Are the artists writing their own reviews

sadananthan · Post by **sadananthan** » 02 May 2008, 01:53

Of late I am curious about the â€œconcert reviewsâ€

uday_shankar · Post by **uday_shankar** » 02 May 2008, 02:08

sadananthan wrote:Incidentally, few years ago I hosted a Carnatic musician and as soon as he came home after the concert, he went straight to my bed room and posted a superlative review of his own concert! I know it because he needed my help to do the job.

With a statement like that floating around, one can safely conclude that countless useless neuron are currently firing in the gossip lobes of the brains of hundreds of rasikas.

Very soon you'll receive requests to reveal the identity via private email.

Your takeaway moral of the story: Never ever talk publicly about what happened in your bedroom.

fuddyduddy · Post by **fuddyduddy** » 02 May 2008, 03:13

I guess having our pictures with our id's will help, as previously suggested on a thread but then who can guarantee that everyone posts the original picture....
Well, TM Krishna finished about 15 concerts in the US so far this year and there was a thread asking why there was no review... And I remember responding to it saying that I will be attending the East coast concerts and will post a song list..
So, just want to clear the doubt that I'm not TMKrishna

Wanted to clarify since my user name is found in both the DC and NJ concert, which probably gave sadananthan the doubt!!

naaree · Post by **naaree** » 02 May 2008, 03:51

And I can confirm that fuddyduddy is NOT repeat NOT TMK.

NS

srikrishna · Post by **srikrishna** » 02 May 2008, 04:04

Certainly, TM Krishna did not come across as a person who would write a review for his concert when we interacted with him during his visit to College Station, TX for a concert last month. He seemed very reasonable and articulate. I do not think he will stoop to this level and spoil his reputation. On the contrary, I found him to be quite confident about his abilities and to be a person who is willing to stick his neck out for what he believes in. His concert was received well by serious rasikas in College Station (I mean those who have learned Carnatic music for at least 15 years and have been performing in Chennai and USA. I certainly am not one of them). As an enthusiastic listener, I found his concert enjoyable. He sang an RTP in Bilahari here, and the main ragam was Kalyani (Talli ninnu nera namminaanu). The other pieces that I remember he sang here are: Sujana Jeevana in Khamas, O Jagadamba in Ananda Bhairavi, Nenarunchinaanu in Maalavi. I could only listen to this concert in pieces as I was also babysitting my child.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 May 2008, 04:04

And TMK is not a fuddy-duddy either!

Uday, that was funny!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 May 2008, 04:21

srikrishna,
Agreed. TMK is not a newbie who is desparate for recognition, for heavens sake! He has reached a stage in his career when a grand review or a lesser one wouldn't either thrill him or agitate him, I think. I am sure he is professional enough to take it all in his stride.

As for Sangeetham, it wasn't a mouth piece for Sanjay. It was a meeting place and a source of knowledge for many. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here at the Rasikas, continuing what was started by Sanjay and Sriram.
While gossip magazines appeal to a number of people--no harm in that, I suppose--this forum can do very well without juicy tidbits whose validity is questionable and is not worth our while. I hope those who frown upon our horsing around a bit pay attention when the grapevine threatens to become jack's beanstalk...

fuddyduddy · Post by **fuddyduddy** » 02 May 2008, 05:16

naaree - thanks for vouching for my identity! now people may think that i'm tmk and u are rkshriramkumar

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 02 May 2008, 06:32

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 02 May 2008, 09:11

sadananthan wrote:with the demise of that site, Sri Subramaniam also slipped into oblivion.

I am sure Sri Sanjay feels extremely upset about his 'slipping into oblivion', considering the poor guy can only manage about 150 concerts per year. How sad that his personal marketign behemoth that was sangeetham.com is no longer around

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 02 May 2008, 09:53

Prashant, you've hit the nail on the head!

paddu · Post by **paddu** » 02 May 2008, 12:08

What is the purpose of a Review ?

For the mass (someone like me) it is the song list
For the class and the artist - what was good and what was not so good?

If a review is not serving its purpose, both the class and the mass can figure it out.
Personally, as a rasika, I always take these review comments with pinch of salt.
And if I like an artist, I will attend the concert no matter what the review says.
(like if someone said Taare Zameen Par is a boring movie, I would still go, just to see my favourite actor Aamir Khan)
Marketing strategies can get the initial crowd but cannot make them stay (Saawariya,Tashan.. are very good egs.)

