[Jandek] Mighty Declarations

[Ross Em]

Brian Wilson plays live for the first time in years and re-records an entire Beach Boys album and he's the greatest composer ever to have walked the earth.
Sterling Smith plays live for the first time in years and cuts 3 seconds off the start of some song off "Blue Corpse" and he's a sell out shite.
 
Independent music fans are the bane of my life.  If Jandek was someone like Bob Dylan or Jeff Buckley or The Beatles or the Rolling Stones or whoever youse cunts like nowadays, remasters would be positively welcomed.  As it happens Jandek is vastly, hugely superior to any of these artists , and you still have the cheek to give him a kicking for making his recordings sound less scratchy.  When any of youse write an album as good as "Blue Corpse" or "FYF" or "Living in a Moon so Blue" I'll let youse comment.  Until that day, let auld stirling get on with writing awesome records and mixing them remixing them mastering them pressing them however he pleases.  
 
As for the theory that "Ready for the House" is the only pure record, I personally think this is a ridiculous point of view.  Nothing is ever recorded in a vacuum.  No record made by humans is recorded in a vacuum.  He had heard the Beatles when he recorded his first album.  He had heard the Beach Boys.  He had heard Frank Zappa.  He had heard a whole lot of different music, as anyone does.  He said taht he wanted to do something different.  Don't underestimate the intelligence of Jandek as a songwriter.  I think a lot of people on here are still stuck in the Irwin Chusid school of thought that Jandek is a retard who was trying to play like the Beatles but was unable.  This my friends is absolute baws.  Listen to Follow Yr Footsteps and Six and Six.  Those albums are deadly. By contrast, Chusid is a bawbag.
 FYF in particular is a world beater.  It should be an alternative classic.  But I guess a lot of people are too busy listening to Frankie and the Ferdinands or whoever is cool or not cool at the time. (today it means the same)
He is a songwriter within his era, of that there is no question.  Why wouldnt Jandek be influenced by all of these things?  By punk, the DIY record pressing...  By blues, by avante gard...
Jandek had a clear intention that he would get his record out and that people would get into it.  It was no accident.  By the way this in no way means that his thoughts and feelings on this record are any more tarnished because of that.  Someone can put their heart and soul into a record even though they know other people might hear it!!!

The fact that people like the record a lot and that people have heard it surely does not automatically make the second album any less pure than the first.  And I mean, the other basic premise of this argument is that the first record was unaffected by feedback...  Dont you think people told Jandek when he was playing, recording etc that he was good or shit?  Come on...  
 
Playing live, Jandek has played stark, uncompromising guitar, the kind of guitar work that I dont think I've ever heard him playing.  Listen to the treble on that thing.  It sounds evil.  The Instal show (which I missed unfortunately, but got the trax from a lovely person off this list) was great sounding, a joy to behold, and if someone can improve their creative energy and overcome their nervousness then all I can say is good luck.  This isnt a sell out.  This is a further opening of the door, a way for people to get in touch with what Jandek is doing, what he's saying.  If Brian Wilson ever manages to do that, I'll give you a crisp ?5 note.  
 
Jandek remains the greatest artist of the twentieth century and times going to tell on that.  The next year will be interesting.  Fuck your GO! team, yr the Bravery, yr Killers, yr haircuts, yr fancy second hand clothes.  You can keep that shit for your "independent/alternative" discoes, cuz I've got Jandek and for the faithful,  I'll see youse at the Sage with fucking bells on.
 
Ross Morris 
 


"Seated by the ranch I?m owning, staring at the cellophane.  Somebody came in for a question, I poured a glass out in the rain.  The reason I have been accepted, is that I failed to come on strong;  found a chair beside a window, found a place where I belong.  Inside myself there is no question, just the jangle of our brain. Three times four is twenty-seven, only fragments still remain." - jandek, 'first you think your fortune's lovely' ("Ready for the House" LP 1978)
 
the rocks crumble, unto dust they die.  once hard stuff of mountains, now soft powder amongst the sand.











		
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