Re: joan jett's letter to rolling stone
HELL, yeah. Did they have the common decency to actually publish this kick in the nads, or is it circulating by other means? There is no difference between Rolling Stone and People. How many years since it's actually been a music magazine? Wm. Crump
From: skip Heller <velaires@earthlink.net>
This has been floating around for the last few days and I can't help thinking it's a great letter.
An open letter to Rolling Stone by Joan Jett I tried to find some cleverly worded way to express my disgust with your "Women in Rock" issue, but what I have to say is really quite simple: You guys are completely retarded.
HI, This is indeed a fine letter, no doubt, full of real rage coming from someone who really has the right to talk like that. However, I can't help feeling surprised by people who read/pay attention to these magazines and are still shocked by seeing Britney or Shakira taking up "their place" on the cover. I mean, is someone really taking Rolling Stone seriously here? This kind of complaint sounds to me a bit like a cliché at this point and really hoping to read an in-depth article on John Zorn in Downbeat, for instance, is pretty absurd. Maybe his name will appear every once in a while, but feeling outraged because the writer didn't even try to scratch the surface is pointless. And I'd like to say "Only more serious mags like The Wire cover this kind of stuff" but I'd be also naïve, mainly because they're clever enough to dedicate one cover to Keiji Haino, another to Radiohead's Thom Yorke, another to Richard Hell and Björk in the following issue. They also want to sell and make ends meet. Trusting Rolling Stone's love of music or their criteria is too utopic for me. And of course, Britney doesn't rock at all and anyone with a bit of common sense knows that, but a lavish cleavage DOES sell magazines. Is that so surprising? Best, Efrén del VAlle n.p: Albert Ayler: "Lörrach, Paris" (hathut) _______________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger Nueva versión: Webcam, voz, y mucho más ¡Gratis! Descárgalo ya desde http://messenger.yahoo.es
This kind of complaint sounds to me a bit like a cliché at this point and really hoping to read an in-depth article on John Zorn in Downbeat, for instance, is pretty absurd. Maybe his name will appear every once in a while, but feeling outraged because the writer didn't even try to scratch the surface is pointless.
It's ironic that you should mention that...I heard the name John Zorn and then I saw the article in Jazz Times juxtaposing the two "leaders" of modern jazz: Zorn and Wynton Marsalis. Marsalis came out as a big asshole--claiming that it ain't jazz if it ain't got [his] swing--in the article whereas Zorn sounded pretty cool. The gold plated trumpet set against Zorn's beat up horn in a rat hole of a case said it best. That solidified my interest in Zorn (and my distaste for Marsalis), no turning back now. Though, I will concede that the article was far from in-depth, but it was more than adequate for a newbie. Honestly, do you think a Zorn list subscriber will learn all that much from a magazine interview/article about the man? Zach
It's ironic that you should mention that...I heard the name John Zorn and then I saw the article in Jazz Times juxtaposing the two "leaders" of modern jazz: Zorn and Wynton Marsalis.
When I made the comment I had exactly that article in mind. The fact of confronting such different personalities and musical expressions seems to me stupid. I can't remember feeling really impressed by the article, btw. So putting leaders between quotation marks was really appropiate in this case.
Honestly, do you think a Zorn list subscriber will learn all that much from a magazine interview/article about the man?
It depends on who's writing the article or making the interview. It goes without saying that I've learnt and keep on learning a lot on the z-list (I've just read Skip's reply to my previous e-mail in which he mentions two records I didn't know and I feel could be really interesting to me, for instance). But I do miss "professional" writing on Zorn's output and aesthetics. It's obvious that a relatively lengthy article on a regular magazine wouldn't be enough to cover all the directions that Zorn has taken in so many years. Perhaps a book would provide the adequate space. With regards to interviews, I'd also like to read more "Zorn on Zorn" because I've never been able to understand his approach or at least I have my own perception, which could be totally wrong. Best, Efrén del Valle _______________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger Nueva versión: Webcam, voz, y mucho más ¡Gratis! Descárgalo ya desde http://messenger.yahoo.es
participants (3)
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Efrén del Valle -
William Crump -
Zachary Steiner