Critical Killjoy

Hi everyone! First off, thanks so much for reading this blog. People from over ten countries have been following this blog and getting in touch with me with further questions and comments. If you'd like to suggest a future blog subject or have any questions...feel free to get in touch! I greatly appreciate the time that you take to show your support and offer advice/words of encouragement. Secondly, I've been busy working on the music for the recording with my "out of town" band. Things are going great so far! As for my "hometown band," things are starting to turn the corner. Other musicians have been pulled into the picture and there seems to be a good vibe. I've also managed to write a few more songs, and I'm looking forward to working them with the band.

In this blog post, I'd like to discuss the critical voices of music. Check out the following quotes:

"I hope the four guys who make up the group, whose names don't matter, are putting money away for the future. The near future, because KISS won't be around long."  -Seattle Daily Times May 27, 1974

"If there was a conservatory in Hell, and if one of its talented students was to compose a symphony based on the story of the Seven Plagues of Egypt, and if he had written one similar to Rachmaninoff's, he would have brilliantly accomplished his task and would have delighted the inhabitants of Hell." -Cesar Cui, St. Petersburg News, March 16, 1897)

"The Beatles are not merely awful—I would consider it sacrilegious to say anything less than that they are godawful. They are so unbelievably horrible, so appallingly unmusical, so dogmatically insensitive to the magic of the art, that they qualify as crowned heads of anti-music, even as the imposter popes went down in history as 'anti-popes'." -William F. Buckley, 1964.

"The singer (Mick Jagger) will have to go; the BBC won’t like him." -First Rolling Stones manager Eric Easton

There are many more quotes such as these, that we can all shake our heads at and get a good laugh. In this day and age, with shows such as American Idol, criticism has become a driving force in the music industry. Talented individuals listen to the criticism/opinions of a mere handful of the music listening population, and allow other people to decide their fate for them. For some reason, people enjoy watching the process of killing off dreams for the sake of making the popular contestants into stars. While I agree that not everyone is cut out for performing, it makes me wonder what amazing talent and dreams were killed as a result of the nasty, critical voices of the industry. Survival of the fittest is present in nearly every  career, but why are we so quick to attack and so slow to help others achieve their goals? I often wonder what voices/bands were silenced as the result of critics and what songs we will never hear due to someone else's opinion. Critics have become the "peer pressure" of the masses. Most people tend to listen to what the critics decide is good. We are giving up our own voices and allowing someone else to decide for us. I know that there are many movies that received excellent or terrible reviews, but I have found them to be the exact opposite of the critic's view. Consider this when you purchase music. Don't be afraid to listen to the lesser known groups. Decide for yourself. Give other artists a chance and help to promote their music. The critics are merely strangers with a very loud opinion. Music will not progress naturally if the critics continue to gain strength and decide our style for us...much like the fashion industry. Decide for yourself!