Is your relationship with Marilyn Mansion the kind of friendship where youâd call each other up when things seemed to be going badly for the other one. Say, during the aftermath of Columbine âŠ
Iâm sorry, but to me thatâs a silly question.
Why?
Because it presupposes that those situations needed attending to. I think those things, and some of the things Iâve been through, theyâre false narratives. Theyâre not real narratives. Heâs brilliant in that he can intuitively identify those false narratives and rather than run from them he goes straight at them. We need people like that.
Do you think youâve suffered from false narratives throughout your career?
I think thatâs obvious. Iâm laughing because I thought for sure I would get really strong reviews for our new album [Monuments to an Elegy], based on all the feedback I was getting. But Iâm getting the same reviews I got back in the day, these kind of middling, muddling reviews that just wonât fucking say: âThis is a fucking brilliant album from a brilliant artist.â Itâs always got to have a qualifier to it. So my point is this: I made, according to most people, two classic albums in my life. But go back and read those reviews â I got the same type of reviews then as Iâm getting now! People assume we got great reviews back then â we got shit reviews. So itâs weird because this is like: âHere I go again.â I strike on to something fresh, fans are going fucking nuts, everyoneâs excited, and weâve got to have some fucking guy going: âOh I donât know how to feel about this.â
You feel like the reviews are pre-written?
Yes. I think these are false narratives. The old guard sets up gatekeepers who decide who is in and who is out. The joke for me is that Iâve been on the fucking outside for 25 years and yet here I am. My whole point is â at what point do I get invited inside?
Do you even want to be invited inside?
I do.
I donât understand why youâre bothered by what critics think if fans are liking the record.
Itâs bad for business. If youâre Martin Scorsese and youâve got a new picture coming out, you want good reviews, because then more people see your film. So if you make a good album then you deserve a fair review of your work, especially after being in the culture for 25 fucking years. But I realise now Iâm not going to get my due from that culture.
Via The Guardian