Line Out Music & the City at Night
The Stranger Suggests
Critics' Best Bets
Music Arts & Food
Slog
News & Arts
@SEAshowsTwitter feed of Seattle shows on sale now
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Last Night More Embarrassing Than Porn
Posted by Brendan Kiley on Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 1:03 PM
Last night, during a bout of insomnia, I was up late messing around on the web.
This morning, my wife asked if she could use my laptop to read Morning News on Slog. I said yes—but then remembered what I'd been looking at in the middle of the night. I grabbed the laptop from her hands and frantically deleted Firefox tabs.
"What, were you looking at some kind of embarrassing porn last night?" she asked.
"No, even more embarrassing," I said.
I had been looking at this:
And this:
And (God help me) this:
I'm so, so ashamed.
2
Oh come on, don't be hating on Ani. Not only is she an under-appreciated guitarist, but she's a great songwriter.
4
So from SLOG posts today I've learned that Jen Graves likes Hootie and you like Ani DeFranco. It's just... wow.
Full disclosure: there is a Natalie Imbruglia song I kind of like.
Full disclosure: there is a Natalie Imbruglia song I kind of like.
5
Ani Pros-Great guitarist, singer, and performer. Kinda hot, too!
Ani Cons-Her audience, she seems to put her politics above her art, and her audience! Seriously, ladies, men and women irritate the shit out of each other because PEOPLE irritate the shit out of each other. Its not always our fault, no matter what Ani tells you!
Ani Cons-Her audience, she seems to put her politics above her art, and her audience! Seriously, ladies, men and women irritate the shit out of each other because PEOPLE irritate the shit out of each other. Its not always our fault, no matter what Ani tells you!
6
@5 I'll give you that on the audience, of course, the same thing happens when I'd see Tori Amos live. People screeching at the top of their lungs in the middle of a song annoy the fuck out of me. Particularly when their pitch is in the pain registry.
7
@ Everybody. Obviously I don't HATE Ani DiFranco, given last night's web trolling. Still, I'm not proud.
8
@3, yes she is a great performer. When I was with one of my exes way back in 96, I saw Ani at Bumbershoot, missing the Sex Pistols in the process. Damn, the things we do for love! Ani did thank us for coming to see her instead of the Sex Pistols.
9
I'm with @2. I first saw Ani in 1992 at Winnipeg Folk Festival, and a month later in Two Harbors, MN at a folk tent, where Fargoesque hausfraus were asking why she duct-taped her fake nails on...she belligerently demo'ed why on her guitar.
10
This from the theater critic who leaves shows at intermissions or just falls asleep. You're an embarrassment to your newspaper.
11
@9 the first time I saw her was also at the WFF in 1992--and saw her a few times after that. She is playing just a 5 minute walk away from my house in December, trying to figure out whether it is worth $50+....
12
You have twelve unread messages, you rude bastard. Get in there and answer the people who took their valuable time to talk to you.
13
@5 You clearly haven't seen Ani in the last 5 years. In 2008, she just had a baby the year before and was happier than she's ever been.
16
It was the 90s. We were, all of us, mostly very stoned. She was very, very, very hot, and also a decent guitarist. Mistakes were made all around. We're right there with you, but let us never speak of this again.
17
"She seems to put her politics above her art"...uh...no.
First of all, all art is political--either it has something to say against the status quo or it's saying something that reinforces the status quo, intentional or not.
Also, are you bitter about feminism?
Liking Ani DiFranco is embarrassing? Liking a feminist artist if you're a guy is embarrassing? People who judge others' taste in music?
LAME.
First of all, all art is political--either it has something to say against the status quo or it's saying something that reinforces the status quo, intentional or not.
Also, are you bitter about feminism?
Liking Ani DiFranco is embarrassing? Liking a feminist artist if you're a guy is embarrassing? People who judge others' taste in music?
LAME.
18
I find it more embarrassing that the folks at The Stranger have to come up with "contrarian" posts to get people to visit their lame ass music blog.
