I see that I'm very late to the party here, but welcome back! I suppose that's not strictly for me to say here when you're the host and I'm the visitor, but welcome back all the same, and thank you for coming back with this excellent post.
I think we are flooded with everything, including ramblings/statements/analysis, so yours will obviously will be yet another one and too much. There is also the possibility that the readers will treat this is a part of some tiresome global internet stream of emotional or intellectual bullshit or anything. Consequently, you will immediately be categorized/labelled and nobody will care much about what you actually wrote. Perhaps you might as well have written a tweet "I am against the war and Crimea is Ukrainian" and save people the effort of reading a few pages of text :-)
I think that we shouldn't be afraid all of the above and do what we want. I am sure many people will appreciate what you have just written, and the fact that being Russian you know what you are writing about is so obvious that is even not worth mentioning.
Music is the platform to unite people and writing music reviews is better way to try to avoid this madness - much better than making some passionate comments about bloody orcs or something like this. Who knows, maybe it is the best and only thing you should do in current circumstances? And manifest that you weren't broken and your "yeah old music rocks let's dig into it" spirit is still alive and well.
I very much appreciate both your reviews and your essays. I would also add that honest usually means likable - and we desperately need likable people in those crazy times. I will end with the typical Russian farewell world which may sound today as a joke, but why not. Счастливо!
It's great to read you again, George. Writing reviews! But specially knowing that you're hanging in there (down here our fight is for the legal tender as Jackson Browne says. as inflation becomes a monster itself, but War is such a extreme situation). As when they say "Oh will The Kinks write music again? Will they tour?" I'm one to feel glad that Ray and Dave are still around and even sharing a hug now and then. I'm getting old! Even wondering about Alex Alex old fella who disappeared even from Letterboxd. Wishing the best for all, War is such a nasty affair, take care my friend!
Don't have a great deal to say about the political situation George. I feel not quite up to expressing anything that will amount to much in that regard.
But, the main thing is, it's great to see that you're back and trying to do something that you love again.
Being reading your reviews here since '04 and your site and your reviews have meant a lot to me.
I discovered the site first when I was just beginning to clamber out of the teenage years of listening to metal exclusively - and your exhaustive, honest, and comprehensive work was a Godsend at exactly the right time in my life, when I needed a knowledgeable hand to guide me into the wider world of musical fandom.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for that and look after yourself.
Glad you've returned as you're easily my favourite reviewer, much better than the so- called professionals (All Music etc).
I mainly listen to music as escape, though I've gained greater insights into it through reading your blogs. You are definitely honest in your responses to the music.
I have to be honest, your self-appraisal of honesty as your most valuable reviewing quality makes me laugh. If that was all I wanted, I'd be listening to Anthony Fantano. It's hard to argue he doesn't say what he feels, every time. Unfortunately, his reviews come with no base, no tradition in anything—just review everything, of every genre, and let classics be blasphemed while junk gets too much sometimes. But you, you come out of a tradition, and over time you've known when and how to step out of your existing comfort zone and then when to come back to your roots, like a natural, evolving music listener. That makes you relatable, and adds heart to your reviews. The honesty just helps the signal get across.
Thank you! With no disrespect to Fantano (if anything, I admire anybody who works as hard as he does), I'm not sure if it is possible to be perfectly honest with a subscriber base of 1.5 million people - that kind of popularity, especially if you intentionally work to achieve it, comes with its own price and its own rules. I feel much more comfortable with a small base of readers who won't be out there to scalp me for an against-the-grain opinion every now and then.
Glad to see you return George! Your reviews are always wonderful to read, and I've invariably felt them to be authentic and written from a view-point of fondness for heartfelt music. This war is definitely a heavily depressing affair, but I hope you're safe and find your inner peace eventually. Really interesting to see the different artists you found therapeutic...I hope things get better for you and please take care my friend.
I recently read a compelling piece by a Substack writer named John Ganz that compared Putin’s recent mischief in Ukraine with Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in the 1930s. He teased out some truly uncanny parallels, and demonstrated that there’s more to evaluating revanchist politics, authoritarianism, and imperialism than those dependable Nazi comparisons. You might find it interesting, George.
Now, regarding music reviews, I’d prefer to skip ahead to the San Francisco psychedelic scene, but I could see why you might not currently be in the headspace to appreciate an album like Crown of Creation. So you do what’s necessary.
Well, history is rarely repeating itself exactly the same way, so there's lots of analogies to be drawn with all sorts of dictators; I guess Mussolini's fair game as well. Hitler's more familiar territory to the Russian "political elites", though; they certainly take him as a role model as far as rhetorics and propaganda are concerned.
