Screw that dude- you see what he said about Jim O’Rourke and Wilco?-

“I can tell you what I absolutely hate: Jim O’Rourke (fancy engineering gets you nowhere if you’re writing easy-listening Air Supply rip-offs and can’t sing); Wilco (any-kind-of-hyphenated-country-music-is-just-not-country-music-if-you-ask-me); Sea and Cake; Silver Jews; or any other racial slur.”

That’s a tough one, Kurt. It’s just kinda fucked when one party (who ya really dig) cuts on two parties (who ya love) that paved the way for like-minded artists. Here’s the thing: I like all the records that these guys make, and won’t “have any of it” from a fired-up little Sufjan. He can have his little “Peanuts theme” tunes, and Wilco can try to live down a “alt-whatever legacy” and Jim O’Rourke can wear “weird pants.” Honestly, I don’t give a fuck. I dig all of it.

Fuck Wilco.

That shit sucks.

“art”

ptttttttttttttttttttttttt.

Now, I don’t like the Sufjan sound too much, and obviously I adore Wilco, but those are not the source of my dislike for his comments.

The interviewer asked him what he was digging recently- what albums he was grooving too. He named one band (Stereolab, because he said everyone seems to like them), and then he proceeded to say “I can tell you what I hate…” Sufjan is obviously talented, and successful. I was disappointed in him viewing an interview about his music as a soap box to disrespect other talented and successful artists, whether he likes them or not. To knock O’Rourke’s production is very short sighted- if you look at what he did with Judee Sill’s songs from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s… man, those songs sound amazing and there is nothing fancy about them.

He also recently made fun of Wilco in another article. He said he might have to recruit musicians to help with his 48 more state albums, giving each band a state-

“With two down and 46 more to go, Stevens had begun to think of bequeathing some of the states to other musicians. “I want to franchise them as long as I get 10 percent,” he jokes. “Maybe Wilco could do Oklahoma.”“

Why is Wilco the only band he mentions, and what does that mean? He says that hyphenated country music isn’t country music, but I don’t think Wilco has tried to be country in 10 years now.

Perhaps Mr. Stevens is jealous that he only rents his Brooklyn loft, while Mr. O’Rourke actually owns his? I don’t know.

Problem is, when you make something good, people will listen to what you have to say, and shit, ol’ Sufjan should use that power in better ways. It’s sounds pretty petty and just sorta unprofessional. I mean, sure, “honest” is best, but, “appropriate” seems uh, appropriate when you are at his level, with that many motherfuckers hanging on his words. Etc.