[NewMusic] Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh

[David Slusser]

Are you trying to get a rise out of me?
Does association with the PornOrchestra
sully my reputation as a perfect gentleman?
I only come for the music (which was
exemplary at our last ATA show).

Writing about music is a vain exercise
in both senses of the word.  The "moronic
clatter" in this instance belonged instead
to the reviewer.  When people see themselves
as critics, do they feel the obligation to
criticize?  I prefer simple reportage, and if
the writer is informed, then informed
analysis.  Point of view (also called bias)
is inevitable in reportage, but at least takes
a back seat to getting the facts straight.

Criticism, though, is much more entertaining
(see Slonimsky's Lexicon of Musical Invective).
What's bothersome is how media conglomerates
have co-opted some of these people into cultural
arbiters.

On Dec 5, 2007, at 8:32 AM, Sarah - 21 Grand wrote:
> Well, I'm sure Mr. Slusser would appreciate that the first results  
> in a
> google search for the writer's name yielded an actress that had  
> appeared in
> videos produced by Playboy, but I doubt that is our gal.
>
> She appears to be a UK based writer, fairly young, or young to  
> writing (as I
> can't find many publication credits to her name) based in the UK  
> with more
> of a background in pop/rock music.
>
> Reading the full review, it does seem that the writer had set  
> perceptions or
> expectations, and the review seemed a bit unsure of itself.
>
> Now Mr. Zelner, since you brought it up, you get to come up with the
> promotional pull quotes you do so well!
>
> sl
>>
>> Message: 4
>> Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 14:55:09 -0800
>> From: weasel walter <weaselw at juno.com>
>> Subject: Re: [NewMusic] Perfume of a Critic's Burning Flesh
>> To: newmusic at music.mills.edu
>> Cc: newmusic at music.mills.edu
>> Message-ID: <20071204.150155.4100.134.weaselw at juno.com>
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>>
>>> It's credited to a Jennifer Allan.
>>
>> when people write reviews like she's written for my group,  
>> honestly the
>> first thing i think is "where is this person coming from?" i can't  
>> decide
>> if she's a rock person who hates improvisation or an improvisation  
>> person
>> who hates me personally, or . . . the review seems more about her  
>> complex
>> expectations about my band rather than the music.