The “top videos of the 90s” list that’s up at Pitchfork right now is interesting in that it’s not the usual decade-retrospective staff list voted on by all the writers - which implies an expression of critical consensus - but the singular creation of Scott Plagenhoef, and he uses the opportunity to advance a particular critical argument of the 90s as a precursor to the new sincerity of today’s indie culture. I like this, but it also reminded me of the piece I wrote for Idolator called “On Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ and 90s Revisionism.” Though Scott uses the word “irony” in the intro, it appears nowhere else in the piece, despite being such a strong presence in the contemporaneous critical discussion of that decade. And that seems problematic to me…
Funny, maybe I’m just behind the times, but my impression was always that indie defined itself by that Stephin Merritt “catharsis in art is always embarrassing” quote - unless tempered with a dash of self-aware embarrassment a la Pinkerton/Morrissey… or if it’s more musically expansive, it falls on the somewhat arbitrarily determined side of “cool” (Springsteen, Arcade Fire yes; U2, Muse, most metal no).
But speaking of revisionism: ’90s Tori Amos. I think you once labelled her lyrics “obviously embarrassing” in passing, and I didn’t respond then - but I consider her a truly visionary artist, as many people evidently did, or still do. Emblematically of her apparent whitewashing from history, Pitchfork originally ranked Little Earthquakes as the eighth-best album of the 1990s, but when they revised the list a few years later, it was left off entirely. So maybe the listmaking process is democratic, and the site’s staff/aesthetic changed, but surely good music is inherent?
I suspect that of all the acclaimed artists of that decade, she’s been dealt the roughest hand in retrospect, for a variety of reasons. Though thank god the “yes, she also has a vagina” Kate Bush comparisons have largely worn off, instead of claiming Kate’s “genius” mantle as she may or may not deserve, she’s been lumped in unfairly with the Lilith Fair crowd “off with the fairies”/group therapy stereotypes. The divisive quality of her recent output certainly can’t account for the diminished esteem - hell, you can’t shut people up about Weezer, and they only had two great albums.
Failing a wide-scale reevaluation of her work, I’d at least like to know why this is… Not to speak for any of her detractors, but part of me suspects it’s part of the continuing lazy, sexist dismissals of “weird” female musicians, combined with that indie sense of cool, which Bjork’s attained whilst being at least as supposedly weird and/or lyrically inscrutable. And Courtney Love may have it worse for being both more outspoken and more visibly in decline, but Hole are still admired, and hey, at least the establishment pays attention when she puts out new records!
I think it’s fair to say that dealing with uncomfortable emotions with brutal, unsentimental honesty, utterly devoid of self-pity, isn’t cheesy. Nor is externalising it exhibitionist if it resonates artistically. But it is difficult. Yet arguably no group of fans in all music have been as broadly, profoundly emotionally affected by an artist’s work as we “Toriphiles”; certain fans’ ongoing willingness to follow her on entire tours attests to that. So I’m not calling anyone out personally, and the quote was hardly intended as definitive, but to call Tori Amos “obviously embarrassing” feels a little insulting when many identify so strongly with her - not because I or anyone else is necessarily a victim in need of therapy, but because to us, she just about represents pure empathy in music. And it’s nowhere near a Celine Dion-esque critically reviled, “for the fans” situation - just where has all that goodwill gone?
If, whether or not it’s embarrassing music, we’re not really embarrassing as people, I’d also like to think musical taste, especially indie/”cool” status, doesn’t exist as a superiority complex. Not over other people, nor the aesthetics with which they may identify.
end rant. I really hope I don’t sound like I’m accusing anyone of anything. Related: I need to reread Carl Wilson’s examination of Let’s Talk About Love.
