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The Separation of Art and Artist

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Not that it matters in today's political climate and economic crisis, but a few days ago, President Obama reiterated that he thinks Kanye West is a jackass, this time on the record. But an important thing to note is that he was initially complimenting West on being “very talented,” an important nuance found in the way we all develop our music tastes. I know there are millions of fans who would agree on the “very talented” part, he does sell records after all, yet I also have a feeling that a good chunk of those same fans would readily agree to the “jackass” comment as well. The music is what matters most to many of us, personal conduct and compatible personalities be damned. I can enjoy the work of all sorts of people, even the occasional jackass, loudmouth, or jerk. It's the age old separation of art & artist, the mythical line between what someone does and who someone is. By now, we've all decided where that line stands. Every Twitter outburst, political statement, TMZ arrest and media controversy poses a question to every fan: Is this enough to ruin their music for me? Speaking for myself, if I were to remove all the destabilizing elements from my music library, it would be cut in half. And that's just because the personal conduct of the other half is a big question mark. The truth is that everyone – whether they be Eric Clapton or The Arcade Fire or Smashing Pumpkins – has been personally unlikeable at one point or another. It's a reminder that everyone has the potential to be the worst, and it's an exercise in accepting the complexity of human nature. No one is defined by a single (or even a couple) of acts, and everyone is unlikable to someone, somewhere. We learn to respect the line in order to hold onto our tastes and our enjoyment. We have an opinion on the art, and an opinion on the artist, and never the twain shall meet. But some people really like to push it. Creative people can afford to be disasters. They're not policemen or politicians. It doesn't matter, really, if we're talking about music or comedy or film. Human nightmares are abounds everywhere, and some of them are even really talented. If your enjoyment is not tied to any personal fantasy about what a great buddy an artist would be, then in a coldly pragmatic way, it's illogical to cast off an creator for their personal conduct. It's illogical, but also very tempting, and purely human to do so. Despite the presence of that specific angle of reasoning, it's important to know when to drop the line. At some point, in moments so outrageous, it's important as a social function to let people know that there are consequences to how they use their public influence and image. Few people get by on purely talent alone, and in worst case scenarios, society will let their public figures know when the weight of their skill is overpowered by the weight of their unlikeability. It's important as a watchdog functionality to reward goodness and punish badness. Of course, things get even hairier when we're talking about separations within art itself – “I like this voice, or this beat, or this production, but boy do I hate the very idea of this song.” We saw a lot of this reconciling in the blogosphere last year when everyone tried to rationalize their personal politics with their fandom of the shock-jock style antics of Odd Future. It takes some mental agility, but it's not impossible, and certainly not uncommon. But it presents an even tougher, more nuanced approach to where to place the line: how do you articulate that you don't like what a song represents, but really like the song? Is that just the permeating seductiveness of pop music? There's never a broad one-size-fits-all answer to these kind of things. The line and separation are different for everyone's comfort and sensibilities. Sometimes it's an extreme zig zag, or a wild scribble. Every new outburst or controversy or statement that makes waves reminds me of the old adage, “Never meet your heroes.” It's better to maintain a non-image of a person, or an idealized one, than to have it utterly trounced.

Be sure to check out:

