a bunch of boring ass noise that took a lot of time and a minimal amount of talent to make

Amazing What people can get away with and call it art.

I thought i would be interesting to make Merzbow Bootlegs

My dod super feedbacker distortion pedal with my dod digital delay
and basically ANY sound source. Voila ! Merzbow.

Lou Reed kind of ended this subject with metal machine music, no?

merzbow has some pretty clever rhythms and dynamics, which must be lost on his imitators because they usually suck pretty bad. i'll never hear more than 2% of his discography, but i like what i'm familiar with.

not crap WF: 6 just 'cuz no one needs to release that much 'music'.

i listened to his output in highschool/college cause it was supposed to be scary & demanding & etc. merzbow & his ilk are an accessory to fitting in with a certain crowd that correlates toughness to listening to stuff that other people don't or can't listen to. it serves a purpose i guess, but i don't feel like i need to hear any more of it. boring and minimally entertaining. crap.

I don't like noise as a whole. I saw Wolf Eyes open for Sonic Youth and essentially laughed my ass off at the non-music ("I distorted my radiator and screamed over it!"). I talked with a friend who is into experimental stuff, and was trashing Wolf Eyes. He suggested I listen to Merzbow. I listened to Merzbow.

I still wouldn't listen to it of my own volition, but he had something that your average noisemaker lacks, which is a sense of composition. The things I heard (though I'm not speaking for his entire catalog) were put together in some fashion, not simply some loser letting chance and circuitry do the work. He's alright by me.

NOT CRAP. I only have a couple of his albums, but they're very good.

Still, when I'm wanting to fit in with the "tough" crowd, I'll take Whitehouse or the Gerogerigegege over Merzbow, because they're funnier. And TOUGH!

He played in Chicago last night. Anybody here go? I spoke to two of my friends and they said it was amazing and really loud. Any other reports?

John W. wrote:He played in Chicago last night. Anybody here go? I spoke to two of my friends and they said it was amazing and really loud. Any other reports?

It was really good. A lot of noise undercurrents that sounded like various kinds of weather to me, which I thought was cool. It was REALLY LOUD on the screeeeeee!!AAWWWWWWscreeeeeeeeeeee!! parts.

I don't know that I would call it "amazing", but I felt inspired enough to go home and eat Saltines real fast.

it's too bad i didn't make this thread now because i would have grown to appreciate him a little more, especially that song degredation of tapes. i feel silly calling it a song but that is a good cd and it better than some of the other stuff ive heard by him... i would probably even see him live if he played here if only to see how he did it!

As a live experience i wholeheartedly support and enjoy Merzbow and his endeavours whenever i can, as well as encourage others to try and do the same.

As an 'artist' releasing in excess of 300 albums i think he can run on home to mummy and get a good telling off. I'm perfectly happy with just the 2 cds and handful of split 7"s i own. Yep, thats just fine for me.

For the record, i own 'Pulse Demon' and 'Merzbeat'. These are both quite listenable. Well i occasionally enjoy listening to them and playing them to other people at least.

NC. WF : an exact halfway of 5.