Happy As Can Be!

White Rabbits interview tomorrow. A little bit nervous.

ok so

thao:

mdavies:

i’m going to need a minute to get over that weekend. it was probably the best weekend of my life. the people, the place, the feeling, the music and everything else was just that amazing…wow

photos/stories/everything else to come

can’t wait for March 6th

how cute is matt davies.

 March 6th is toooo far away.

Going out to have Thai for dinner :)

Cave, Dylan, Lennon. Women.

areminder:

So thanks to Heute-und and Intertwingled I’ve spent the last hour or so reading about Nick Cave’s alleged misogyny that was detailed in an extremely well-written article by Anwyn Crawford. That article led me down the internet rabbit hole to another piece dealing with Cave by Crawford that, inevitably I suppose, led to this Cave interview with SBS where he briefly addresses (rather candidly) his treatment of women in song. K-punk has responded to Crawford’s articles with an interesting piece of his own.

At the heart of some of the above pieces is how we as consumers and historians choose to celebrate and immortalize icons who have, to put it lightly perhaps, controversial views. Cave’s cultural capital has certainly never been higher (which means attacks on his eligibility of iconoclast are increasingly common). He’s been accepted into mainstream (Australian?) society and his career is certainly going to be remembered long after he retires from writing and performing. But should we be honouring someone who has committed lustmord (<—- new word of the day) in song?

Both Bob Dylan and John Lennon have also faced criticism for being misogynistic. Dylan critics are quick to point to the lyrics of Just Like A Woman as evidence that Dylan clearly hated women. But the song can be read and understood in a way that doesn’t require you to question the sacrosanctity of Bob. Hell, John Lennon wrote the following:

Well I’d rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won’t know where I am

Let this be a sermon
I mean everything I’ve said
Baby, I’m determined
And I’d rather see you dead

Although I’m sure Cave and Dylan are no saints in their personal lives when it comes to their relationships with women, Lennon’s history of atrocious behaviour in the 70s was well documented. Did his misogyny exist beyond his songs? Regardless of what you think every year millions of people mourn his death and every year The Beatles remain the pinnacle of 20th century popular culture (this year more than most).

I’m a fan of Cave, Dylan, and Lennon and I’m pretty willing to separate the characters in their songs from the writers themselves. Sometimes I think this is pretty fair but other times I think I might just be shielding myself from facing some ugly truths about artists I admire. Clearly we as culture engage in this behaviour on a massive scale. How much would we put up with before taking Dylan or Lennon down from their pedestals?

 I need to read all of the linked articles.