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Printablesuperspaceboy said: u2prnce said: [/b]
I guess I don't agree that commercial success equals artistic death. I think their mainstream success was chosen for them by the public. They all have their fans, but the artists you mentioned were never huge. There's no shame in that. But I don't award 'cool' points for people because their appeal is more narrowly defined. Gosh, you misread everything I wrote. 
I never said commercial success equals artistic death. The artists I mentioned could have BEEN huge...I really don't think they wanted to be. If so, you don't follow up Odelay with Mutations...You don't follow up Post with Homogenic (and certainly don't follow up Vespertine with Mudulla). And good ole Ani just does as she wants. Super prolific, great music, but chooses not to go the way of the "record deal". No, I read you just fine. 
You didn't say 'artistic death', but that is along the same lines as what you're saying. You are saying that these artists were real because they didn't follow up their biggest success with something equally successful. And I'm saying that it wasn't all up to them. The public decided. Beck is the only one out of the three that's ever had anything approaching superstar success. Bjork and DiFranco are popular with some people, but imo, they could never have been huge no matter what they did. Ben Folds, whom I love, is the same way. Too idiosyncratic. | |
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u2prnce said: superspaceboy said: It's all about the money these days. If you have the money to back you up, you'll have a hit.
But there is a difference between being popular and being a force upon yourself...and when you are how does one keep that appeal yet maintain their integrity and artistic value. Many of the biggera acts today won't be around in a decade...shoo Brits is already on her way out with baby #2. I hate to say this, but P & M & MJ (perhaps springsteen) are sell outs to a degree. They all sold out with mega million contract deals. I look at some of the current artists...Beck, Bjork, and Ani DeFranco...that I feel are very artistic and are a force upon themselves. I believe they choose to push their art in a different way and they handle fame differently too. If they wanted to be huge, I think they could have been. But there is a compromise one takes when one becomes a Superstar. Were the Beatles sell-outs? What do you mean by using 'sellout' here? I couldn't disagree more. Being a niche artist is something to hide behind if you don't have the goods to be really popular.  | |
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