Freewheelin Ken Oakley

July 8, 2003 2:39 PM

How to respond to critics. Recently, Liz Phair wrote a rambling letter in response to criticism from the old grey lady. She's not the first though, when Dylan wannabe Ken Oakley received bad reviews her personally wrote responses to everyone. The responses were so over the top that magazine writers began reviewing albums he never wrote just to receive the responses. Then there's Vincent Gallo.
posted by drezdn (11 comments total)

Metafilter on Gallo.
posted by drezdn at 2:40 PM on July 8, 2003

Sounds like he was pretty insecure. I, myself, do not read reviews or critiques, whether it be a new album, or a concert, or whatever. The only person whose taste in music I trust is me. As long as I enjoyed the concert I saw last night or the album I just bought, I don't really care about the "professional opinion" of Joe Cool at the New York Times.
posted by tomorama at 2:59 PM on July 8, 2003

I can see this turning ugly, so let me step in early to say that it's a joke.
posted by blueshammer at 3:01 PM on July 8, 2003

Joke

On preview blueshammer got there first. Try googling for this Ken Oakley
posted by Joeforking at 3:11 PM on July 8, 2003

Joke

On preview blueshammer got there first. Try googling for this Ken Oakley.
posted by Joeforking at 3:11 PM on July 8, 2003

Folksy Ken Oakley was accidentally stabbed on October 21, 1991, after playing his autobiographical tune, ‘My Watch Is Worth $5,000 (But You Could Prob’ly Pawn It For a Grand)’ at a nighttime gathering of drunken hobos. At the time of his death, he was working on a 700-page letter to his cable company based on Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain.

This gives it away, me thinks. Funny joke though.
posted by elwoodwiles at 3:27 PM on July 8, 2003

Once upon a time there was an old hen who scurried around in the barnyard worrying that she wasn't laying enough eggs for Farmer McDonald. It occured to her that the last hens that didn't lay enough eggs ended up in a truck going to Cutout Meat and Poultry in the city. She still couldn't seem to get any eggs laid, so she went to Britney's Beauty Shack and got a makeover and then went to Chicks R Us to make herself look like a young hen again. Convinced she was now on the right track, she went back to her nest and tried to lay more eggs.

She didn't and found herself in the Cutout Pen in no time.
posted by pyramid termite at 9:06 PM on July 8, 2003

I figured when i tried googling the name and looking him up in assorted music guides that he didn't exist, but the idea was still funny.
posted by drezdn at 10:47 PM on July 8, 2003

This would be an inappropriate time to mention PMS, wouldn't it?
posted by Perigee at 8:07 AM on July 9, 2003

Having been married for almost thirteen years now, there's almost never an appropriate time to mention PMS, I'm afraid. :o)
posted by alumshubby at 9:19 AM on July 9, 2003

I can see this turning ugly, so let me step in early to say that it's a joke.

Oakley is, yes. What was Liz Phair's excuse? Though after some of the goofball stuff that Michiko Kakutani has turned into the Times, one might think that the bar that measures professional behavior has come down a bit. Like yo' mama.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:27 AM on July 9, 2003