George, I just recently discovered your wonderful music writing. I’ve been immersed in it for about 2-3 weeks. Then I found the corner of the site containing this wise and moving essay. Much love from the US and please keep doing what you’re doing. Michael McGill
Very à propos of you to alight on the Kinks at the end of your cogent article, George. For me they've always represented the most reliable take on the subject of the human predicament, always empathetic and witty, while never hesitant to go against the grain (e.g. psychedelia in 1967) in order to locate the proverbial church in the epicenter of the village. Ray Davies knows the value, the intrinsic worth of things better than just about anyone in the music business, and he'd probably (not to say perversely) be worth listening to on the subject of the despicable war being fought in Ukraine.
The Kinks as an anti-depressant? Send me a prescription!
That was a thought-provoking read. I really hope things will somehow get better and that music and writing about it will help you deal with everything that's going on. Glad that you're back George, you're my favourite music writer and the only one I read regularly. You can make it!
As a music writer your points re honesty were very intriguing for me and I suspect largely true.
However, I would probably raise at least one eyebrow at the thought that taking anti depressants is somehow ‘cheating’ though:) As much as my feelings on them ( as a ‘user’) are mixed, sadly they have probably saved and improved many lives. To think of them as a ‘cheat’ is something I feel a little uneasy about.
To make myself more clear: I think that the usefulness or harmfulness of anti-depressants, to a large degree, depends on whether the problems stem "from within" or "from without". People with inborn tendencies for depression (e.g. those who feel miserable in the happiest of times) is one thing; those who feel shitty for, let's say, more objective reasons is another, and should carefully consider all factors before getting themselves on the happy pill. Personally, I do not count myself as a depressive person (anti-social, maybe; depressive, not really), so in the current situation I prefer to bear this pain rather than try and dull it down artificially. It IS getting easier, though.
Our pain in the UK is different and lesser but witnessing our ‘government’ in action is something that, while clearly a laughable farce, is also on a deeper level tragic and disturbing.
I see that I'm very late to the party here, but welcome back! I suppose that's not strictly for me to say here when you're the host and I'm the visitor, but welcome back all the same, and thank you for coming back with this excellent post.
Hi George,
I think we are flooded with everything, including ramblings/statements/analysis, so yours will obviously will be yet another one and too much. There is also the possibility that the readers will treat this is a part of some tiresome global internet stream of emotional or intellectual bullshit or anything. Consequently, you will immediately be categorized/labelled and nobody will care much about what you actually wrote. Perhaps you might as well have written a tweet "I am against the war and Crimea is Ukrainian" and save people the effort of reading a few pages of text :-)
I think that we shouldn't be afraid all of the above and do what we want. I am sure many people will appreciate what you have just written, and the fact that being Russian you know what you are writing about is so obvious that is even not worth mentioning.
Music is the platform to unite people and writing music reviews is better way to try to avoid this madness - much better than making some passionate comments about bloody orcs or something like this. Who knows, maybe it is the best and only thing you should do in current circumstances? And manifest that you weren't broken and your "yeah old music rocks let's dig into it" spirit is still alive and well.
I very much appreciate both your reviews and your essays. I would also add that honest usually means likable - and we desperately need likable people in those crazy times. I will end with the typical Russian farewell world which may sound today as a joke, but why not. Счастливо!
It's great to read you again, George. Writing reviews! But specially knowing that you're hanging in there (down here our fight is for the legal tender as Jackson Browne says. as inflation becomes a monster itself, but War is such a extreme situation). As when they say "Oh will The Kinks write music again? Will they tour?" I'm one to feel glad that Ray and Dave are still around and even sharing a hug now and then. I'm getting old! Even wondering about Alex Alex old fella who disappeared even from Letterboxd. Wishing the best for all, War is such a nasty affair, take care my friend!
Don't have a great deal to say about the political situation George. I feel not quite up to expressing anything that will amount to much in that regard.
But, the main thing is, it's great to see that you're back and trying to do something that you love again.
Being reading your reviews here since '04 and your site and your reviews have meant a lot to me.
I discovered the site first when I was just beginning to clamber out of the teenage years of listening to metal exclusively - and your exhaustive, honest, and comprehensive work was a Godsend at exactly the right time in my life, when I needed a knowledgeable hand to guide me into the wider world of musical fandom.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for that and look after yourself.
Very best wishes to you George.
Glad you've returned as you're easily my favourite reviewer, much better than the so- called professionals (All Music etc).
I mainly listen to music as escape, though I've gained greater insights into it through reading your blogs. You are definitely honest in your responses to the music.
Best wishes for the future.
Dave P
“...what more can we do?” Welcome back, George. Glad you’re doing relatively okay.
