John Darnielle writes about the fatally self-destructive temptation for artists to respond to bad reviews online:
| …if you’re smart, you’ll realize that the best way to preserve your honor is to keep your mouth shut and let others share their opinions of your work. They don’t like it? They hate it, and want to say so publicly? Well! Welcome to public life! If you don’t like it, there are plenty of dishwashing jobs available! If you’re all that angry, arrange for your label not to send them promos in the future. But pissing matches with the guy who wrote the review? Ones in which, God save us all, the dreaded “that’s only your opinion!” last-gasp-of-a-defense card is played? Can we just not, please? Can we be a little more grown-up about things? |
And while we’re reading Mr. Mountain Goats, check out this posting which explains why the Mountain Goats are more like Bruce Springsteen than you ever imagined possible. (Via Largehearted Boy)
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