He uses the word “hater” often, and sometimes in a positive context. Star seems to view hate as a kind of natural energy (perhaps like the Freudian id) that can be channeled for constructive purposes. In his view, an “Objective hater” is potentially a person of great purpose and passion.
Who would think that an odious radio personality and I would see so eye to eye?I have full-time hater in that about section for a reason. There are no sacred cows here. If I don’t like it, I’ll say so. The time I got into “trouble” I’m always alluding to had to do with my version of Man Man Show # 875, I got a friendly phone call from Ryan MM saying, “you’re so off blah blah no groupies blah blah.” My response was basically: “eh…I don’t really care. Last time I checked, I wasn’t writing for you.” And he was on my shit list for months, but naturally it blew over and throughout I still loved the band.
This is a personal blog on whatever the hell I feel like, bought and maintained by yours truly. Some days I’ll talk about music, some days nightlife, some days why I’m mad, others why gender relations can be such a pill. It’s been fun making blog friends and getting links and shit, but at end of the day, I’m happier telling you what parties I went to, why that venue/DJ/music was shit, and what some idiot had to say on the street…or not for that matter. Along with what I read on the web that was totally insipid. (Though hey, I’m a teddy bear. I’m definitely a happy-go-lucky sort in real life — if by happy go lucky we mean not scowling…that much and even known to laugh.) Despite that, I believe it’s important for there to be a certain degree of armchair criticism because the danger of mindless fawning and lip service is everpresent.
The way I look at it, I’ve got nothing to lose. I’m not an actual music critic — aspiring or otherwise — so I don’t have to worry about stepping on toes and blocking my career trajectory. So, it’s easy for me to say for example: my thought on M.I.A. is that Nelly Furtado owes her an ass-kicking for stealing her shtick and therefore, ruining her career — and I don’t even like Nelly Furtado; I’m so bored with the “ohmigod, it’s Black Sabbath and Jay-Z on the same song/I totally put America and Mobb Deep back to back, I’m such a great DJ!” bullshit because you obviously aren’t. Did you see that? You know, the crowd stopping the movement thing? That means you just failed your DJ test; and I think that blogs consisting of childish potshots at those who express even the mildest nonplus and insecure proclamations of greatness are shit and no matter how much cold fire they send my way, it’s not going to change that fact anytime soon (aww…I was on a roll, I couldn’t help myself). But naturally, all things are subjective.
There’s shit stirring for the purpose of being a blowhard and there’s having an honest to goodness dissenting opinion. I don’t need to throw my weight around like 300 lb gorilla because my blog (and the blogosphere in general) only has my attention when frankly, I’m sitting around with nothing else better to do. Still, I am a little bit disgusted how the arena of whatever this loose collection of blogs around the music critic print folks is has developed into sycophancy. And THAT’s what I was getting at in the original post that set it all off. Too bad some folks got selective vision and want to turn it all about them once it starts to process in the ego. I was being mildly provocative while venting my frustrations. There’s not enough honest dialogue around. Everyone’s worrying about stepping on toes and/or getting in good with the “powers that be” (says who?). I miss the days when I followed a link and started reading a blog because it was funny and fresh with a clear voice. Nowadays, everyone’s an ultra sensitive junior editor in chief.
Perhaps there’s nothing to be done about it. Perhaps it’s growing pains as O-Dub says. I think it’s fair to say that blog beefing or whatever is one of the most colossal wastes of time since…erm, message board beefing, I suppose. Part of taking responsibility for your words is knowing that everyone doesn’t have to care about them. We’ve all got our little slivers in this pie and at the end of the day I’m not trying to be anything but me and my disjointed, flightly self, you know? But I pay my $x.xx a month to do as I please.