taste-makers etc

(from Facebook)

Stephen Graham Interesting article here.

http://robotsdancingalone.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/tastemaker-critics-in-web-2-0-environments/

Tastemaker Critics in Web 2.0 Environments « Robots Dancing Alone

robotsdancingalone.wordpress.com

Everett True over at Electrical Storm asked me to do a joint article on this topic. As neither of us could quite work out how we would go about this, I wrote something on his suggestion, sent it to him, and am posting it here. It’s a little autobiographical, for which I do apologise.

Yesterday at 08:58 · Comment ·  · Share

David Whitelock 

Not sure If I fully agree, the critic wishes he was the artist and very few critics have become great artistes. The critic’s only parallel with the artist is his need to satisfy his egos desire for acceptance and approval… oh and to scrape a living.

As a formal (unsuccessful) taste maker myself; much of what the critic says is often transient and finite. I often agree with the notion that “opinions are like assholes, everyone has one” and like a dog we need to need to find the one that smells to our liking. Once we find that asshole we become content with that asshole until another more inviting one comes along. The problem with blogging is that we have too may assholes outpouring puerile opinion that has no foundation and our senses have become numbed by a haze of diatribe. This new Web 2 world of critical exchange is very near to disappearing up its own asshole. Yes we need critics but not everyone that has a blog is a critic. A real critic needs a pedigree, a decent pair of ears and some relevant context from which to spout their opinion based on what is real and not what is conjecture. The real artists aim is to engage and challenge their audience and the critic as an alleged guardian of taste passes on his thoughts in what should be a captivating piece of copy. That’s all I have ever looked for but now that we can access our music so quickly and readily through vessels like lastfm, spotify, imesh, p2p etc the importance of the critics has lessened as has their impact. Captivating copy is difficult to find on many blogs and why is this? Is it because blogs are self regulating with no language filter like that provided by the role of the editor or sub-editor?

I am reminded by a great quote of Henry Millers that reminds me off why I never pursued my career as a journalist …on top of the many drunken brawls I had with clueless idiots that dared challenge MY AUTHORITY. Glad I aint that guy anymore.

Music is a beautiful opiate, if you don't take it too seriously.
Henry Miller

Yesterday at 16:17 ·