ON MUSIC WRITERS AND WRITING

Current mood: I WANT 200 WORDS ON MY DESK BY 9AM!!!!
Category: I WANT 200 WORDS ON MY DESK BY 9AM!!!! Music

One of the most interesting aspects to this Mark E Smith book Renegade is his continual discussion of writing, music writing, writers, lyric writing, the classic writers, the lack of reading in todays lazy world and so on...

Yes boss, it soon becomes clear that Mr Smith see's little distinction in the classification between any kind of writing other than it being either good or bad.

A writer is a writer is a writer - whether they be doing poetry or pay the rent journalism.

This is the kind of classification I like to see, however, given my current preoccupation, I was particularly interested to find the Smith opinion on music writers and music writing in general.

I was far from disappointed.


'They don't read enough if you ask me. Writers should read, and I know for a fact that all too many of them don't - they get their qualifications, fuck off travelling for a bit, return to London, get a job in the media and don't bother to put any more ideas inside their heads other than the two or three they picked up at university. I'm not talking about striving to be an intellectual - they don't even have any historical perspective on anything. It's one long Friday night to them. Or if not that, then you sit down with journalists or so-called far out types in London and they'll be saying, 'Oh yes, you won't believe the way the wife breasfeeds!' and I'm thinking, 'Alright - good for you!' They have fuck-all interesting to say for themselves.'


Smith is bang on.

The problem with most music writing is it's COMPLETELY FUCKING DULL AND COMPLETELY FUCKING FORMULAIC!!!

Yes boss, it's mostly written by folk who go through this classic and apparently quintessential progression.

STEP 1: Write for fanzines and student papers as a teenager (and now blogs and websites)

STEP 2: Go to university (continue step 1)

STEP 3: Get your journalism degree and get a staff writers job at one of the big music mags

STEP 4: When you can afford to - move into freelancing

STEP 5: Start writing books whilst still freelancing

STEP 6: If you're still the right side of rehab, start doing these 100 Best Manchester Bands Ever programs where you drone on about what you like and dislike...


Of course that all sounds peachy, but this regularity of life means most music writers simply don't have any serious stories or experience in which to place either individual bands or the importance and place of art and music within life.

No boss, they haven't lived in the real world in any meaningful sense, they've not worked endless shitty jobs. They only socialise with media types, musicians and other writers.

They have nothing important to say and very little experience of the world outside their own narrow and rather surreal bubble of endless free whoopsies (SPONSORED BY VODAFONE) and LOUD SOUND!!!!!

It's a diet of 12 gigs a week - not because that's important, or helps in understanding music, art, life or culture, but because it keeps them IN and on the scene and well loaded up on whatever drugs and or drinks they like....

It's a schedule I can't keep...

No boss, I struggle to go to more than 2 gigs in a week at the best of times - as important and good as it is, there's other things to do and take care of in life than LIVE fucking music (unless of course you're a musician).


So, I guess what I'm driving at here is that since starting as The Official Paul Giovanni £rd to Paul Giovanni £rd, I've mostly found the whole process of music journalism to be completely flawed and I loose more interest in the whole discipline by the day...

I find there are several basic problems.

The first is that music writing shouldn't be necessary and more often than not becomes empty fart gas to plug ropey acts and sell bad records.

Yes boss, if a band or acts ethos, influence and ideology isn't clear in the music then the band is generally shit!!

There is of course a desire on all our parts, to know more of the people behind the music - I'm a sucker for it. But I find the best interviews come from those who spend the whole thing avoiding and dodging the questions about their real and personal lives, rather than those who do the Dave Gahan therapy via the music press thing.

Sometimes I think about interviewing a legend like Mr Smith or Billy Childish or Bill Drummond, but I soon realise I have nothing much to ask them - I'd sit there and look at them and they'd sit there and look at me.

Deep down, I know I'd be doing it to try and get close to them, and get some tips on the way to go with my own creativity - not because I want to ask them questions or flatter their egos.


Another key problem with music writing and/or any kind of journalism is that it leaves no room for artistic development - in fact it stunts it.

Yes boss, regular music writing is a 9-5 job, the same as being a Sales Manager for British Telecom is.

It's not a creative pursuit - it's an office job.

Since I've been music writing, I've found I read less and less, and am aware that if I keep it going, I'll create a big wall between myself and my own creativity.

Thus far, because I've done a blog and not been externally edited, I've been able to write with freedom which has allowed some creativity - but over time I figure even that will become distant.


Another big issue with music writing is it takes no account of time - it's run by record scheduling and deadlines that have no relevance to the quality of a sound or a lyrical sentiment...

Yes boss, time is the test of real good music, so how can good and well worked reviews, bungled together in between hangovers on 'one long Friday night' be of any real worth?!?

In all honesty, I can't remember one album review that stands up as a piece of writing apart from maybe 2 or 3 of my own.


As a result of this, I find I like very few music writers as writers.

People keep telling me I have to read Lester Bangs, but so far I haven't read him at all.

Paul Morley is often interesting, but I don't own any of his work or read it like the bible.

With Paul, I can't help but think he'd have been better off pursuing music or a proper writing career, rather than bogging himself down in this endless revisionism of past glories. These documentaries and books about Joy Division are doing my head in. I preferred it when he was allegedly writing slogans for Frankie Goes To Hollywood or making sounds with The Art Of Noise.


So, a year and a half in, my basic conclusion with music writing is that it's a PR add-on and that's therefore how I now ply it.

I write to either hype or inform about the bands I like in order to try and help them raise their profile or write badly of (or not at all) about those I don't in order to denigrate and stunt theirs.


For me, music writing has been a stepping stone - a casual fling to use and abuse in order to regain control and confidence of my writing, a way to evaluate just how far I am down the written road and to unearth areas in which I need to improve upon, before undertaking another more serious project.

It's been very good for me. It's sped up my game, put me in touch with readers and taught me some more of the basics, but I shouldn't have thought I'll be doing it for too very much longer

In fact I think I've already stopped...