weasel walter wrote:stumbling upon this survey was very informative to me...

weasel walter wrote:i seriously implore that those who have doubted my work in the past might take the chance to re-investigate it and witness the growth which has occurred.

weasel walter wrote:stumbling upon this survey was very informative to me. feedback is crucial, whether positive or negative. i don't get much valid criticism EVER, so i eagerly read this thread. perhaps i've used a bit too much hyperbole in promoting myself through the years! ha ha ha.

i'll be blunt and frank, because i'm that kind of guy ... a lot of my '90s "attitude" (that certain people seem to have a problem with) was borne wholly of youthful hubris and a strong sense of romanticism. you see, like many, i had this post-adolescent dream that i was going to change things. during my 20s, everything was completely polarized and i firmly believed in notions of absolute right and wrong. although this sort of attitude is not uncommon in youth, apparently i'm guilty of unprecedented, heinous social crimes! i suppose that i'm guilty as accused and so fucking what? little did i realize at the time that most people, try as they might, can't even change their underwear, let alone the world. my perspective is different now - it has evolved - and like most people i can't be held too firmly to some shit i did or said 10 years ago when i was a goddamn kid. i am NOT apologizing for any past behavior - no fuckin' way. what bridges are burnt may remain forever burnt. c'est la vie.

regardless, i think that i understand why somebody like steve albini is utterly repulsed by everything i have something to do with. i certainly spent a lot energy during the mid-90s fucking with the status quo of the chicago underground rock scene that he and many of his friends were part of. steve albini and i have never met in person, so all he's got to go by is my reputation and my recorded output and apparently neither suffices for him.

i also spent a lot of energy during the '90s trying to almost solipsistically continue to motivate myself in the face of near complete apathy. as a matter of defense at times i resorted to being a sadistic, egocentric creep. SO WHAT! steve albini is not terribly inaccurate in calling me on any of this. i dissed tortoise and the post-rockers in print left and right. i egged on the evil lord jeff day to repeatedly prank call louise from veruca salt. i gave adris hoyos steve's number to prank call him in 1997. i called major bullshit on the oxes/arab on radar scam. blah blah blah. i don't retract any of it. at the time, it all seemed like good clean fun for me and bad news for everyone else. politically, clearly steve has got plenty of extra-musical reasons to think i'm a piece of flaming doo-doo. heck, he might even just think my music just plain sounds like shit. 'nuff said. this doesn't keep me awake at night. clearly at this point i'm not going to be terribly swayed by any one person's opinion.

i suppose that what i ultimately accomplished with all of this sordid shit was to slowly forge my own aesthetic and musical personality through taking chances and making mistakes - and taking no prisoners. i took and still take risks. some people will like it, some won't and they are all entitled to take it or leave what i do. that's each individual's prerogative and i respect that.

as a sidenote, crucifying me for youthful indiscretion almost seems incredibly hypocritical coming from somebody like alibini, cf. the wide documentation of his outspoken and often reactionary beliefs dating back to forced exposure magazine in the '80s. alas, it is what it is. i don't expect to ever enjoy a delightful dinner and nightcap with steven albini. i tend to think that the resulting loss is mutual. . .

hats off to those who enjoy my work, and nuts to those who don't. i seriously implore that those who have doubted my work in the past might take the chance to re-investigate it and witness the growth which has occurred. believe it or not folks, maturity can happen. my personal shift from wasting time criticizing others to spending more time working on the actual art has been crucial to me over the last 3 years . . .

weasel walter

marsup wrote:see why I hate musicians? do you see?

weasel walter wrote:stumbling upon this survey was very informative to me. feedback is crucial, whether positive or negative. i don't get much valid criticism EVER, so i eagerly read this thread. perhaps i've used a bit too much hyperbole in promoting myself through the years! ha ha ha.

i'll be blunt and frank, because i'm that kind of guy ... a lot of my '90s "attitude" (that certain people seem to have a problem with) was borne wholly of youthful hubris and a strong sense of romanticism. you see, like many, i had this post-adolescent dream that i was going to change things. during my 20s, everything was completely polarized and i firmly believed in notions of absolute right and wrong. although this sort of attitude is not uncommon in youth, apparently i'm guilty of unprecedented, heinous social crimes! i suppose that i'm guilty as accused and so fucking what? little did i realize at the time that most people, try as they might, can't even change their underwear, let alone the world. my perspective is different now - it has evolved - and like most people i can't be held too firmly to some shit i did or said 10 years ago when i was a goddamn kid. i am NOT apologizing for any past behavior - no fuckin' way. what bridges are burnt may remain forever burnt. c'est la vie.

regardless, i think that i understand why somebody like steve albini is utterly repulsed by everything i have something to do with. i certainly spent a lot energy during the mid-90s fucking with the status quo of the chicago underground rock scene that he and many of his friends were part of. steve albini and i have never met in person, so all he's got to go by is my reputation and my recorded output and apparently neither suffices for him.

i also spent a lot of energy during the '90s trying to almost solipsistically continue to motivate myself in the face of near complete apathy. as a matter of defense at times i resorted to being a sadistic, egocentric creep. SO WHAT! steve albini is not terribly inaccurate in calling me on any of this. i dissed tortoise and the post-rockers in print left and right. i egged on the evil lord jeff day to repeatedly prank call louise from veruca salt. i gave adris hoyos steve's number to prank call him in 1997. i called major bullshit on the oxes/arab on radar scam. blah blah blah. i don't retract any of it. at the time, it all seemed like good clean fun for me and bad news for everyone else. politically, clearly steve has got plenty of extra-musical reasons to think i'm a piece of flaming doo-doo. heck, he might even just think my music just plain sounds like shit. 'nuff said. this doesn't keep me awake at night. clearly at this point i'm not going to be terribly swayed by any one person's opinion.

i suppose that what i ultimately accomplished with all of this sordid shit was to slowly forge my own aesthetic and musical personality through taking chances and making mistakes - and taking no prisoners. i took and still take risks. some people will like it, some won't and they are all entitled to take it or leave what i do. that's each individual's prerogative and i respect that.

as a sidenote, crucifying me for youthful indiscretion almost seems incredibly hypocritical coming from somebody like alibini, cf. the wide documentation of his outspoken and often reactionary beliefs dating back to forced exposure magazine in the '80s. alas, it is what it is. i don't expect to ever enjoy a delightful dinner and nightcap with steven albini. i tend to think that the resulting loss is mutual. . .

hats off to those who enjoy my work, and nuts to those who don't. i seriously implore that those who have doubted my work in the past might take the chance to re-investigate it and witness the growth which has occurred. believe it or not folks, maturity can happen. my personal shift from wasting time criticizing others to spending more time working on the actual art has been crucial to me over the last 3 years . . .

weasel walter