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Who the hell wants Iconic Sadness when you can have Tottering Insanity?
This is actually a subject I feel very strongly about; as a serious music nerd, I naturally find myself idolizing my favorite musicians to a certain extent, as unhealthy as that can be, so I think it's very important for music fans to choose their idols carefully. Looking up to Ian Curtis is, I think, profoundly Wrong in the general scheme of things. Suicide does not a hero make: I'd much rather look up to Mark E. Smith, who while being just as much of a self-absorbed little twit, never fails to inspire in his absolute refusal to stop doing what he's doing or compromise it in any way. It was a fantastic personal revelation to me when I decided to just put on The Fall whenever I wanted/needed to listen to Joy Division; my general artistic productivity increased, along with my sex drive, social skills, and overall well-being. I started reading more too; you kind of have to to keep up with most of what M.E.S. is blithering on about (M.R. James, Lovecraft, Camus, etc).
It REALLY bothers me that we have movies about Ian Curtis, but none about Mark E. Smith. Why is it that we're so much more inclined as a society to commend or pay attention to self-destructively romantic individuals like Mr. Curtis over the insular badassery of a man like Mark, who's been kicking life's ass for decades now and shows no signs of slowing? It's as though the only culturally acceptable way to be an Asshole is to be a Sad Asshole, which totally defuses the rebellious and idealistic message of Real Assholes like Mark E. Smith. In short, the way I see it, if you're going to listen to angular, difficult music for assholes, focus on those artists who portray aggression over anxiety, and keeping on over giving up - don't make a fucking mopefest out of it! |
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