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- mickronson
- Rep: 118
Re: Duffs latest blog. More Musings.....Responsibility?
RESPONSIBILTY?
By Duff McKagan
About 19 years ago, I wrote a song with and for Guns N Roses, called ‘Get In The Ring’. At that point in our career, we had ceased to be the darlings of critics. When our band started to ‘blow up’, it became apparent that there was an almost sudden sea-change in how our live shows and records were getting critiqued in the press. No big deal really; you just realize that this kind of stuff comes with the territory.
But what interested me then was: Why would a critic come to our show when it was often openly obvious that he or she didn’t like us in the first place? Why waste the time? Why spread a vitriolic point of view? Hence, the first line in that song-
‘Why do you look at me when you hate me?’
Flash forward to now: I write for a paper that has music critics. With my history, it interests me as to who our music critics are-in a purely educational way. I can’t lie; I actually do keep tabs and have barked loudly internally here at The Weekly when I feel vitriol and prejudice played a part in any review that I might happen upon. I’m sure that my ‘friends’ here at the paper have dwindled by a writer or two.
A year or so ago, I touched upon the subject of how online news and entertainment sites are sort of just plain taking over. Print newspapers and magazines are dying off. For good or for bad, this is just the way it is. Information-Age economics have dictated a change in MANY areas (music downloads, online movie rentals, and etc).
In writing for The Seattle Weekly, I have benefited first-hand from this change. I have been given the chance to learn how to write to a certain degree-with some good tutelage and encouragement even. But still, I am certainly not a bona-fide journalist, or anything close to it. I’m just a guy who writes stuff.
I am a serious reader too. I believe that when given a responsibility like a weekly column, one should rise to the occasion. Seattle is a very literate city, and I feel honored to be writing for one of its respected periodicals. I have high expectations from others here too.
To do less than one’s best is just sloppy, in my view at least.
Although I certainly understand the importance of drawing readers to certain sites by having a juicy scoop or a story with conflict-the more ‘hits’ a site gets, the higher the advertisement revenue- I just don’t get why certain writers think they can either dictate from an Ivory Tower of judgment or just slander recklessly.
You have read these writers, and so have I.
For me, a site like The Seattle Weekly’s or, say, The Village Voice’s, should be a place to sort of come in from the storm. You all should be able to trust us writers at these quasi-esteemed papers. That is my view at least. The writers must earn the trust of the public though. When a writer pens a piece that is outwardly obviously intended to be prejudicial (good or bad), or badly researched, the whole lot of writers for that paper are somewhat soiled. Again, this is just my opinion.
Am I alone in this view?
I’ve got an editor here at The Weekly, Chris Kornelis. He is a smart dude and has at times ‘held me to task’ or otherwise questioned the intent of this piece or that. He has made me think and helped me to be better. He has his boss, and it goes up from there. Who holds THOSE guys to task? Those ‘editors of editors’? I trust that their experience and drive for excellence does.
I write for The Seattle Weekly because I love to do it. It is a sizeable challenge and it gives me a chance to interact on topics that I am curious or otherwise interested in. There are countless blogs and whatnot out there that have a whole lot less to offer than we have here. You can get biased or sloppily written ‘takes’ and articles on music at countless sites, I am sure. There are plenty of right or left-leaning political sites too, if you like steeper ‘slants’. Online newspapers like this one ARE the new paradigm for the straight-ish dope though, and as such, are the new gate-keepers of truth and insight. Or they should be, from where I sit.
If I don’t like, say, Mel Gibson…I will be responsible enough to pull myself out of the running if approached to write an article on his new movie (IF he had and new movie, and IF I didn’t like Mel Gibson). It would be biased and not very righteous of me to knowingly sit in the wings for such an easy attack-IF this was the case.
Neither should it be all peaches and cream, though. I like reading people’s thoughts and insights, especially when they are intellectual and researched and whatever else.
Being a writer now for online papers these days I think, brings with it, a new burden of self-restraint. There are enough crappy things going on around us in this world and a tainted and spiteful article about someone’s art just adds noxious noise.
- mickronson
- Rep: 118
Re: Duffs latest blog. More Musings.....Responsibility?
What No O2 GNR comments? damn!
Re: Duffs latest blog. More Musings.....Responsibility?
Is it possible Duff might be saving his reunion with Axl and Guns N' Roses as the finale to his upcoming biography?
You know I thought immediately one of the main reasons for agreeing to reunite on stage was because it would make for a good chapter in his book. It probably gives Duff some closure as well, you can tell from his blogs he has been doing some serious soul searching in recent years, and no doubt he has been thinking a lot about Axl lately because he has been writing his book.
He's a top bloke, I'd love to meet him. He's the classiest GNR member by far.
- metallex78
- Rep: 194
Re: Duffs latest blog. More Musings.....Responsibility?
Yep, Duff is the coolest by far. Especially the way he turned himself around from a dumbass drunk rocker, to one of the classiest, coolest motherfuckers on the planet.
Given he nearly killed himself before turning his life around, I have nothing but respect for the guy.
Re: Duffs latest blog. More Musings.....Responsibility?
Olorin, metallex, DCK... also agree with you all. Of the old members Duff is by far the coolest and classiest. I'd love to meet them all, even Axl (to truely explain my pov, then he can hit me, and we'll be cool)... but Duff tops them all. He's a classy guy.
Feel the same about Ron too.