19
From his own bio: "...he has worked as a child actor in New Orleans, as a member of the junior press corps at the 1988 Republican National Convention." DOUCHE. This guy is as worthless as Mudede. Even less interesting, though, if that's possible.
20
@17-Viewing art in such black and white terms is lame! Some art is completely indifferent to the status quo. There are other things to do in life than make a point.
Me, bitter about feminism? No! But I am mistrusting of most activist based politics. Most involved tend to descend into a mentality of seeing their devil pretty much everywhere they look.
As far as any Ani specific "bitterness"? I've dated a couple of Ani fans. The one I missed the Sex Pistols with was great. Then again, she hadn't heard Ani yet when we met. The other, freshly separated (but calling herself divorced just to fly back to her ex), was neurotic. She had an Ani sticker on her car. After the split I had a day of work where I had to listen to a sound engineer playing Ani, and nothing but Ani, on her iPod through the PA. I wish I could remember the exact lyrics that made me realize that being an Ani fan was pretty much a dealbreaker for dating.
So maybe I indulged in some callus stereotyping, but you, Ms. "All art is political/are you bitter about feminism", did nothing to erase any of my prejudices.
For the record, I am fully for womens equality, but I am not for any ideology that is determined to see the worst in others actions. Those who go looking for demons will usually find them.
Me, bitter about feminism? No! But I am mistrusting of most activist based politics. Most involved tend to descend into a mentality of seeing their devil pretty much everywhere they look.
As far as any Ani specific "bitterness"? I've dated a couple of Ani fans. The one I missed the Sex Pistols with was great. Then again, she hadn't heard Ani yet when we met. The other, freshly separated (but calling herself divorced just to fly back to her ex), was neurotic. She had an Ani sticker on her car. After the split I had a day of work where I had to listen to a sound engineer playing Ani, and nothing but Ani, on her iPod through the PA. I wish I could remember the exact lyrics that made me realize that being an Ani fan was pretty much a dealbreaker for dating.
So maybe I indulged in some callus stereotyping, but you, Ms. "All art is political/are you bitter about feminism", did nothing to erase any of my prejudices.
For the record, I am fully for womens equality, but I am not for any ideology that is determined to see the worst in others actions. Those who go looking for demons will usually find them.
21
You know, one of the best lines Ani ever wrote was in "I Am Not a Pretty Girl" and it was "I am not an angry girl" and something like "why is it that people always see it as my own anger and not their own fear?" I don't know anyone who consider themselves to be feminists and who go looking for demons. I mean the only people I can think of are 18 year olds who haven't completely developed their critiques yet.
It's pretty amazing that a guy would be that much of a dick though. I mean....what is embarrassing about Ani? Even 90s generation men are not there yet...anti-sexist...I'm 24 and I see a lot of the hypocrisy of that generation. I don't have any guy friends who don't like Ani. It sounds like a "dude bro" comment, some guy who listens to Dave Mathews Band and thinks he's "alternative" you know? haha when really he's working for a software company now and has middle school humor and like 50 cups of coffee everyday. Well, the point is, the joke isn't funny because it's like somebody pulling a coin out of your ear when you're in your twenties, it's just not funny- it's not "anger" E.C.
It's pretty amazing that a guy would be that much of a dick though. I mean....what is embarrassing about Ani? Even 90s generation men are not there yet...anti-sexist...I'm 24 and I see a lot of the hypocrisy of that generation. I don't have any guy friends who don't like Ani. It sounds like a "dude bro" comment, some guy who listens to Dave Mathews Band and thinks he's "alternative" you know? haha when really he's working for a software company now and has middle school humor and like 50 cups of coffee everyday. Well, the point is, the joke isn't funny because it's like somebody pulling a coin out of your ear when you're in your twenties, it's just not funny- it's not "anger" E.C.
22
You know, one of the best lines Ani ever wrote was in "I Am Not a Pretty Girl" and it was "I am not an angry girl" and something like "why is it that people always see it as my own anger and not their own fear?" I don't know anyone who consider themselves to be feminists and who go looking for demons. I mean the only people I can think of are 18 year olds who haven't completely developed their critiques yet.
