On Sun, 9 Mar 1997, Ben Coffer wrote:
quoted 8 lines Look mate, you're welcome to say u2 deserves to be on idm, but you're>
> Look mate, you're welcome to say u2 deserves to be on idm, but you're
> very likely to find a great number of people not interested in talking
> about u2, i'm afraid. Talk all you want, but very few are going to
> join in, other than to argue whether they are or aren't idm. There must
> be a u2 fan list somewhere i'm sure, join that, you'll ultimately
> feel better, and more at home.
>
While all will agree that this point has probably been beat to death, I'd
like to post my response to all this nonsense. Although it is true that
most of "us" on this list do not believe U2 to be idm, whether we do or
not isn't the point of the list. Instead, as mentioned by others before
me in much more eloquent ways, the point is to have intelligent
discussions on the music we all love. Who cares if U2 simply sound like
their producer? Despite the fact that many high-browed recipients of
this list believe that U2's albums are simply the workings of creative
producers, at least some of the music (and much more likely most) is
theirs. So what if they borrow from the innovators? There has not been
a single album in the past few years that cannot claim influence from
some previous artist, and this, as much as we may deny it, includes
all the beloved artists "we" hold dear.
Part of what attracts me to this list is the diversity of
opinion. Some hold that anything with guitar is not idm, some hold that
vocals disqualify it, and others say anything goes. To me, whatever
music stirs my soul is idm. Many of the albums recipients of this list
acclaim as breathtaking and soul-moving I find cold and unfeeling. The
same works for albums I love and which others do not. To me, any
song in the hands of a creative musician is idm, as long as the
tune connects with me. The artist may not give a damn about the song and
only want royalties, but I don't care. Who here has not thought that
Aphex is sometimes just having a laugh with his fans? This doesn't
disqualify him as idm ... just as blatant commercialism should not
either. This is an unfortunate fact which should make most of us
uncomfortable. But anyway you take it, beautiful music can come from the
most questionable origins.
This letter rambled horribly - probably without a point. Pardon me
if you felt your time wasted on it. But if you don't agree with its
content, try real hard next time you buy any album to understand its
creator's intentions. I guarantee it is impossible. We don't know them
because we don't make the music. We only interpret it. And it
interprets for each of us in different ways. Oh well, sorry for
repeating what has already been written many different times and ways.
J