regimen is just one of those things that really pisses me off.

Eheh, that is "American Psycho" level freaky (not the psycho killer part, eh) !

I don't believe her about the surgery

assume the whole thing is just trolling right?