« Borrowing versus Stealing | Main | list.in.to.chicago this week: 12.01.2008 »

November 27, 2008

Great Moments in Music Criticism

I think this has made the Internet rounds already, but the first paragraph of Chuck Klosterman's review of Chinese Democracy for the Onion AV Club bears repeating:

Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I've been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I've thought about this record more than I've thought about China, and maybe as much as I've thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can't psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.

Heh heh. Unicorns.

Comments

Post a comment
Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember info?



in this section:

list.in.to.chicago
(updated every Monday)

sign up!

Name

E-mail

what is l.i.t.c.?

* * *

CD COLLECTION

COZ MUSIC

* * *

FRANK ZAPPA

KING CRIMSON

* * *

AND MORE COMING SOON SOMETIME BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER!

recent entries in MUSIC

list.in.to.chicago this week: 07.27.2015
posted to newsletter
July 28, 2015

list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.22.2015
posted to newsletter
June 23, 2015

list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.08.2015
posted to newsletter
June 9, 2015

list.in.to.chicago this week: 06.01.2015
posted to newsletter
June 1, 2015

list.in.to.chicago this week: 05.25.2015
posted to newsletter
May 26, 2015

archives by month

favorite music sites:

credits

Powered by
Movable Type 3.34