RIGHT????? I could go on at great length about that essay. Beyond that countless sentiments therein seem like something I could have (and in some cases, have) written myself, and that he's an astonishingly talented and incisive writer imo, I was also astonished to learn Folie A Deux was critically panned (?!?!?) and also hated by the fans.
I already knew a lot of people didn't like anything AFTER Folie A Deux, and I guess I've seen some people say they liked everything before it and not it, but s_c and I started with FOB's most recent albums and have been working backward from there, and Folie A Deux is my very favorite. I like it considerably better than their previous albums so far (not that I've had much chance to listen to the earlier ones; we just got them), and although there are some really amazing songs on their most recent albums, Folie A Deux has a passion and burst of creativity and all-in feeling that are the qualities that imo come together to make something extraordinary.
I CAN'T BELIEVE critics, at least, wouldn't have liked it, because (okay, the lyrics are pretty bad in some places; I saw Wentz say he was on drugs while writing, and alas, it shows) the music, the arrangements, the performances, the production, and especially the vocal lines and Patrick Stump's delivery, seem to me the making of an album that'll go down in history as one of the greats--truly, one of the best records of all time. In fact, until I read this essay, as I listened along, I fully assumed the only reason it didn't get massive radio play was because they use off-color language/concepts so freely.
But of course it seems almost universally true that the greatest art is unappreciated when first shared with the public, even if that's cold comfort. Still though, going to his show to hate? Paying for a freakin' ticket just to tell someone they suck??? Wtf?! Plus, people really need to get over this notion that people who've had a hit are billionaires. Maybe once upon a time, but nowadays even a pretty successful band often only makes a slightly-better-than-decent living.
I think a big part of the hate problem is the modern age, how artists can be in direct contact with their fans, whereas in the old days, it was possible to remain somewhat shielded from what people were saying about you. I'm not sure ANYONE can take the kind of abuse public figures are subjected to so frequently. I so don't have what it takes to live that kind of life, either! How, indeed, would you keep loving it?
And ... I did go on at great length about that essay. tl;dr--yes, I totally agree! :-) <3 <3 Thanks for reading and commenting, bb. I'm so glad you enjoyed that essay as much as I did! I admire and appreciate his raw honesty; that's my favorite, when someone does that. When YOU do it, too! Maybe I've been doing a little too much of that myself, lately, but I guess I feel like if I so value it in others, I should try to offer the same.
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I already knew a lot of people didn't like anything AFTER Folie A Deux, and I guess I've seen some people say they liked everything before it and not it, but s_c and I started with FOB's most recent albums and have been working backward from there, and Folie A Deux is my very favorite. I like it considerably better than their previous albums so far (not that I've had much chance to listen to the earlier ones; we just got them), and although there are some really amazing songs on their most recent albums, Folie A Deux has a passion and burst of creativity and all-in feeling that are the qualities that imo come together to make something extraordinary.
I CAN'T BELIEVE critics, at least, wouldn't have liked it, because (okay, the lyrics are pretty bad in some places; I saw Wentz say he was on drugs while writing, and alas, it shows) the music, the arrangements, the performances, the production, and especially the vocal lines and Patrick Stump's delivery, seem to me the making of an album that'll go down in history as one of the greats--truly, one of the best records of all time. In fact, until I read this essay, as I listened along, I fully assumed the only reason it didn't get massive radio play was because they use off-color language/concepts so freely.
But of course it seems almost universally true that the greatest art is unappreciated when first shared with the public, even if that's cold comfort. Still though, going to his show to hate? Paying for a freakin' ticket just to tell someone they suck??? Wtf?! Plus, people really need to get over this notion that people who've had a hit are billionaires. Maybe once upon a time, but nowadays even a pretty successful band often only makes a slightly-better-than-decent living.
I think a big part of the hate problem is the modern age, how artists can be in direct contact with their fans, whereas in the old days, it was possible to remain somewhat shielded from what people were saying about you. I'm not sure ANYONE can take the kind of abuse public figures are subjected to so frequently. I so don't have what it takes to live that kind of life, either! How, indeed, would you keep loving it?
And ... I did go on at great length about that essay. tl;dr--yes, I totally agree! :-) <3 <3 Thanks for reading and commenting, bb. I'm so glad you enjoyed that essay as much as I did! I admire and appreciate his raw honesty; that's my favorite, when someone does that. When YOU do it, too! Maybe I've been doing a little too much of that myself, lately, but I guess I feel like if I so value it in others, I should try to offer the same.