[PREV - BANGS_CHOPS]    [TOP]

CROSS_OF_OAK

                                             April 24, 2013

   Consider the case of Phil Och's
   "The Crucifixtion".

   This a truly brilliant song, really
   well crafted, with some great lines.          The album version of it
                                                 shows some brilliant,
                                                 creative production as
   In some respects it might be                  well-- but not the sort
   better not to know anything                   of thing to endear one to
   about the historical context of               traditional folkies.
   the song, however-- Ochs was
   originally thinking about the
   assassination of Kennedy, and      It can also lead
   in that light, the whole           to some really
   production can seem                trite summaries:     Ochs' phrasing
   ridiculously overblown and         "--but then the      works better:
   pretentious.                       haters come out."
                                                           "... beneath the
       "God help the critic                                greatest love is a
        of the dawn."                                      hurricane of hate."

       Was "Camelot" supposed
       to be "the dawn"?


               This example shoots down
               many oversimplified
               esthetic positions:

               o   Should you avoid overreaching
                   and never risk being
                   accused of pretentiousness?

                      If Och's had taken that to
                      heart-- and many have--        NEO-IRONY
                      this brilliant piece of
                      work would never have been         NULL_HINGED
                      created.

               o   Is it important to
                   understand the artist's
                   intent, the historical
                   context of a creation?

                      Well not always.

                      Sometimes you should
                      just look at what's
                      there.



--------
[NEXT - DEAD_METAPHOR]