That’s a really nice song. I hate to admit it, but Ryan Adams is one of those performers I’ve been ignoring simply because of the way people rave about him. I guess that’s a bit contrarian, but having listened to that mp3 (along with a few other songs of his I’ve heard in passing), I think I might have to buy some of his material now.

Thanks for pushing me over the edge.

I’m curious to read his response. I like Ryan Adams, though that comes with an asterisk. I sometimes think he needs an editor. (He sort of reminds me of the Anne Rice of song writers, without the vampires of course.) His song writing is good, but sometimes there is just too much to know where to start or what to appreciate.

If you do like Adams, I would suggest seeking out some Whiskeytown albums, especially Stranger’s Almanac and Pnuemonia. It’s early Adams, before he went solo, and it’s great.

I can’t vouch for his entire oeuvre, Howard, but I do like what I’ve heard.

Claire, I think that most people would agree that Adams needs an editor.

Tending more towards, say, the Modernist poets than the Beats, I would have expected myself to agree with your point. But something about the highly derisive communal response to Adams’ comments on Stereogum bothered me. Maybe it was simply the sight of so many people telling someone else what he should and shouldn’t create. Or, perhaps I’m just feeling so creatively dry myself that I find it hard to condemn Adams’ prolificacy.

For what it’s worth, this was the comment I left on the Stereogum post:

There is a reason why many artists profess that they don’t read the critics. Criticism can be stifling to the creation of art, and it is, in some ways, antithetical to it. And while I don’t think it’s good for artists to exist in enclosed bubbles of praise, it’s not necessarily healthy for them to be steeped in the words of their critics, either.

Inspiration comes and goes, and one might as well run with it while one has it.

I totally agree with you Matt. Those places tend to be really negative holes. And it’s not criticism that is happening (at least criticism at a higher level), it’s just petty meanness. I think jealousy. It’s hard to strike a balance between surrounding yourself in yes men and relating to your community or audience.

Also, part of my trepidation about Adams comes from anectdotes about his “bad boy” reputation. I had heard he would show up drunk and belligerent to concerts. That pisses me off, because it doesn’t show any respect for your audience. I saw him recently on Austin City Limits and he was great. Maybe he really is trying to clean up his act, or he’s just maturing. I hope so, because he is a great songwriter.

I think that Adams boy is a damned genius. I probably have more songs of his on my iPod than anyone else but Dylan and Springsteen and the Stones. But I once saw him in Hamburg, and after a blistering opening - ‘Nobody’s Girl’ - he faded away over the next two hours, starting songs like ‘My Sweet Caroline,’ (if that’s the title) and then stopping and going onto something else. Because of the way people code boots of his shows, I have about 20 songs titled ‘Banter.’ It’s his between-song talking. A mix-tape of just Banters should be required listening for those who cheat on their taxes. He should shut up and sing his songs.