It's pretty amazing that a guy would be that much of a dick though. I mean....what is embarrassing about Ani? Even 90s generation men are not there yet...anti-sexist...I'm 24 and I see a lot of the hypocrisy of that generation. I don't have any guy friends who don't like Ani. It sounds like a "dude bro" comment, some guy who listens to Dave Mathews Band and thinks he's "alternative" you know? haha when really he's working for a software company now and has middle school humor and like 50 cups of coffee everyday. Well, the point is, the joke isn't funny because it's like somebody pulling a coin out of your ear when you're in your twenties, it's just not funny- it's not "anger" E.C.
It's pretty amazing that a guy would be that much of a dick though. I mean....what is embarrassing about Ani? Even 90s generation men are not there yet...anti-sexist...I'm 24 and I see a lot of the hypocrisy of that generation. I don't have any guy friends who don't like Ani. It sounds like a "dude bro" comment, some guy who listens to Dave Mathews Band and thinks he's "alternative" you know? haha when really he's working for a software company now and has middle school humor and like 50 cups of coffee everyday. Well, the point is, the joke isn't funny because it's like somebody pulling a coin out of your ear when you're in your twenties, it's just not funny- it's not "anger" E.C.
23
it's also funny that people see Ani having a particular "ideology." No is "free from ideology" but what exactly are the commentators referring to? I mean all she does is speak her heart and mind and she is far from being a female chauvinist. Give me one example. It's just another instance in this case of men seeing something in its generality, not understanding "it"/her beliefs/art completely, as if all they are imagining is arm-pit hair and classify it as "something." It's just funny. The song 'Tis of Thee is really great about the victimology of this country, as is Napolean about ego, Joyful Girl about spirit......some people talk about artists as if one idea takes over every song because one idea is actually all THEY see (which would be sexist). It's just another example of how deep some prongs of sexism reach. It doesn't mean these people are bad, no one has to like Ani and not everyone who doesn't like Ani is a sexist, but the vague retorts are not very articulate for someone to give the commentators the benefit of the doubt.
24
As for the art and politics discussion, Adrienne Rich was right when she said "the personal is political" because of the context. The context of Rich being a poet writing intentionally specific to the female perspective was what made her art political because writing about the true female experience of sex, identity formation was against the backdrop of male domination of academia and much of american poetry as an institution in that time period, as it exists still many ways. Yeah, he's right in the sense that not all art is political and nor should it be. But the point is Ani sometimes wrote political art sometimes not but considers herself and is a political artist. What's wrong with that? Love the Sex Pistols but they didn't really have a message...nor did they aspire to. Messages are really important in an era when woman continue to be seen as pussy and not as people a lot of the time in culture. It's pretty fucked up for young girls....it's really tempting not to eat. Young girls are well aquainted with hunger as Bikini Kill sung. Ani is an icon to be passed from generation to generation. I also love Dylan and Cohen..but sometimes women have to put their music on..........not that Dylan and Cohen aren't ....it's just not the same thing as the mood that makes women list to Ani.......................K?
27
i meant above that no one lives "free from ideology" but one ideology really doesn't permeate Ani's work except "I will what I can to be free" and *sang not *sung. heh heh
Most Commented on Line Out
-
What Do You Think Of Tom Cruise's "Rockin' New Look?" by Kelly O
-
UPDATE: Bumbershoot to Skip Flatstock This Year[?] by Grant Brissey
-
chicBuds: EARO OR ZERO? by Dave Segal
-
Rob McKenna's Favorite Band Is Nickelback by Grant Brissey
-
Have You Seen This Bass? by Dave Segal
-
Ongoing List of Defunct Seattle Clubs by Grant Brissey
-
Word on the Street Is That Tonight Is Mad Rad's Last Show Ever by Grant Brissey
-
Also Tonight in Music: Avengers at Funhouse by Grant Brissey
-
Today in Funny: Hannibal Buress and Aziz Ansari by Grant Brissey
-
Today in "What Won't Henry Rollins Do?" by Grant Brissey
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (27) RSS