VSQ Performs Arcade Fire Available at iTunes and Amazon

The String Quartet Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins

Available now at iTunes and Amazon

The String Quartet Tribute to Eric Clapton

Available now at iTunes and Amazon

The String Quartet Tribute to Kanye West

Available now at iTunes and Amazon

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Artists on Twitter

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Who could have foreseen the explosion of Twitter? Somehow, the combination of bare bones, bite-sized text, supreme mobility and the chronological feed format made it an infectious and easy stand-in for blogging and social media. In just a few years, it's changed the way we interact online, in politics, entertainment and music. The stranger phenomenon is that some people can be “good” at Twitter – there are personalities out there who understand what it's best for, and subsequently grow an audience of people eager to hear what drips from their brain. The ones who don't take advantage of this intimate and accessible medium are those who let their PR teams run their feeds for announcements and news. The best ones are genuinely entertaining, and lead to a stronger sense of fandom because they not only like the music you produce, but they are intrigued by you as a personality. With so many accounts, real and fake to slog through, these are my broad recommendations for Twitter (other than @vitaminrecords). A non-specific #FollowFriday, if you will.
  • @Questlove - From the world famous The Roots, Twitter has been a venue for ?uestlove to put his tremendous music knowledge to use. As an added bonus, it's been the source of controversy for NBC, wherein he has inadvertently caused a stir with backstage pictures or unfortunate intro songs as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's bandleader.
  • @Trent_Reznor - Now that he's won an Oscar and is a big name in film soundtracks, he's officially a big shot in modern music and therefore, any peek into his brain is interesting. Although he's quit Twitter more than once out of online negativity (he's just like us!) he still appears every once in a while to promote something or clue in fans to his latest goings-on.
  • @Colinmeloy - Considering how literate The Decemberists are, it's no surprise that frontman Colin Meloy is entertaining in small bites of text. And man, he Tweets a lot. About politics, typefaces, music, pretty much any fully formed thought – which, I guess, is what the medium has always intended.
  • @Mountain_Goats - John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats, it turns out, is really funny. His feed is often more akin to a stand-up comedian's than a poetic songwriter's. An apt sample: “On your deathbed, you will not say: 'I wish I'd spent more time talking about social media.'”
  • @KanyeWest - When Kanye first joined Twitter, it was as close as the young site had come to An Event. And for a while, it was glorious and funny, intentional or not. He's gone away for the most part, but he does come back every few months to tweet a rambling 30 page essay that will make your phone supernova.

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Reviews They Probably Regret

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Music criticism is difficult. It can be hard to have a solid, journalistic opinion on every piece of new music and feel out a rating based on that opinion. Then, they have to convince people that their feeling is more than just a relative, subjective opinion, but that it contains factual authority about the album's failures and accomplishments. The worst case scenario for many critics is that their panning or praising of an album is looked at as not just an outlier, but illogically wrong-headed. It's a risk with every review. Now that we understand that good music criticism is a difficult job, let's take a look at its most delicious failures. These are reviews on albums that went against the grain in the worst way, likely causing some palms to meet foreheads in hindsight. Unfortunateley, there's no sweeping under rugs, because the internet is forever. Weezer's album Pinkerton is rightly considered a '90s alternative classic. While it wasn't a financial success right out of the gate, it had the right critical reception from most outlets at the time. Except Rolling Stone, who gave it a middling 3 out of 5 stars, which is as useful as Rolling Stone saying “This sure is music.” The text of the review cites aimless songwriting and a juvenile point of view as faults in the overall mixed evaluation. What makes this a gaffe is the attempt to correct things in hindsight. In 2004, the album was re-reviewed with a perfect 5 stars, and the 2009 deluxe reissue was awarded 4 ½ stars. Then there's Daft Punk's Discovery and Pitchfork's 6.4 review. Kanye's use of Daft Punk on “Stronger” just kicked into high gear what was already happening: a lateral shift of pop music towards club-centric house beats, which Daft Punk demonstrated to be their strong suit. So if something had such an impact, how do you give it 64 points out of a possible 100? First, by complaining about the lyrics. In hindsight, reviewer and Pitchfork owner Ryan Schreiber admitted to being wrong and falling in love with the album later on in the summer. These days, it's frequently listed as one of the best albums of its decade. While those two focus on classics being downplayed, there's also something to say about loving a universally reviled album. This was the case with Chris Cornell's Scream, a Timbaland-produced pop album from the Soundgarden frontman. It was so thoroughly disliked that even his friend Trent Reznor had to say something. Over at Entertainment Weekly, they loved it enough to give it an astounding B+ grade. That wouldn't be so bad, as having enthusiasm for something that no one else likes is admirable for its positivity. But the language of the praise – saying Cornell almost succeeds at creating his own Thriller – is a little bit out there. It's hard to imagine the connections one has to make in order to listen to Scream and think, “This is almost as good as Michael Jackson's best work.”

Vitamin String Quartet Performs Weezer's Pinkerton Available at iTunes and Amazon

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Beaucoup de VSQ Available now at iTunes and Amazon

