Counter-Currents
Steve Albini, back when he was interesting.
2,281 words
Back in the late 1980s, when Republican strategist Lee Atwater made a grand public display of posturing as a blues musician, musicians rightly recoiled and said that he was way out of his element.
However, I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a musician, many of whom seem to have trouble wiping themselves and tying their own shoelaces, who didn’t act as if they were qualified to endlessly opine about politics and the way the world should be run.
To read this, get behind our Paywall
7 comments
Jim, have you ever thought about doing an essay on Frank Zappa? Frank made monkeys out of Congress years ago. He was a true musical genius. Especially his early years.
I seem to think that you’re a fan as you’ve mentioned him a few times before in some of your previous essays.
I liked the first three Mothers albums (in descending order—”Freak Out!” is the best) but strongly dislike his solo stuff.
Except for “Freak Out!,” I’d rather hear him talk than play music. And yes, he was masterful at the PMRC hearings.
I really like this article. Mr. Goad has written funnier pieces and he’s written more important pieces, I think. I still think it’s tops.
I’m not sure why, but this article stands out. I’ve never heard of this Albini, and yet I’ll count myself lucky if I never hear about him again. THAT is powerful writing.
Talented and gifted comedian Jimmy Kimmel who apparently has a TV show that some people watch on purpose has explained for us that the dislike of shockingly phony and thoroughly repugnant Kamala Harris is due to racism and sexism.
This article reminded me of the hearings on the PMRC and evil messages in music that took place back in the 80s. Frank Zappa did a good job of sounding articulate and reasonable, although some of his statements were over the top and melodramatic. Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame, however, made a fool out of himself and tossed his 80s hair around like a self-righteous queef.
Anyway, I personally don’t mind speculating on the motives behind Albini’s apparent change of heart. I think the critics who say he is struggling to stay relevant are correct. Here’s why: I’ve read interviews with him before. He is a fairly intelligent person who (at least in the old days) came across as a natural non-conformist and certainly not one to simply spout off bromides as a substitute for profundity. More importantly, no person who is seriously cerebral and contemplative and actually ponders important philosophical questions comes to the conclusion that wokeness/globohomo is the correct position to have. People parrot the party line because they are too dumb to know better or they know it is going to advance their lives/careers in some way. I don’t think Albini is dumb. I’d be interested to see what he has to say publicly about Peter Sotos now.
I liked Big Black back in the day when I was in my late teens, and, as you pointed out, I appreciated him for what I thought him to be back then; a bit of a non-conformist and in particular, a musical non-conformist which I most likely considered myself to be as well.
After all, he did make a big deal out of “Whitehouse”, which is a little bit too much even for the staunchest contrarian. What I don’t understand is, why a 60 year old man would bother after all this time, when those that know his history wouldn’t be bothered either, nor indeed give a sheet. Has he got another Plant and Page deal in the works?
Mmmm. Peter Sotos too.
I’ve been a big fan of Steve Albini for years, both for his production aesthetic as well as the music with Big Black, Rapeman and Shellac. Unfortunately, he is another in a long line of artists for whom I have no desire to hear speak about anything except for the art itself.
I’ve had to teach my daughter that if she likes a musician or artist that the best thing for her is to simply enjoy the art for what it is and make no attempt to learn more about the personal opinions of the artist as it’s the quickest way to lose all respect for them.
If you have Paywall access,
simply login first to see your comment auto-approved.
Note on comments privacy & moderation
Your email is never published nor shared.
Comments are moderated. If you don't see your comment, please be patient. If approved, it will appear here soon. Do not post your comment a second time.