I like big-ass vicious noise that makes my head spin.
December 17, 2010 11:49 AM   Subscribe

 
This is kind of old and not that great.
posted by anazgnos at 11:59 AM on December 17, 2010


No? How about this interview about self-sufficiency?
posted by boo_radley at 12:03 PM on December 17, 2010 [1 favorite]


Is he still whining about that shit? Fuckin' Albini.
posted by grubi at 12:07 PM on December 17, 2010 [1 favorite]


Y'know, Albini might just be a misogynist -- I don't know, I've never spoken with him or read anything that wasn't just music industry related -- but I have a feeling most people can't seem to get beyond his use of the first person in some disturbing songs.

This is sort of expected, I suppose, as the first person has gone from being primarily a narrative technique to tell a story to gods-truth memoir in my lifetime.

But, it used to be that saying "I" in a song didn't always mean the singer meant him or herself, but was using it to stand in for all of us (in the case of a love song) or a specific person or type of person.

As someone who very much makes the personal the political, I expect that Albini feels comfortable using the first person in this manner. The few songs from the early days I remember folks getting knotted up over seemed to me to be obviously about getting into the head of someone else. Even someone else you otherwise dislike a lot. For example, one of the songs much quoted is named after a small town, so it is possible he is taking the voice of a small-town sicko.

This also happens to be a pretty common 80s punk narrative technique. It is used by Black Flag a lot.

But, maybe I'm wrong, and Albini is a pathological misogynist. But I'd have to see more evidence than some song lyrics to be convinced.
posted by clvrmnky at 12:17 PM on December 17, 2010 [6 favorites]


No? How about this interview about self-sufficiency ...

From that interview:

"as a consumer of music, as a fan, when a band is sort of thrust at me in this fashion and wiggled in front me like a severed head ... it makes me hate them."

As for the initial link, it's an okay primer, I guess, for someone who's new to the Albini universe.
posted by philip-random at 12:22 PM on December 17, 2010


Crappy three year old SLYT with no expansion?

I'm a huge Albini fan and defender, but this is pretty weak.
posted by lumpenprole at 12:30 PM on December 17, 2010 [1 favorite]


Some of these related videos are neat.

This 5 part video diary of a band recording at Electrical Audio is pretty interesting, worth watching to see Albini splicing tape 2min30 in during part five.
posted by fire&wings at 12:42 PM on December 17, 2010


Hahahaha... Bill Lafferty (0:33) was my prof in film skool. He's totally the kind of guy who'd never like any of Albini's work, but would thoroughly enjoy being a non-sequitur reference in a video about him.

/derail
posted by Rykey at 12:45 PM on December 17, 2010


I wouldn't drink wine and share bread with Albini because I like the guy. I would do it because he makes me think.
posted by I love you more when I eat paint chips at 1:25 PM on December 17, 2010


I can never forgive him for the awful murky infuriating mix on PJ Harvey's "Rid Of Me". Ugh, I hate how he tried to massacre (well, smother with a pillow) that amazing record. That said, I listened to about half of "Songs About Fucking" not too long ago and it made me quite happy.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 1:32 PM on December 17, 2010


He makes me think about how there's more to communicating than being right.
Best album cover/name ever.
posted by neuromodulator at 1:37 PM on December 17, 2010 [3 favorites]


BitterOldPunk: "PJ Harvey's "Rid Of Me""

Fffffuck, that's exactly what I love about that album.
posted by boo_radley at 1:40 PM on December 17, 2010 [1 favorite]


Man, I wanted to like this, but its pretty weak - basically narrates a bunch of well-known information with a bunch of still photos. You could learn more about Albini by reading his wiki entry.
posted by googly at 1:52 PM on December 17, 2010


All I know is it's not good to play that Prayer to God song over and over while looking at a woman funny. I don't think that Jehova's Witness lady's ever going to come back.
posted by metagnathous at 5:14 PM on December 17, 2010


The few songs from the early days I remember folks getting knotted up over seemed to me to be obviously about getting into the head of someone else.

"I'm God's gift to women, they always want my dick, except for that college girl-- I'll kill her!"

Are you seriously suggesting that this is not what goes through Mr. Albini's mind on a daily-- hourly!-- basis?!?
posted by nathan v at 5:22 PM on December 17, 2010


"I'm God's gift to women, they always want my dick, except for that college girl-- I'll kill her!"

Are you seriously suggesting that this is not what goes through Mr. Albini's mind on a daily-- hourly!-- basis?!?


Are you seriously suggesting that Albini wasn't simply trying to describe a character in a story? Are you seriously calling Albini a potential sex offender on the basis of one obnoxious punk song?

Or are you seriously taking the piss and making me look like an idjit for falling for an obvious trolling technique?
posted by spoobnooble at 5:55 PM on December 17, 2010




You could learn more about Albini by reading his wiki entry.

Narrated wiki entry videos! I think that'd be awesome.
posted by Theta States at 11:56 AM on December 22, 2010 [1 favorite]


« Older Isle of Tune   |   Gold dispensing ATM machines Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments