Kill Your Idols – “A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics.” A collection of all negative reviews!
Welcome to Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics, a collection of thirty-four essays in which each writer addresses an allegedly “great” album that he or she despises. If we want to be high-minded about it, we can call it a spirited assault on a pantheon that has been foisted upon us, or a defiant rejection of the hegemonic view of rock history espoused by the critics who preceded us. If we want to use the vernacular, let’s just say it’s a loud, angry, but hopefully amusing “Fuck you.” — Jim DeRogatis, from the Forward
Available in June, 2004. Pre-order from Amazon.
I’ld like to write a book called “Kill all the mother fuckin’ rock critics and shove em in an oven and burn there damn corpses so theres nothing left to hate”. There is no scum worse than a rock critic. Those that compose/perform music are artists, those that enjoy music are fans, those that are jealous because the can’t be god damn rockstars themselves are rock critics.
Technically, if you have ever heard a record you didn’t like and articulated why, doesn’t that make you a critic? Or is it just the ones that get paid for it that are scum. While the Who and Beach Boys, among others, always seemed overrated to me, i can’t fathom not liking Sgt. Pepper (maybe thnking it overrated, ok, but hating it?) or the Joshua Tree, or even Exodus. But maybe the whole point of the “exercise” is the indefensible argument. Anyway, it is an interesting concept and vive le diffrence, as they say.
how about “kill all rock critic critics?”
Sounds like a good read. No doubt I’ll feel a pang when they rip into ‘Imperial Bedroom’ and ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’, tho.
There’s nothing wrong with hearing a little dissent – if they’re full of shit it’ll be glaringly self-evident.
If they’re right…gulp!
Sounds like it will be pretty amusing. I personally get tired of being essentially required to like crap like The Sex Pistols in order to be an “authentic” music fan.
But I’m sure some of it will hit home when they start slamming stuff like OK Computer.