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Lessons Learned: 2011

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I learned a lot this past year. For example, did you know that Nicolas Cage could have been Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings? Crazy. But for more substantial learnings about life, let's turn to this year's music, and what it told us along the way. 1. Surprise People. 2011 in music was a year of surprises and generally stepping out of one's comfort zone. Usually this was in the form of collaborations – Kanye West reached out to reigning indie king Bon Iver, and Jack White worked with Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert and even the Insane Clown Posse just to screw with you. Sometimes it came out as wild ideas like The Flaming Lips producing a 24-hour song. Certainly, stepping out of your comfort zone doesn't always produce fantastic results, but sometimes the act itself is all the incentive you need. As the saying goes, the only reward of the easy path is that it's easy. 2. Two Great Tastes Don't Always Taste Great Together. Metallica and Lou Reed taught me that you can't just smash two things together and hope for the best. In the event that you do decide to smash two wildly disparate things together, avoid the hubris of talking it up in interviews. Do not, in any situation, tell people that this is the best you've ever been, especially if both of you happen to be legends in your respective field. I know I said surprise people – but do it in a way that is self-aware of the surprise, either with humor or humbleness. 3. If You're Amazing, You Will Last Forever In 2011, everything old is new again. It seems like every year, high quality box sets and reissues of classic material ramp up, and this was no exception. Whether it was The Smiths, U2's Achtung Baby or the mythological Beach Boys' Smile, there were enticing pieces of music history given new life in today's market. Maybe you lived through their heyday, or maybe it's all new to you. The lesson here is that the past doesn't quit, and that there will always be value in yesterday's best. 4. Know When, and How, to Quit. This year saw the end of Rilo Kiley, R.E.M. and LCD Soundsystem. Each had at least a healthy amount of success, especially R.E.M., so it's not like we didn't get to enjoy them while they were around. But things happen, and there's no shame in quitting. It's just a matter of how it ends. For Rilo Kiley, it was an ugly dissolution of relationships described as “deception, disloyalty and greed.” For LCD Soundsystem, it was a case of going out on top, and they did it in supreme fashion with a sold out Madison Square Garden. As the year ends, you'll be reflecting and evaluating how it went, and what emotion you want to attach to its passing. Here's hoping your year warrants more of a last hurrah than a quiet fade out.

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Predicting The 54th Grammys

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It wasn't too long ago that the nominees for the 54th Grammys were announced, and it looks like a crowded field out there. In the interest of blogging, here's a look at the four big categories, the nominees, and a measured estimate of who's taking home the gold. Song Of The Year Nominees: Adele – Rolling in the Deep, Kanye West – All Of The Lights, Bruno Mars – Grenade, Bon Iver – Holocene, Mumford & Sons – The Cave. If we're talking about impact and having an amazing year, it's hard to imagine any other song getting this honor besides Adele's “Rolling in the Deep.” It's been everywhere with good reason. I can see Kanye's hook-laden “All Of The Lights” getting a win, and Bon Iver is the unpredictable indie longshot, but Adele seems like the safest bet. Bruno Mars and Mumford & Sons have relatively young careers that probably haven't begotten their biggest work. Record of the Year Nominees: Adele – Rolling in the Deep, Bon Iver – Holocene, Bruno Mars – Grenade, Mumford & Sons – The Cave, Katy Perry – Firework. The key difference between this category and the previous one is that this is dedicated to the overall recording process of a single track, so the award goes not just to the songwriter, but the performer, producer, engineer and mixer. With that said, I'm most impressed by Bon Iver's “Holocene.” It's an elegant, moving production that invokes gravity better than “The Cave.” So that's my pick. But, as anyone who has ever liked music knows, the Grammys can be a little weird in their actual awarding. If the Academy is being the Academy, I can imagine Bruno Mars and all the shiny frills of “Grenade” getting the nod. Best New Artist Nominees: The Band Perry, Bon Iver, J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Skrillex What a diverse category. Last year, when Arcade Fire won Album of the Year, there was a portion of the listening populace that thought their win was more of a recognition of their classic album “Funeral” than a statement on the quality of “The Suburbs.” If Bon Iver wins this category, I think the same idea applies, as his real breakout was 2008's “For Emma, Forever Ago.” The Band Perry just seems to be the dark horse candidate that can very possibly take it home. The “wouldn't it be crazy if?” option is Skrillex and his brand of dubstep dissonance. Album of the Year Nominees: Adele – 21, Foo Fighters – Wasting Light, Bruno Mars – Doo Wops and Hooligans, Lady Gaga – Born This Way, Rihanna – Loud. The Foo Fighters might come away with the delayed recognition for their body of work, the way Scorcese never got his Oscar until 2006, but in my gut it feels like a toss-up between Adele and Lady Gaga. Both performers have won the year in terms of pop culture pervasiveness, but as you know, the Grammys can be weird. None of the nominees are set to frustrate young people (see 2008's Herbie Hancock win) so whoever ends up with the big one is going to have a ton of supporters.