I have to be honest, your self-appraisal of honesty as your most valuable reviewing quality makes me laugh. If that was all I wanted, I'd be listening to Anthony Fantano. It's hard to argue he doesn't say what he feels, every time. Unfortunately, his reviews come with no base, no tradition in anything—just review everything, of every genre, and let classics be blasphemed while junk gets too much sometimes. But you, you come out of a tradition, and over time you've known when and how to step out of your existing comfort zone and then when to come back to your roots, like a natural, evolving music listener. That makes you relatable, and adds heart to your reviews. The honesty just helps the signal get across.
Thank you! With no disrespect to Fantano (if anything, I admire anybody who works as hard as he does), I'm not sure if it is possible to be perfectly honest with a subscriber base of 1.5 million people - that kind of popularity, especially if you intentionally work to achieve it, comes with its own price and its own rules. I feel much more comfortable with a small base of readers who won't be out there to scalp me for an against-the-grain opinion every now and then.
You're welcome! Also, hmm, interesting, I see what you mean.
"after February 24, 2023"
Eek! A time traveler! 😵💫
Glad to see you return George! Your reviews are always wonderful to read, and I've invariably felt them to be authentic and written from a view-point of fondness for heartfelt music. This war is definitely a heavily depressing affair, but I hope you're safe and find your inner peace eventually. Really interesting to see the different artists you found therapeutic...I hope things get better for you and please take care my friend.
I recently read a compelling piece by a Substack writer named John Ganz that compared Putin’s recent mischief in Ukraine with Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia in the 1930s. He teased out some truly uncanny parallels, and demonstrated that there’s more to evaluating revanchist politics, authoritarianism, and imperialism than those dependable Nazi comparisons. You might find it interesting, George.
https://johnganz.substack.com/p/mussolinis-imperial-gamble
Now, regarding music reviews, I’d prefer to skip ahead to the San Francisco psychedelic scene, but I could see why you might not currently be in the headspace to appreciate an album like Crown of Creation. So you do what’s necessary.
Well, history is rarely repeating itself exactly the same way, so there's lots of analogies to be drawn with all sorts of dictators; I guess Mussolini's fair game as well. Hitler's more familiar territory to the Russian "political elites", though; they certainly take him as a role model as far as rhetorics and propaganda are concerned.
George, I just recently discovered your wonderful music writing. I’ve been immersed in it for about 2-3 weeks. Then I found the corner of the site containing this wise and moving essay. Much love from the US and please keep doing what you’re doing. Michael McGill
Thank you, Michael! I'm definitely trying.
Very à propos of you to alight on the Kinks at the end of your cogent article, George. For me they've always represented the most reliable take on the subject of the human predicament, always empathetic and witty, while never hesitant to go against the grain (e.g. psychedelia in 1967) in order to locate the proverbial church in the epicenter of the village. Ray Davies knows the value, the intrinsic worth of things better than just about anyone in the music business, and he'd probably (not to say perversely) be worth listening to on the subject of the despicable war being fought in Ukraine.
The Kinks as an anti-depressant? Send me a prescription!
That was a thought-provoking read. I really hope things will somehow get better and that music and writing about it will help you deal with everything that's going on. Glad that you're back George, you're my favourite music writer and the only one I read regularly. You can make it!
- Niko
A very interesting and thoughtful piece.
Thank you.
As a music writer your points re honesty were very intriguing for me and I suspect largely true.
However, I would probably raise at least one eyebrow at the thought that taking anti depressants is somehow ‘cheating’ though:) As much as my feelings on them ( as a ‘user’) are mixed, sadly they have probably saved and improved many lives. To think of them as a ‘cheat’ is something I feel a little uneasy about.
To make myself more clear: I think that the usefulness or harmfulness of anti-depressants, to a large degree, depends on whether the problems stem "from within" or "from without". People with inborn tendencies for depression (e.g. those who feel miserable in the happiest of times) is one thing; those who feel shitty for, let's say, more objective reasons is another, and should carefully consider all factors before getting themselves on the happy pill. Personally, I do not count myself as a depressive person (anti-social, maybe; depressive, not really), so in the current situation I prefer to bear this pain rather than try and dull it down artificially. It IS getting easier, though.
Understood, thanks George.
Our pain in the UK is different and lesser but witnessing our ‘government’ in action is something that, while clearly a laughable farce, is also on a deeper level tragic and disturbing.
I wish you strength.
As a political animal animal I can't resist: one of my long term hopes is that Russia will become a member of the EU.
A very long term one, alas. Won't happen before Russia finally renounces the idea of once again becoming the leading member of the SU.