Skip this if you like Kate and Tori, both

[violet@online.np1.com]

mdean@godzilla.athensnet.com (Michael W. Dean) wrote:
>There's "birds of a feather," and then there's "derivative" (not to
>mention the all-too-frequent "blatant rip-off").  The line is a
little blurry
>between those first two, hence the criticism.  Misguided as it may
sometimes
>seem, public criticism serves a good purpose in that it does in fact
weed out
>some of the snake oil salesmen.  The listening public has every right
to
>decide who they do and do not want to listen to, and criticism is a
natural
>product of this.  You cannot attempt to reach us without putting
yourself in
>our hands.  We get to reach you too, and we are under no obligation
to make
>all of our input positive.
>    On the other hand, you could choose to be true to your artistic
vision,
>whatever that may be, and simply stop giving a damn what the world
thinks.
>It is when your art becomes product, when you want us to start paying
for it,
>that we truly become involved.  We will criticize you from the wallet
at that
>point, and that's the most honest criticism there is.
>
>Mike
>



Okay, a few more thoughts now, not at all to Mike in particular, but
his post just made me decide to finally clarify my stance on
"opinions."  A few people (very few, really) made comments about the
fact that people will have opinions and I have to accept that, etc.  I
wasn't talking about people having opinions.  Of COURSE people have
the right to have opinions.  That was not my point at all.  I was
talking about my shock and disappointment at the fans of Kate and
Tori, both, who were being shallow enough to hate one or the other
simply because they sound similar.  No good reasons, no valid
opinions, no constructive criticism, just nasty barbs at the expense
of one or the other.  This, to me, is very narrow-minded.  I
understand that not everyone will think or feel the way that I do, but
personally I feel that it is ugly to rag on musicians (or artists of
any kind) who are expressing themselves.  Maybe you don't like
someone's music or art.  Hey, fine.  But there can still be respect
for the fact that the person struggled to get where they are.  I don't
believe that there is any excuse at all for plain and simple
nastiness.  At least not from the fans of two women who try very hard
to be sensitive and kind themselves.  And I also do understand (for
the couple of people who mentioned this particular defense) that
sometimes people are just goofing around or trying to get people fired
up.  Believe it or not, I can understand this.  But for the people who
are hateful and really mean it, no...I don't understand them at all.

And "derivative?"  How exactly, in this day and age, could anyone
presume to judge derivative?  As many people have been saying for a
long time now, there are only ten basic ideas and everything done is
only a re-hashing of these ideas.  Every artist has influences.  Kate
has influences.  I have been told I sound "just like Kate"
(fortunately, so far, by people that LIKE it), but I was writing and
singing my own music just this way 10 years before hearing of Kate.
Yet, people would undoubtedly hear me and call me derivative.  Believe
me, they would.  I have had people tell me that if this worries me, to
change my sound and my music completely.  Why?  I am who I am.  If I
could sound different, I would.  So I'm afraid.  As I said, I know
this is MY problem. My weakness.  And in all seriousness, it won't
actually stop me from making music.  Everyone who has ever heard my
demos has told me they would buy a CD in an instant if I put one out.
So I probably will.  So, saying that no one would ever hear my stuff
was to get across a feeling.  I mean, I found out that most of a UC
campus was passing around and copying my demo tape a few years ago, so
I have no doubt that one day it will show up on a radio show in
Phoenix and people will spend years deciphering the lyrics on a
mailing list somewhere [she says, tongue wedged in cheek].

It all boils down to this:  Katefans are some of the kindest, sweetest
people I have ever known, and I get my knickers in a twist when one or
two turn out to be thoughtless.  I just find it upsetting that they've
missed the point.  I never said that I expect people to love
everything.  But condemning something (anything!) for a
*less-than-flimsy* reason is sad.

Related story....  I was talking not too long ago to a girl who sings
with a local group and we were chatting about Kate.  I mentioned that
I really like Tori too, and asked her if she ever listened to her.
She said no, and I told her she should give her a listen, and she said
she hated Tori.  (Odd, since she'd never really listened to her.) So I
asked why she hated her.  Do you know what this girl said?  She stood
there and told me that she didn't like the way Tori sat while playing
the piano.  What?!  She discounted an entire performer for the way she
sits while playing?  This, my friends, is shallow.  And it came from a
person who herself performs wearing corsets and underwear with her
b**bs falling out while onstage.  I sometimes think that's where the
criticisms of Tori all sound like they're coming from--people who are
judging a book by its cover, without ever having really listened.  And
this same girl's boyfriend, when they asked what kind of music I sang
and I told them, told me that I couldn't sing that kind of music
because I'm not a "wispy" girl.  Hunh?  True, I don't weigh in at
85lbs, but I don't weigh 300, either!  And so what if I did?  They
told me that Kate was doing "Kate," so there's no room for anyone else
to do that genre.  This from two people who describe their music and
their act as "The Cramps." Isn't THAT already being done?  Many of you
reading this are rational human beings, but I have talked to more
people who are like this girl than you would imagine.  Do you really
wonder why I get upset at people making snap judgments?  Doesn't this
upset you?
Intelligent criticism is something else entirely.  I don't care if you
like Tori or not.  I don't care if you like Kate or not.  But if you
don't and anyone asks why, you'd better make sense.

Hoping I made sense,
Violet

P.S.  And when I said that "you are the very person I write for and I
can't reach you," I was using myself as an analogy of sorts.  I was
trying to eloquently suggest that this could also apply to Tori or
Kate or any other singer that you may have discounted.  Maybe they
wrote songs for you and you haven't heard them.  Personally, I would
just beg people to listen, REALLY listen, not just to a song on the
radio playing in the background, but l-i-s-t-e-n.  Your life could
change.  Then, we can talk. ;)

P.P.S.  Today I am an old, old girl of 33.  But I suppose I will be the
only one to celebrate "Violetmass" hunh? ;)  Crud.  Not a single party
on the moors for moi, am I right?  I just keep thinking that Jesus was
crucified at 33.  If He didn't make it, what chance do I have?  I mean,
His Dad LIKED Him, and look what happened. [Ha ha ha!]