Greg Dulli & Mark Lanegan Talk Internet Music Writing And "Snarky Hipsterism"
In an interview with Pitchfork today, alt-rock heroes Greg and Mark spend some time talking about the genre-sweeping stable of artists at Sub Pop, often home to the both crooners' endeavors, with and sans bands, and now place of residence for the duo's rather kick-ass Gutter Twins project. Dulli takes the lead here, confessing to simply 'liking what he likes' ("I don't really associate [my preferences] with towns or movements of label"), before talking about certain sites' need to be FIRST, backlash, and be snarky. But at least he's not talking about Stereogum.
GREG DULLI: I listen to new music frequently. Jeff Klein, he plays keyboards in our group, he's like 29 or 30, he turned me on to Pitchfork and Stereogum and stuff like that. I don't really read much music stuff but I was aware of this kind of-- and I'm going to get killed for saying this-- snarky hipsterism, exclusionary thing. It's like, "We listen to bands that haven't even formed yet." That punk rock thing of trying to be cool...
OK, so maybe he is talking about Stereogum.
PITCHFORK: Well, that attitude certainly isn't anything new, it's not like the internet invented music snobbery...
GD: ...and as soon as some other dude likes what you like you can't like it anymore. You have to move to the next thing. I just think that's kind of-- and I'm not saying your site or the site you work for is like that-- but that's always a thing that repelled me. I mean I can certainly see a band like Nirvana, like when they started having to play to the kind of guys that beat them up in high school-- that was probably shocking. But you make music to move people and you don't get to pick who you move. You just don't. It's exclusionary and elitist and I just never felt that way about music, of all things. The great unifier.
At this point you realize Mark's been biting his tongue, so he finally gets to drop some knowledge...
P4K: Mark, do you have anything to add?
MARK LANEGAN: [looking at television screen] I was just thinking how big [Boston Celtics forward] Glen Davis was in college. He was humongous. They just had a picture of him in his LSU uniform.
We'll take your word on that, Mark. And also we'll take Greg's "I'm not saying your site is like that" statement to apply to us, too. Because Dulli of all folks knows, we've championed him in his many forms for as long as we've been here, and that's not changing anytime soon. We're all about the love! Unless your name is Jared Leto. There were good points raised by the Twins, though, both with respect to indie rock and basketball. And few on the internet can claim complete innocence: When it comes to band-wagons, people like being first to hop on, and subsequently first to hop off (which has become a joke all its own). So feel free to discuss, agree, or rebut -- but be nice, civil, and do not tap your latent snarky hipsterism. Let's show 'em how it's done. At least on this thread.
Posted at 2:12 PM
Tags: Afghan Whigs | Greg Dulli | Mark Lanegan | The Gutter Twins | The Twilight Singers
what I love is the fact that being pissed off about "snarky hipsterism" is the "hip" thing to do now. :)
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"what I love is the fact that being pissed off about "snarky hipsterism" is the "hip" thing to do now. :)"
No way, that was so 2007. Now we're back to "snarky = hip". Keep up with the times! :D
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For some reason, in this same interview, Lightning Bolt is spelled with an "e' numerous times. Weird. Also, regarding Lanegan, I hate when people give answers like that. If you don't want to be interviewed, don't consent to it! Props to Dulli for namedropping Cat Butt, though. I've never listened to them, but what a name.
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stereogum is so inclusive. I feel like stereogum wants to share, but Pitchfork wants to tell.
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I think that's because they both have different formats. Stereogum, who I feel are often guilty of of this kind of rampant snark and bandwagon hopping (sorry guys, I still read you every day), are a blog, whereas Pitchfork is a review site. Stereogum's basic DNA is to "show" while Pitchfork's is to "tell."
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See, I told you that everyone here kinda sucks.....
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Stereogum and Pitchfork are both shit, but I guess I'm a dungbeetle.
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Snarky?
On the internet?
You guys?
Never!
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Snarky?
On the internet?
You guys?
Never!
(See what I was doing there?)
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fucking yes. Big Baby!
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i think people need to form their own opinions and stand up to them, even when P4K or Stereogum trashes their favourite band. just because they're a music site, doesn't mean it's not just an opinion.
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I'm snarky. It's fun to be snarky. I've heard Big Baby is snarky, too.
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I'm snarky. It's fun to be snarky. I've heard Big Baby is snarky, too.
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I've always hated that attitude of, "I found them first but hate them now that they're popular," and it was around decades before the Internet.
Yes, it's nice to know about a band no one else does, to get their music cheap because they just want it out there and to have unique experiences that most people will never have; however, that doesn't make sense as they only reason to like music.
It reminds me of a song, "you're the one who made them popular... all their songs are still the same."
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i think that pretending not to like something because it's popular is significantly more lame than only liking popular things.
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Personally i love the snarky always moving on attitude of P4k et al. Helps me to find those great new sounds and I don't think the writers or the readers generally abandon those bands who grow up along the way. One should also note that some writers and reviewers (thinking of pitchfork again) use this snarkyness to reveal the brilliance of certain pop like say, Timberland, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
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P4k had a point there saying "Internet didn't invent music snobbery" but the fact is that the Internet is responsible for faster and faster ebbs and flows of music fads. As well as for a growing number of ignorant, insensitive and self-centred people on the Internet desperately trying to make names for themselves.
I don't know if you guys are like that as I'm new to the site.
To put it short-if that GD talk was any sort of controversy - which I doubt - I'm taking his side, anyway.
pzdr
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P4k had a point there saying "Internet didn't invent music snobbery" but the fact is that the Internet is responsible for faster and faster ebbs and flows of music fads. As well as for a growing number of ignorant, insensitive and self-centred people on the Internet desperately trying to make names for themselves.
I don't know if you guys are like that as I'm new to the site.
To put it short-if that GD talk was any sort of controversy - which I doubt - I'm taking his side, anyway.
pzdr
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the ebb and flow of love and hate for bands used to be seasonal or even based on a release to release basis, but still snobby and based on the first "hater." Now it's literally a weekly/monthly cycle.
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I've just noticed I wrote "Internet is responsible for Internet".
Since I mentioned ignorance... :-)
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The irony of P4K's "snarky hipsterdom" is in the fact that at least 2/3 of the new acts they (over)hype are absolute shite. They gush over their flavor of the second so much that you think you're on the cusp of a Rock Epiphany, only to click on the clip link... and be absolutely underwhelmed.
Unless P4K can bring us the next GBV, or at least exert just a little effort toward quality control, they can fuck right off.
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No one at Pitchfork is allowed to use the phrase "music snobbery."
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