Re: people opinion of people

["Tony K" <bigtony@softhome.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Travis Hartnett" <tiktok@sprintmail.com>


> Didn't the musician-who-was-criticized request "brutal honesty" in the 
> feedback?

Yep, I did.  And that's what I expected.  I didn't take it as bad 
criticism. 
I look at it as another take on what I did.  I want to know how people 
reacted to it.  Can I make it better, what did you like, what didn't you? 
As I said before, no reaction means no interest.  Asking other musicians 
for 
critiques has different expectations from asking your mom, or a music 
critic, or the dog.  I don't think we can really help making comments 
about 
how WE would make something different to please our own sensibilities.  
Good 
or bad, that is the way of it.  I asked loopers/ambient/soundscape artists 
for their feelings about my loopy/soundscape art, and got what I expected. 
Had I posted it to the mixmasters list where we talk about recording 
techniques and mixing, I'd expected to have gotten reponses about how I 
overdrove the input and cause clipping and distortion.


> When you ask for that from strangers, you might get something that's a 
> little heavy on the "brutal" aspect, although I don't remember the 
> response that triggered all this to having been brutal or cruel.  It may 
> have been unfounded or inconsiderate, or it may have just been an honest 
> opinion.  I haven't gotten the impression that the recipient is weeping 
>in 
> his room, forever scarred by what's been said.

Ha!  Not hardly. I'm my own worst critic.  I'm still perpetually 
fascinated 
that others like my work.


> When you decide to take your music out before the public, that's the 
>risk 
> you take.  Some people will tell you it sucks and that you suck, some 
>will 
> jeer openly or write Pitchfork-eque review and some may be so put off by 
> it they won't even say anything for seven months.  As a public musician 
> one needs to have thicker skin then the average person. Much thicker.  
>If 
> I had a nickel for every demo or booking letter that I've sent out which 
> never garnered any response despite multiple follow ups, I'd be a rich 
> man.

I've played music (or well, at least attempted) since I was 8.  Yeah, 
thick 
skin comes with the territory.  I'm still nervous about putting myself up 
for discussion, but how else will I get feedback?  I do find the variety 
of 
reactions really interesting.  It just shows the range of interests of the 
people in the group.

And I will happily throw more stuff out there for anybody to listen to and 
comment on.

Tony