Post by browny on Apr 20, 2008 18:54:06 GMT
Apologies if this has already been posted, couldn't see it like.
But The Guardian have published what is apparantly Liam's response to their awful review of St Jude.
Response
There's no misogyny in my band or our music
It's unfair to misquote my lyrics and portray me as 'sneering, arrogant and aggressive', says Liam Fray
Liam Fray The Guardian, Friday April 18 2008
As a singer and a songwriter you accept from the beginning that putting yourself out there - playing live and releasing records - will bring criticism from both the public and the professionals. Since I started the Courteeners, I've always tried to remember that when harsh words are thrown our way.
However, the Guardian review of our album went way beyond this (Rock and pop reviews, Film & Music, April 4). By misquoting my lyrics to suggest that I would like to stick a syringe in a girl's eye (for the record: it was arm; a male friend; and the whole thing is not about being violent in any way), as well as generally implying a certain misogynistic attitude in our group, the reviewer crossed the line in a way that demands a response.
Being a "Liam" and from Manchester, no doubt this isn't the last time that this perception will rear its head in regard to me and the band. Being from the north still seems to trigger certain preconceptions among critics, and the first in that line is generally a lack of sophistication. Whether it's the accent or the perceived legacy, northern bands are repeatedly saddled with cliches about birds, footie and fighting, which is just ridiculous.
I grew up in Manchester listening to the Smiths, James and the Stone Roses. The ability of these artists to remove me from an ordinary life and suggest something more exciting and meaningful was what drove me to start writing and then to form this band with three of my oldest friends. None of those groups fit into the traditional southern view of a northern group. They were by turns poetic, intellectual, hedonistic, magical even. None of them espoused violence or lack of respect towards women, and neither do we.
I suppose you could say that in our case the reviewer just misheard and that it wasn't intentional. That may well be the case, but being called "sneering, arrogant and aggressive" in a national newspaper on the basis of multiple falsehoods takes some time to digest.
Pop music is the life and soul of this country: the tunes that soundtrack the TV programmes and scream out of the radio are also the tunes that spark lives and make the bleakest moments somehow bearable.
As artists we pour our heart and soul into our songs and our gigs; we care passionately and deeply about our performances - recorded or live - and I think it isn't asking much of those who criticise those performances to equal that passion and commitment by judging us on facts and truths rather than prejudices and presumptions.
I don't expect or want an easy ride from the critics; I don't really care whether they like my band - although it's nice when anyone does. But I do want them to care about music. It's tempting to characterise the review as "sneering, arrogant and aggressive", but that wouldn't be my style. I'll leave that sort of stuff to the critics.
ยท Liam Fray is the lead singer, songwriter and lyricist for the Courteeners thecourteeners@aol.com
The original review -
music.guardian.co.uk/rock/reviews/story/0,,2270709,00.html
That review talks so much bullshit, has the reviewer even listened to the album?!
The response is bleedin' fantastic!
But The Guardian have published what is apparantly Liam's response to their awful review of St Jude.
Response
There's no misogyny in my band or our music
It's unfair to misquote my lyrics and portray me as 'sneering, arrogant and aggressive', says Liam Fray
Liam Fray The Guardian, Friday April 18 2008
As a singer and a songwriter you accept from the beginning that putting yourself out there - playing live and releasing records - will bring criticism from both the public and the professionals. Since I started the Courteeners, I've always tried to remember that when harsh words are thrown our way.
However, the Guardian review of our album went way beyond this (Rock and pop reviews, Film & Music, April 4). By misquoting my lyrics to suggest that I would like to stick a syringe in a girl's eye (for the record: it was arm; a male friend; and the whole thing is not about being violent in any way), as well as generally implying a certain misogynistic attitude in our group, the reviewer crossed the line in a way that demands a response.
Being a "Liam" and from Manchester, no doubt this isn't the last time that this perception will rear its head in regard to me and the band. Being from the north still seems to trigger certain preconceptions among critics, and the first in that line is generally a lack of sophistication. Whether it's the accent or the perceived legacy, northern bands are repeatedly saddled with cliches about birds, footie and fighting, which is just ridiculous.
I grew up in Manchester listening to the Smiths, James and the Stone Roses. The ability of these artists to remove me from an ordinary life and suggest something more exciting and meaningful was what drove me to start writing and then to form this band with three of my oldest friends. None of those groups fit into the traditional southern view of a northern group. They were by turns poetic, intellectual, hedonistic, magical even. None of them espoused violence or lack of respect towards women, and neither do we.
I suppose you could say that in our case the reviewer just misheard and that it wasn't intentional. That may well be the case, but being called "sneering, arrogant and aggressive" in a national newspaper on the basis of multiple falsehoods takes some time to digest.
Pop music is the life and soul of this country: the tunes that soundtrack the TV programmes and scream out of the radio are also the tunes that spark lives and make the bleakest moments somehow bearable.
As artists we pour our heart and soul into our songs and our gigs; we care passionately and deeply about our performances - recorded or live - and I think it isn't asking much of those who criticise those performances to equal that passion and commitment by judging us on facts and truths rather than prejudices and presumptions.
I don't expect or want an easy ride from the critics; I don't really care whether they like my band - although it's nice when anyone does. But I do want them to care about music. It's tempting to characterise the review as "sneering, arrogant and aggressive", but that wouldn't be my style. I'll leave that sort of stuff to the critics.
ยท Liam Fray is the lead singer, songwriter and lyricist for the Courteeners thecourteeners@aol.com
The original review -
music.guardian.co.uk/rock/reviews/story/0,,2270709,00.html
That review talks so much bullshit, has the reviewer even listened to the album?!
The response is bleedin' fantastic!
