[Jandek] Re: Spencer Graham

[Aunt Acid]

Okay, let me be the first to say that calling Jandek a "douchebag" on a list of Jandek fans is entirely uncalled for. I don't care who you are or what you think, that's just unfair. 

As far as the Richmond show goes, it was a free jazz show, to me and to many others I spoke to who were there. While I know Jandek more than I know free jazz, I'm pretty sure what was going on onstage was closer to free jazz than "traditional Jandek" per se. I loved it. Everyone I know loved it. I don't understand how Richmond (one of the way tighter, more accessible performances he's done) could come off as "tedious", or that he was alienating any of the other musicians. Mr. Graham, I'm not sure if you yourself are a musician or not, but I am, and if I were onstage myself, I could follow what Jandek was doing pretty easily. It wasn't meandering at all! Each song had a pretty cemented vibe going, and I thought it was obvious that the players were all playing off of each other while not so much "closely following" Jandek's leads, but moreso giving him an appropriate sonic backdrop to decorate with his own things. 

Livesets that seem a bit more spaced apart and jagged, like Austin Sunday or the Bristol sets that aren't released yet, seem to aim more for mood than musicality, in an ambient way. I like that about it too. It doesn't always have to contain a common thread for the listener to follow, as long as it creates the appropriate room or tunnel or alleyway for Jandek to deliver his writing in. Shows like that are definitely more about the words. 

Anyway, now I just sound like every other person blabbing on about Jandek on the "Jandek On Corwood" DVD, and I'm in no way considering myself an authority on him, or even thinking that my opinion holds up against yours. I just think you've been extremely shortsighted and that Richmond was an amazing show, and that calling the man a "douchebag" is really out of line. 

And also, I strongly disagree with you about On The Way. That's a beautiful record to me and the spare percussion added into "I'll Sit Alone" seems to work really well for my ears, as it makes the whole song seem very "of the moment" and captured almost accidentally. Like I just imagine a room of players with Jandek, they're all tired and sitting on the floor and chatting after working themselves through some very active jamming, and "Eddie" or whoever he is just sings this really nonchalantly delivered song, very loose and lazy but still very pretty and sincere. All the room noises and occasional drum sounds seem to add to the "unplanned" recording of that song, to me. 

Just shows how relative this music really is. 


Brian


 
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