Love-Hounds Digest #9.289

[henrik@husc.harvard.edu]

Re: Suggestions that the Trio Bulgarka are misused/abused, etc.

I don't know about this album, but the vocal arrangements for the trio
on the last album were done by *their* arranger.

Re: Artists and Responsibility

Vickie's diatribe about artists not trashing their own work reminded me
more than anything else of Annie Wilkes in _Misery_.  

Drukman's response reminded me of every single unsuccessful artist who
ever blamed their lack of commercial acceptance on the public (as opposed
to merely accepting the fact that they were exploring ideas that didn't
necessarily have universal appeal).

The "fan" as we know it is a peculiar entity, and the relationship between
it (or the collective "it") and the artist is equally unique.  For while
we depend on these people to be our modern patrons, giving us the money
we need to continue on our artistic journey, by virtue of the fact that
they are a collective we are freed from the responsiblity of catering to 
them as individuals.

This does not mean that an artist should not respond kindly to fans, and 
speak graciously of them.  As admirers of your work, the common bond that is
established with these people should be respected and valued.  An artist
must remember that these people are interested in "where they are coming
from" much more than label execs and accountants will ever be.

Likewise, fans should remember that artists are people like themselves.
Artists have bad days, slough off once in a while, occasionally feel
writer's block, or merely need some privacy once in a while.  They have
put their work into the public eye, and let it be criticized.  They have
not put themselves there, per se.  If they have opinions the fan may not like
(even about their own art) there is no earthly reason that as humans 
they are not entitled to it.

Perhaps the only thing more infuriating than Vickie's insistence that 
artists should not criticize their own work (for fear of hurting fans'
feelings) was George Michael's blatant disregard for his fans when he
has said in interviews that he is not appreciated as a serious artist, and
explained how people should interpret his work.  Sorry, George, once it's
out there it's up to them how they react to it.

Most important, though, is that the artist is a single person reacting
to a collective entity (the fans).  None of us, regardless of whether we
have met our idols or not, are anything more than a jutting piece of
protoplasm, a pseudopod of the whole.  Whether Ms. Bush would recognize
us getting off an airplane or not, we're just fans.  To think that one
has significantly more relevance in the life of the artist (save if one
is a close personal friend of the artist - one who might ring them up
a couple of times a month just to gossip, is someone they call in the
middle of the night when they're having a crisis, etc.) borders on
psychosis.

					larry...