2008 Woodie Awards
'One's taste in music
Mike Farrell
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Opinion
I have never read a more offensive editorial than Matt DeMello's piece in the previous issue of the Chronicle entitled "A&E Review 'Illegitimate'."
In the article, DeMello criticizes Leigh Maneri's review of a Michael Buble album printed a few weeks prior. He launches into a thousand-word tirade about Buble's inferiority to his influences with an almost unbearable amount of pretention, but this isn't what bothered me most about the piece. Instead, what truly frustrated me were DeMello's final two paragraphs in which he basically calls out the Arts & Entertainment section of the Chronicle for not being more discerning with the articles they print, citing that "anyone of no certain qualification can assume some greater music authority" and give any album whatever score they please.
Herein lies the dilemma with music criticism. Like all forms of art, one's taste in music is entirely subjective. While DeMello makes his views on Buble's album explicitly and overbearingly clear (his article is close to a thousand words long compared to Maneri's 130), in no way does this change the fact that Maneri still found something to enjoy in this album.
To put it simply, not every student at Quinnipiac is as culturally learned as DeMello claims to be. Were he at the meeting in which Maneri volunteered to write the Buble review, he would have seen a somewhat nervous freshman at her first Chronicle meeting ever, offering to write anything so long as she could help contribute. Seeing that the Arts & Entertainment section needed an album review for the week, she timidly explained that while she doesn't listen to a whole lot of music, she enjoyed the new Michael Buble album and would write a review of it if it would help get the paper out.
Editors Meghan Driscoll and Alexandra Capotorto had been pushing for stylistic diversity within the album review section for weeks, and coupled with always-exciting prospect of a new writer, they emphatically assigned her the piece.
In the article, DeMello criticizes Leigh Maneri's review of a Michael Buble album printed a few weeks prior. He launches into a thousand-word tirade about Buble's inferiority to his influences with an almost unbearable amount of pretention, but this isn't what bothered me most about the piece. Instead, what truly frustrated me were DeMello's final two paragraphs in which he basically calls out the Arts & Entertainment section of the Chronicle for not being more discerning with the articles they print, citing that "anyone of no certain qualification can assume some greater music authority" and give any album whatever score they please.
Herein lies the dilemma with music criticism. Like all forms of art, one's taste in music is entirely subjective. While DeMello makes his views on Buble's album explicitly and overbearingly clear (his article is close to a thousand words long compared to Maneri's 130), in no way does this change the fact that Maneri still found something to enjoy in this album.
To put it simply, not every student at Quinnipiac is as culturally learned as DeMello claims to be. Were he at the meeting in which Maneri volunteered to write the Buble review, he would have seen a somewhat nervous freshman at her first Chronicle meeting ever, offering to write anything so long as she could help contribute. Seeing that the Arts & Entertainment section needed an album review for the week, she timidly explained that while she doesn't listen to a whole lot of music, she enjoyed the new Michael Buble album and would write a review of it if it would help get the paper out.
Editors Meghan Driscoll and Alexandra Capotorto had been pushing for stylistic diversity within the album review section for weeks, and coupled with always-exciting prospect of a new writer, they emphatically assigned her the piece.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 5
Matthew DeMello
Matthew DeMello
posted 2/29/08 @ 2:50 PM EST
Dear Mike,
Excellently put! I was a little hesitant to read this at first as many friends approached me about getting 'torn apart' by this piece. To quote Andy Warhol, "Never read what they write about you, just measure it in inches. (Continued…)
Ally Arena
posted 2/29/08 @ 5:05 PM EST
Although both Mike and Matt make great points in their articles and comment, I absolutely do not find the need to point out two specific writer's for the A&E section and criticizing them. (Continued…)
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