A Self-Important Bout of Whining

Banksy

I clearly owe this person an apology. Many of my posts are "self-important bouts of whining", but he was particularly offended by this bout about Summerfest. In an attempt to articulate my annual disappointment rather than excitement at the announcement of our state's preeminent music festival lineup, I must've recklessly portrayed myself as some sort of ignorant zealot with malicious intent... in order to so dramatically offend a local music-mind that I've never met or interacted with.

A consequence of putting ideas into a public form is that they spiral out into the universe, take on lives of their own, and spout unattended meanings. Blogs are unique because the format is inherently inane, selfish, and controversial. No format has more freedom or more reach - a potentially blasphemous combination. The manic frequency of posts is bound to include an incorrect fact or an emotion at the peak of a mood swing. But there is a Comments section for rebuttals. I even deliberately prefaced my remarks with my deep appreciation for Summerfest and brought the ideas with the opposite of mal-intent. Regardless, I misstepped and was slapped with an example how nasty the faceless internet can get.

Examples of statements I think are a bit unfair:
+ That I've self-appointed myself as "the arbiter of musical taste for everyone".
+ That I hold myself up as a "model music lover".
+ Than I think I'm in "possession of the only "proper" way to consume and enjoy music".
+ That I bear a "dreadful burden to be the keeper of the knowledge that is "the art of music"".
+ That what the post "actually says is that [my] taste and the tastes of [my] fellow indie rockers are superior to all others".
+ That I suggest that "the art of music is contingent on what is current and hip".
+ That I think I've found a "mythical "pure" form of expression and consumption of music that is unsullied by commerce".
+ That my account was "incredibly self-centered and insulting" [OK, maybe a bit self-centered with the potential to be insulting.]
+ "Thusly the post is an elaborate bout of whining about how Summerfest doesn't cater to his musical preferences" [OK, I agree with this one.]

Damn. I was just sayin is all...

Some of these insults I sip with a curious irony because I don't really consider myself to be an "indie rocker" nor am I a gang leader of any tribe of wandering teen hipsters. I don't roll up my jeans into capris or over-hype the latest trendy import on MTV2. I'm unfortunately not even particularly cool. I'm just a lonely twenty-something who likes to listen and write about music after a long day of work. I write much less about homogeneous frat-indie than many other music blogs, I work to digest songs beyond posting promotional PR, and I don't use the word "indie" as synonymous with Pitchfork's top 40. But maybe my writing paints a different and unintended picture...

I seriously apologize for what this person thinks I am and especially that I've so grossly mis-chosen my words to have misled him to feel this way. Though I stand behind my critique, it's sad that these issues can pit us against each other instead of engage us in a conversation. We seem to share some similar taste. I really enjoy his blog - there is currently a nice write-up of a gentle set by the Wailin' Jennys.

Feist - So Sorry (mp3)