Why don't music critics have to be nice?

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As opposed to people in general, why is it okay for critics not to be nice?

― Amity (Amity), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Perhaps people who aren't usually nice in their day-to-day lives just happen to be drawn to the profession. Makes sense, no?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, so fuck you.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:17 (twenty-two years ago)

can't you just pretend to be nice? could you at least pretend to be nice? if you could just pretend to be nice everything in my life would be alright

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Time for me to rewrite that Tugboat review.

"Whinging git. No stars."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I think music critics are nice, given the circumstances.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:25 (twenty-two years ago)

you forgot to mention the josie & the pussycats influence

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:25 (twenty-two years ago)

damn crosspost

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:25 (twenty-two years ago)

which ones aren't nice? apart from ned.

― mullygrubber (gaz), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Tico speaks wisdom. There is so much one *could* say about so much...but who has the time? (Sterling I think captured this well when I asked him once about how it seemed he had no bad words to say for anything when he noted he just didn't want to talk about the things he didn't like much.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

steven wells isn't nice

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm nicer in reviews than anywhere else.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Why don't bailiffs have to be nice?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Now all I can think of is Night Court, thanks.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Why don't musicians have to be nice?

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Like critics, they just don't give a fuuuuuck

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Because you're supposed to be CRITICAL. That's a joke question, right?!

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

At first, critics aren't "nice" because they're supposed to be telling you about a record without a bias, and shouldn't feel any particular need to pull punches. Later, they just get jaded and forget that they ever listened to music for reasons other than being critical and making lists. ;)

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Only unsuccessful musicans are not nice.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 16 January 2004 01:55 (twenty-two years ago)

colin OTM.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

People in general aren't really all that nice.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"Being nice" and being an effective and convincing critic of ANYthing (not just music) are pretty much at odds.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

The critics would become advocates if they weren't crotchy old bastards, like Ned.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't trust nice people. You never know what they're going to do.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:38 (twenty-two years ago)

of course critics have to be nice. the major labels like friendly adcopy.

― jack cole (jackcole), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:41 (twenty-two years ago)

The critics would become advocates if they weren't crotchy old bastards, like Ned.

You kids today with your hula hoops and mp3 players.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

And segways, don't forget the segways.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 16 January 2004 02:53 (twenty-two years ago)

of course critics have to be nice. the major labels like friendly adcopy.

yeah, really. the only really cranky critics are on the internet cuz they do it for free. In the mag/newspaper world you'd think every record was "not as consistent as their previous efforts".

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:07 (twenty-two years ago)

If you ask me, critics are too damn nice! grrrrr...

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not all that nice. I usually just try to pitch stuff I like.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Friday, 16 January 2004 03:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I think we need a ruthless pop culture jihad and I suspect being nice would get in the way of that. :-)

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Friday, 16 January 2004 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Nice?

"Serious" music journalists are usually too embittered about their failing life to be nice. Fact!

― tdk, Friday, 16 January 2004 09:41 (twenty-two years ago)

"Opinion" not "fact."

Music critics are generally nice people. We listen to all the terrible CDs which come our way so that you don't have to, and proclaim the worth of good CDs so that you don't feel you've wasted your £15 in buying them. We are only seen to stop being "nice" when, as happens from time to time, our opinions do not match those of the reader. The trick is for the alert reader to recognise the particular biases of each critic and read/interpret accordingly. We of course assume that diehard fans will buy an act's CDs anyway, regardless of what we say about them.

― Phoebe Dinsmore, Friday, 16 January 2004 10:04 (twenty-two years ago)

we don't have to be nice because it's in the contract.

― M Matos (M Matos), Friday, 16 January 2004 11:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I wonder who invented the idea of that awful Q&A/interview attachment now seemingly mandatory for every lead review (and therefore ensuring that said review has by default to be positive, because by interviewing the subject it becomes just another promotional tool, another item on the checklist - that is unless you're Jonesy and have just gone off Ryan Adams in a big way...).

― Phoebe Dinsmore, Friday, 16 January 2004 11:35 (twenty-two years ago)

It's more fun being nasty.

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Friday, 16 January 2004 11:38 (twenty-two years ago)

And it gets you laid more.

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Friday, 16 January 2004 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

As a general rule of life, you might be right there - then again, I am the exception which proves the rule, i.e. music critic calls musician God, music critic ends up living with musician heheh.

― Phoebe Dinsmore, Friday, 16 January 2004 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Sadly I'm not gay and neither is Mark Hollis.

― Llahtuos Kcin (Nick Southall), Friday, 16 January 2004 11:56 (twenty-two years ago)

At least in part because some readers are looking for a guide to what it's currently cool to sneer at. There will always be people prepared to answer that need by pretending to know.

― ArfArf, Friday, 16 January 2004 12:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not all that nice. I usually just try to pitch stuff I like.

I can't remember the last time I wrote a negative review. Most of the places I write for have sort of ridiculous pitching processes, and so I'm much less inclined to champion a review of an album I didn't care for than I would be for a record I like, or at least found to have some merit.
So whenever I decide, "no more mr. nice guy, I"m gonna rip somebody apart!" I usually lost interest pretty fast. I think I did most of my ripping in my early 20s and have grown sorta tired of it.

So, in a way, a non-review is a negative review. From me.

― Luigi Vampa (Horace Mann), Friday, 16 January 2004 15:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Because they occasionally, in the course of their duties, have to talk to and socialise with musicians, and they're assholes

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 16 January 2004 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

musicians are assholes?

― Luigi Vampa (Horace Mann), Friday, 16 January 2004 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

...only if they have any talent

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 16 January 2004 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

People are rarely nice when talking about music, or art in general. When they are, they're dullsville.

― Jazzbo (jmcgaw), Friday, 16 January 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I would disagree with Jazzbo here. I think that critics can be nice without crossing the frontier of Dullsville if they are given the space to do so. The trouble is, they rarely are as they rarely call the shots. Usually, a critic is writing his or her review in a publication where they are vying for space with other critics writing about a large range of music. They are constrained by this space and so often have to sum up their thoughts in a space too small to say, "Well, I like x about this, but this is greatly overshadowed by the fact that I really, really dislike y". They cannot act like a teacher describing an underperforming schoolkid on Parents' Evening, emphasising the strengths to begin with before going on to describe the weaknesses. they have to describe the y without bothering with the x. This is one reason why, say, NYLPM tends to be a more balanced and interesting read than the NME.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 16 January 2004 22:32 (twenty-two years ago)

the space constraint affects how 'nice' the critic seems in other ways as well. A critic given carte blanche to write what they want without having to worry about wordcount will draw in examples from outside music that are relevant which may serve to cushion their bluntness or at least explain *why* they are being nasty e.g. this songwriter is poor coz they nicked all their ideas from a certain book or film.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 16 January 2004 22:38 (twenty-two years ago)

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