Be sure to check out:

Vitamin String Quartet Performs Adele Available at iTunes and Amazon

Vitamin String Quartet Performs Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1 Available at iTunes and Amazon

Vitamin String Quartet Performs Lady Gaga Available at iTunes and Amazon

Shape and Colour of My Heart: The String Quartet Tribute to Foo Fighters Available at iTunes and Amazon

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Music Executive Buys Full Page NY Times Ad Slamming Grammys

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Music executive, Steve Stoute, bought out a full page ad in the NY Times last week to write an open letter to Grammy officials and voters about this year’s unsatisfactory ceremony. He not only openly ripped on the organization’s choices for their award recipients, but also discouragingly pointed out that the organizers have lost their touch with society. The angry executive, who is currently CEO of the marketing company Translation, was livid that the Grammys overtly snubbed Eminem and Justin Bieber this year, as well as doing the same in previous years against artists like Kanye West. Stoute noted, “Over the course of my 20-year history as an executive in the music business and as the owner of a firm that specializes in in-culture advertising, I have come to the conclusion that the Grammy Awards have clearly lost touch with contemporary popular culture. Unfortunately, the awards show has become a series of hypocrisies and contradictions, leaving me to question why any contemporary popular artist would even participate." Eminem, this year's leading contender with nominations, lost in most of the major categories for which he was nominated. Two-time nominee Bieber went home empty-handed and disappointed, a surprise to many. "We must acknowledge the massive cultural impact of Eminem and Kanye West and how their music is shaping, influencing and defining the voice of a generation," Stoute wrote. When referring to Bieber’s loss, he wrote, "How is it that Justin Bieber, an artist that defines what it means to be a modern artist, did not win Best New Artist?" Stoute even went so far as to make a connection between performers and winners, citing Arcade Fire's surprise album of the year win just after they had finished their performance. "Does the Grammys intentionally use artists for their celebrity, popularity, and cultural appeal when they already know the winners and then program a show against this expectation?" The Recording Academy has made no response, to Stoute’s message; The full letter can be read at here.

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Kanye West Reveals G.O.O.D. Fridays

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Self-prescribed genius Kanye West has announced that his record label G.O.O.D. music will be releasing a song a week, each Friday, for the rest of the year. At this point there’s 17 Fridays left in the year, so one would expect the same number of songs. Two songs have already been released, Beyonce featuring “See Me Now” and a remix of “Power” by John Mayer. Kanye’s reasoning in this release project is that (what else?) the game is changing. The artist wrote on his Twitter, “We look at the game completely different now. It’s about the fans. No more holding back.” The songs to be released are expected to be a mix of collaborations, covers, and remixes, with the occasional new track thrown in. One such remix expected is a previously confirmed track of pre-teen heartthrob Justin Bieber’s track “Runaway Love.” Keep an eye on Kanye’s twitter each week for more songs. Here are the first two songs in streaming form: Recommended Listening:

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Kanye West and Suge Knight Set for Court on December 6

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I’m not saying that I support violence. I think if we lived in the kind of world where people didn’t find it necessary to start shooting at each other like a bunch of toddlers with toy guns in night clubs, then we’d all be better off. All I’m saying is that if you are going to start getting trigger happy on each other (this means you, famous music types with a penchant for guns, booze and having no damn common sense), at least have the integrity to really stick to tradition. Because tradition says that if someone shoots you in the leg in a Miami night club, then you shoot them in the leg back a few weeks later. Again, I don’t support this. I really don’t. But this is kinda the problem I have with the whole Kanye West/Suge Knight incident. I’ll explain. Back in 2005, Suge Knight was hanging out at a party Kanye West was throwing at the Shore Club in Miami, when BAM! Shot in the leg. So instead of getting all ‘street justice’ on the situation, Suge decided to act like a grown up at take Kanye to court and sue him for inadequate security to the tune of $1 million. (I suppose he could’ve sued the guy who shot him, but I’m guessing he doesn’t have the same, ahem, assets at West.) I guess it’s a good thing that they’re handling this situation like adults. Sure, it was more like watching a suspenseful action movie back in the days when hip-hop shootings meant impending retaliation and ongoing intrigue…but when I say those days were more “interesting,” I’m making light of a time that was actually quite dark. The fact that Suge Knight decided to respond to being shot in the leg (which is really enough to piss anyone off) with a lawsuit instead of a bullet brawl is something of a pleasant indicator that things are being handled a little differently these days. After all this time, a court date has finally been set. Knight and West will square off in a Miami courtroom on December 6, 2010. Marc Brumer, Knight’s attorney, says that in addition to the $1 million, his client will be seeking repayment for a claimed $200,000 in medical bills, as well as the loss of a $135,000 earring.

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