Thoughts from the void
This is one of those "blah" days, when nothing much is happening, and I'm honestly not sure what to do with my day...hence, the reference to the "void".
It's my day off from work, and I'm not able to do much else other than be on the internet, because it's three days before payday, and I'm not able to afford a trip out of town to see some friends that I would like to see.
And there's not much to do in the house, either...there are only so many of my many books that I can re-read...or only so many of my LPs or CDs to play again. And frankly, the TV and radio available to me at this time is not interesting to me in the least!
So I'm here, talking to you...and trying to formulate my thoughts as I type.
One thing I could share is that there aren't likely to be any more song lists anytime soon, because every time I post a list of songs that I'd like to see recorded anew by today's current gospel artists, it seems that someone is pointing out to me that those songs in question are BEING done, or have been done recently by someone.
And though I appreciate the help(and in most of those cases was already aware of those recordings...I'd just forgotten about them, that's all), it occurs ro me that the more I post about such things, the more apparent it becomes that I'm simply not as aware as I could be of what is being done nowadays, or even recently, in the gospel industry....a fact that I don't necessarily want many of my readers to know! Not, as I've been falsely accused of in the past, that I'm "lost in yesterday", but I admit I'm still more passionate and involved in a lot of my older recordings than I am in most of today's...something that I don't apologize for, by the way.
But what will I comment on today?
Well, the hot round of discussion on the blogs I check daily have to do with anonymity, in other words, is it better to put your name(and possibly your face as well)on your work...so that people who read it can "know" the person who's making these observations, or does it possibly make your work take on a more objective basis if you keep your name(and again, possibly face)out of it?
Defending the latter viewpoint is perhaps the best known of the so-called "anonymous" blogs, Doug Harrison(who really hasn't been anonymous for some time now), whose well-known blog is always lively, sometimes pedestrian, sometimes infuriating, but almost always entertaining and challenging. Doug seems to feel that to write a blog such as the one he does, the best tack is to be as unknown and unrecognizable as he can be.
On the other side are bloggers with a slightly different philosophy about what they do, such as Daniel Mount and David Bruce Murray, two fine gentlemen whose work I respect a great deal(I respect Doug, too). They have no qualms about being identified with their work...in fact, as Murray says in a comment on Doug's blog, he(and Mount) want to become better acquainted with the artists and the work they write about, and simply strive to write as intelligently and responsibly about the music(and its makers)that they write about. They don't mind being known, or being identified with the industry and its artists.
Where do I fall in these two camps?
Well, first of all, I have always resisted being identified in ANY "camps", preferring to be identified by my own work solely. Obviously, I have no problem with identifying my name(and my face)next to what I write(and Doug, I seriously doubt you have anything to fear at the NQC concerning any recognition...or any "ambush")...I don't mind at all being identified with my own opinions, whatever they may be. And inasmuch as they are my good friends, and have the reputations they do, I WANT to be identified with the Couriers(at least for what they represent!)...and any other artist that has earned personal and professional respect in the gospel music industry.
But I understand Doug's position as well...certainly it is harder to be an objective observer(or critic)when one is personally involved in some way with the people(and recordings)one is writing about. It is easier to make truly objective observations(positive or negative)if there is sufficient "space" between the observer and the issue.
I guess I'm saying, there's room for everybody! And why does say, Baskin-Robbins emphasize the fact that they offer 31 kinds of ice cream, if the majority of people who eat ice cream prefer either chocolate or vanilla?
Maybe they do...and maybe most gospel fans cite either Signature Sound or the Statesmen as their favorite gospel quartets...but if you're writing a blog aiming for as many different types of readers as possible, why not throw some other groups' fans a bone once in a while as well? It only makes sense from a business standpoint.
And Baskin-Robbins knows that there are all kinds of people, and maybe, just maybe, they want something else once in a while besides either chocolate or vanilla, venerable flavors both...so they offer it. And they have survived long after other ice cream establishments have been forced to close their doors.
Simply put, all kinds of people, with all kinds of tastes and interests, are interested in reading about gospel music. And the great thing about the blogosphere is that we all have writers as diverse as Harrison, Mount, Murray, and yes, humble little ol' me to pick from(among many)for what they want to read and enjoy.
So anonymous..or otherwise...write on, folks!
Posted on Sep 11, 2007 - 03:24 PM | [1]
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