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Attention Music Critics (and all purveyors of the art of horse shit…)
By Ernie Hendrickson
Click to Listen
 
I caution you to take heed against placing any significant emphasis on your petty sentiments, misguided judgments, and otherwise meaningless generalizations. Please, please, for god’s sake PLEASE, remember one thing – that music springs forth from the well of the human spirit, and is indomitable. It has thrived since time immemorial, and will well outlive your current reign of influence, however trite and banal it may be.
Your empty statements do nothing to show what is true in art or music, but only serve to confuse the weak minded and provide a voice for they who are unwilling in their own hearts to decide what is genuine. Opinions are like assholes, we all have them, and yours smells as bad as the next. Do yourself a favor and please get into a real trade, do something to help heal the earth, advance humanity, or at the very least stop leading yourself into some imagined position of authority in art. Real art is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than the sum of everything. It does not need your explanations, your reasons, your short-sighted blabbering, reducing everything to a pissing contest.
I speak from a position of having spent years as an independent musician, and have suffered enough from the likes of fickle, fad-obsessed, wanna-be hip, pricks such as yourselves. I’m sure this note will only serve to entice you further into your egomania, and strengthen your resolve to curve the trends of music toward your own narrow field of interest, but nonetheless, I’ve kept my silence long enough through your prolonged, overrated display of public masturbation. If I sound bitter, that’s because I am, and because I’d like to see a day when integrity returns to the world of music. Maybe I’m too hopeful.
I apologize if I have offended anyone who has an actual ability to understand their role as ambassador to the arts through the written word, and understands the significance and the honor involved with such a position, you who have done your homework and have a knowledge of the big picture of music and culture, who have educated yourselves at the mind and the heart levels, and hold yourselves as students, as much as teachers. Please exclude yourselves from the previous message, and continue on in your journey.
Thank You
Ernie
www.erniehendrickson.com
www.erniehendrickson.com/presskit.php
www.myspace.com/erniehendrickson
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ernie-Hendrickson/9710871206
Ernie Recommendations:
1. “Big Bad Love“ Larry Brown, or “Black Elk Speaks” – John G. Neihardt
2. Gear I like… – uh, I like the Roland ac 15 33 acoustic guitar amp.
3. Coffee and herbal remedies
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Mar 09, 2010
Actually I am on both sides of the coin. I have a fair amount of my own music played on television, and as a producer, and creative director I have to critique a LOT of music. There are fun times on both sides, and there are very dificult times as well. It is not as easy as one may think to tell a composer that a piece of music that they have their heart and soul in, that, that piece is just not going to cut it. Of course there are ways to say it, and give encouragement, and ways to bash someones hopes and dreams against the wall. That said, the really tough situations are when someone submits their best work, and you as a critique giver knows, “There is just no professional talent here”. When someone is holding their breath, hoping you will love their work, it is so very difficult to offer advice. So we all have our ways to do the jobs we have, and I am the first to admit that courtesy is sometimes a lost art in this business, but you as a composer or artist should take every word of criticisim to heart and ask youself, “Is this correct?”, and grow from it. That is how you win.
I took 15 years off from music to raise a family and am just getting back into writing, recording and submitting to opporunities in TV and film. I feel like I am starting over. As a more mature (I like to think anyway) artist really starting over, I have come to recognize a few things.
1) An understanding that less quality music is slected over far superior music available in circulation. It is what it is.
2) An understanding that my abilities will always improve. So today’s critiques will not apply to tomorrow’s music
3) Develop a “never give up” attitude. I am a firm believer that if you throw enough “you know what” against the wall, eventually something will stick. It did for someone else, why not me.
4) Enjoy the journey
I agree with David that you have to accept all critiques, remove emotions as best you can, and then filter them down to apply the ones that make logical sense in what you are trying to accomplish. As an artist, we need to compile information, and then take action with it.