Google, advocacy, misconception
This has nothing to do with me, other than being the transcriber of Colin Meloy's words. Without knowing it--certainly without planning it--the questions I asked him last Sunday would discredit the story our competing publication, 7, would run today. Read on.
Quoth 7's piece on the Decemberists:
A great artist needs an obsession ... Jeff Mangum has Anne Frank ... The Decemberists' Meloy has pirates, folklore, history, soldiers and old, fancified language ... One of the all-time coolest songs about pirates, "Shanty for the Arethusa," works as well today as it would in the 17th century: "Tell your daughters, do not walk the streets alone tonight."Alright, remember those bolded, blue-colored terms. For the record: Jeff Mangum is Neutral Milk Hotel -- He's the whole band. The Decemberists get compared to him non-stop, especially in indie webzines. It's an atrocious comparison. Granted: Tom Bowers, the writer of the 7 piece, only makes the implicit comparison between the two.
From our interview, now:
I only bring this up because (1) I care about music (2) I've come to care about Spokane's music scene (3) I believe the Decemberists to be the most important show coming to Spokane this winter (though Andrew Bird is also coming, and I can't WAIT for that), for the simple reason that we're finally, FINALLY, getting a zeitgeist-y indie band who are fully on the upswing. This could mean big things for (A) the national acts that play here, which would (B) at least expose more Spokane kids to a world outside metal and top 40, which would, potentially (C) create a local scene that consists of more than bands who sound like Mudvayne, more than singer/songwriters who sound like Jack Johnson/Jason Mraz.What are the big things writers get wrong about your work?
. . . Secondly: that we sing songs about pirates, which we do not. There is not a single song that involves a pirate.
Any plans to write one?
I know you hate the comparisons that get made between you guys and Neutral Milk Hotel, but you're into archetypes and collective mythos, so it's gotta be flattering to be compared to somebody who has such a . . . massive footprint in the hipster consciousness. [Jeff] Mangum is like some magnificent, absentee indie God.
No, no, no. [laughs] I am completely not into pirates. Pirates are Halloween costumes. I have no interest in them.
I'm totally flattered, I'm not angry about it. I think it tends to be, -- it ends up being a sign of lazy journalism. Letting other people do the work for you.
TO WHIT: As one of the two influential arts publications in town--who should thus be helping educate and advocate for our town and our scene--7 has written an article about a very important band that was cobbled together entirely from Google search detritus, then sprinkled with misconceptions.
How does that help us, as a community?
posted by Luke @ 11:11 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I'm speaking directly about music sections Remi. If you have a problem with my section, I'd love to hear about it, as it can only make it better. As for the cover story, you might want to email Kevin Taylor or Joel Smith about your qualms. Better yet, send a letter to the editor explaining and arguing for your points. They'd welcome that.
I wasn't criticizing 7 as a whole, I was criticizing one specific editorial choice, in music, that I took issue with, as someone attempting to advocate for the music scene.
I believe it can be better than it is -- the way Picaresque has sold in this town is proof of that -- and I believe the show deserved more play than it got. I believe, at the very least, that it should have been studiously reported.
Right, I've got to be careful about painting with broad strokes. Honestly though, you should contact them with your qualms. We don't critique our own work until it's a week out (we just had an editorial meeting yesterday for the dining issue, for ex.).
I haven't even had time to read that stuff yet. We're trying to bring a more critical approach to those meetings, but it's hard to balance really thorough critiques with all the other work we have weekly.
Point being: I WANT outside criticism. I feel like I NEED it, and I know at least, that Joel feels the same way & I suspect Kevin does as well.
So please take a little time and correspond with them, it can only help.
It sounds like being an arts publication is alot trickier than publishing mainstream news stuff, because the readers are more involved with what's being written about.
That's a very good point OMNI, and a counterintuitive one. You should talk to our theatre critic. Wowza, the smaller the community, the more rabid the arguments.
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