I think Ashlee has a lot to offer rockcritdom, but rockcritics by and large aren't looking for the kind of everyday profundity Ashlee has to offer them (because most will find it in indie music, where mundanity just is; it's built into the aesthetic -- bring in a friggin' string section and you're "orchestral," while I didn't even NOTICE the strings all that consciously in "Shadow" until I saw them record the strings -- Ashlee yawning in the studio -- for the album on her reality show two years later!!!). But indie usually doesn't have as much to tell me about small-L life -- the production of the music is small-L already, so no one has to risk naivete or embarrassment to wring small-L life out of the music; mostly you get preciousness or cleverness or competence (twee, indie pop, bread-n-butter indie rock stuff). But for a guy like me (relatively sheltered, reasonably brainy, adventurous in my head but cautious in the street), embarrassment is absolutely crucial to connection; it's how I gain trust (going back a bit to what Kat was saying the other day). Something has to be on the line.
And the last part is referencing this exchange between Kat Stevens and Nia:
Kat: I know Avril is bonkers - I know WHY she writes bad poetry. Frank says above that the personal 'problems' lyrics can be like reading everyday livejournal entries, but on LJ I'm reading about my friends who I have a personal interest in even if they're writing about what they had for lunch. I know Avril and can tolerate her tantrums and vague hand-waving. I didn't even know what Ashlee looked like until I saw the picture at the top of this entry and so I don't trust her - how do I know she means what she says? Anyone could have handed her a sheet of paper with that on it. I don't doubt she's a great writer, but I'm just playing devil's advocate here. Could we be reading all this meaning into some words that just happened to fall out of her pen one day? That she saw on the side of a bus? I think I've been spoilt by Xenomania in this respect :-)
Nia: Why all this trust for Avril, who's been slammed multiple times by multiple co-writers for plagiarism and/or laziness, but not Ashlee, who's got a whole television show documenting her involvement in her album? At some point, you didn't know what Avril looked like, either. When did you decide she means what she says? (Unless when you say you know Avril, you mean you actually know Avril, in which case...well, feel free to tell her how much I hate her.)
Kat: Trust perhaps isn't the right word - it's more about knowing what you're getting (whether that's good, bad, plagiaristic or creative). I have seen enough of Avril on telly and in the papers over the last three years to get a mental image of what sort of person she is whilst I listen to her music (whether that image is conjured up by her PR team or whatever is a completely different thread - I'm happy to make my own judgements based on what I see and read). I didn't know Ashlee had a tv show until this afternoon, and so her lyrics (and, I guess, her music) are disembodied for me right now. Until I 'get to know her better' (which I fully intend to do) my jury is out. I've mentioned how important personality is to me for pop music elsewhere - that's one of the ways I differentiate pop from eg dance music or hiphop. I could be here all night on this one, my views are by no means fixed and this opinion could change by next week!
Fixating on this a bit, because in the same comment thread (which is well worth a read) I made this observation differentiating Ashlee and Marit (would like to work out some of Marit's neurotic tendencies sometime; I think about her lyrics a lot, but they're deeply sad and I think my analysis of them would risk being downright hysterical -- she says "don't save me," but my impulse IS to save her, feel sorry for her, which makes me hugely uncomfortable):
Difference being, Ashlee's actually singing about a "you," while Marit is never singing about a you -- every song becomes a little dagger that ends up cutting her, and she doesn't even flinch. (Except "Don't Save Me," which weirdly, despite being one of her best-sounding songs, just fades on me a little when I try to dig into it. It doesn't terrify me; I don't trust her enough to invest myself in it and see what happens.)
It seems to me that in order for me to invest myself in an artist, I need to gauge how willing they are to express a certain vulnerability, openness, a willingness to embarrass themselves -- whether or not this artist image syncs up with a real-life personality is usually of secondary importance, though it matters sometimes (it's important to me that the Arcade Fire are genuinely nice and humble people; it's important to me that Ashlee Simpson isn't an obtuse brat; it's important to me that Marit is smart n' savvy as she seems, and to a lesser extent that Marion Raven is about as...um, obtuse and bratty as she seems.)
But obviously this isn't always true, and I'm not sure it's even usually true -- it may be the exception that forms a sorta unique aspect of my taste, the kinds of choices that (I feel) differentiate me from someone else. The personal connection, even if I happen to also be on a bandwagon. (Just 'cuz we're on the same bandwagon doesn't mean we're there for the same reasons.)
Interesting thing with this is that I don't need to relate to the artist in question at all, merely need to understand them on terms they're setting (that I also want to meet them on, which is of equal importance; Avril usually has a clear set of terms -- she's good at being mega-obvious -- but I loathe her, so I'm not eager to meet her on those terms).
So: what is trust, exactly? Loosely, I feel like it's a willingness to give a little on record, let out a sort of unsanctioned glimpse of humanity ("unsanctioned" because it's pretty easy for "humanity" to become a shortcut signifier with little humanity in it). A dare or a confession or a wink (though usually winks overpower nuance) that feels like a risk but just nails you. "Bullseye -- you hit my heart."
(Re: indie rock, I don't mean to snarkily generalize or create a clear dichotomy, but I relate instinctively to a lot of indie rock (and, similarly, a lot of music critics) because they so easily remind me of myself, and hence don't need to do much to win me over. And so they end up not winning me over, they simply hit a few comfortable pleasure centers and call it a day. The Clientele, Phoenix, the White Stripes, Modest Mouse maybe, all enjoyable but rarely deeply challenging -- it's comfort food. Worth noting that I don't want to be challenged all the time. Even most of the time.)
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