Re: “Much ado about Lana Del Rey: Is there such a thing as being too pretty for indie?” by Miles Raymer, September 29
Impressive. With this article, Lana Del Ray has already run through the full “adoration, backlash, reappraisal” cycle before even releasing an official recording. This is a danger of a generation that defines itself by the pop culture it consumes (and even beyond that, the manner in which it consumes pop culture, i.e., whether you like something or “like” it)—you risk unfairly jumping on or burning down an emerging artist (or show, fad, etc.) and trying to strip-mine its meaning, judge it and move on before they even get a chance to establish themselves.
If all this Nevermind nostalgia-tripping should have shown us anything it’s that artists can take a while to find their voice and sometimes to make a decision to eschew some measure of “credibility” for the chance to be heard. The decision might be justifiable, it might not, but Jesus Christ give it time to be judged on its own merits. You may not like the background of the Sex Pistols or the Monkees but you’d be stupid to let that ruin “Anarchy in the U.K.” or “I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone.” —John Michael
The real lesson should be that measures of “credibility,” especially so-called “indie cred,” are a waste of an artist’s time. At the end of the day, any artists worried about “credibility” are really just placing themselves at the mercy of fashion victims who don’t have the balls to go up on stage and do it themselves. Does anyone really want the approval of some dude wearing his sister’s jeans rolled up to the calves? —rick
This is Myles’s mother. Please say nice things about my son Myles and his lovely article. I always believed in Myles. He makes the best tapioca pudding too. He always wears two right shoes because he thinks he is right all the time. —MylesraymersMOM
Hey Miles! Tell your mom how to spell your name. —Philip Montoro