So even if an artist is blowing his own trumpet, Yeh public hai Babu, yeh saab jaan thi hai.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 02 May 2008, 13:01

There is only one big question that this thread raises for me...

Who is sadananthan?

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 02 May 2008, 16:51

Good question, Nick.

Humour aside, I am just surprised by the relatively mild responses to a rather outrageous post.

i_srinivasan · Post by **i_srinivasan** » 02 May 2008, 19:13

Indeed the post by Sadanathan is "outrageous" You can very well ignore it and move on rather than making a big hooh-haah. IMO acknowledging such conspiracy theories would be akin to legitimising non-issues and lead us to no man's land!

mri_fan · Post by **mri_fan** » 02 May 2008, 19:37

I feel like in reading a transcript of Spartacus

I AM SPARTACUS! (tmk!)

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 02 May 2008, 19:44

mahavishnu wrote:Good question, Nick.

Humour aside, I am just surprised by the relatively mild responses to a rather outrageous post.

I don't think any of us really took it seriously!

--- people who post reviews on this site are mostly known to, at least a number of us.

--- We are only too familiar with the glowing reports of performances written by fathers and other relatives, usually to promote their young.

--- Ultimately, whilst we mostly probably believe in the integrity of most artists, there are always going to be a few!

Perhaps we've used up our indignation this week on artists attacking their critics. Yes, I'd believe that some write their own reviews, sometimes.

Whatever...

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 02 May 2008, 19:58

fuddyduddy is NOT repeat NOT TMK.

NOT NOT TMK = TMK (double negative

That is in writing but verbaly
NOT TMK (naughty tmk) which is acceptable

In that case he deserves uday (a kick ..in tamil

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 02 May 2008, 21:28

Gossip mill, while mostly ignored here, also gives rise to humorous responses.
Nick,
It is sadA (always) Anandam (though not bliss, here, the other lesser meaning of the word--fun)!

i_srinivasan,
I did request folks to pay attention when the gossip vine rears its head and to stem it before it gets to be Jack's beanstalk. One way of doing it is to laugh it off instead of taking up the cudgels against the perpetrator.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 03 May 2008, 10:44

may be we can use "sadananthan" as a sort of generic term to indicate "a malcontent, possibly closet performer who gets his kicks from defaming successful artists in public even when they can see through his sinister intent"

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 03 May 2008, 13:45

Why do people always go after the messenger when they don't agree with the message?

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 03 May 2008, 15:50

ragam-talam wrote:Why do people always go after the messenger when they don't agree with the message?

Probably because he/she is not a messenger but a 'MESSAGER'!
A messenger who brings his/her own 'MESSAGE'

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 May 2008, 17:37

The messenger and the message very often have a great deal in common

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 May 2008, 17:54

Just like every bit of 'news' is tainted by 'views', every message carries the essence of the messenger (at least partly) on fora like these. So, yes, the messenger/messager does expose himself/herself to being critiqued. The point is that if one does not believe in the message, and is going to get defensive, then, it is better not to post/carry that message.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 May 2008, 18:49

There are messages ---and there are allegations.

With allegations such as have been made here, what to do with the 'alligator'?

.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 03 May 2008, 19:17

Nick
Wait for a day for something like this to happen

On a Blue Monday Morning , The school teacher was surprised to hear a feeble voice on her Phone..
I am sorry that Little Johny is down with fever today and wont be able to come to school.

Teacher : Thank you.And may I know to whom I am talking to , now ?

Voice on the Phone : This is My Mother speaking .

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 03 May 2008, 19:37

This is My Mother speaking .

'engappan kudirukkuLLe ille' - 'My father is not in the grain-hold' - a Tamil usage

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 03 May 2008, 21:50

Little Johny can't come to school today as his father is sick in bed and the pig has to be fed.

Utterly off-topic, of course, but Cool's post couldn't fail to remind me of that one.

I do recall reducing an entire office to hysterics, by telling a caller who thought I was my boss, "This isn't Mr J. speaking --- just so you know who you're talking to". Hmmm.

I've been wanting to confess my secret identity as a rising carnatic star in need of internet PR --- but I just had to face the truth that I am not one! oh well...

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 03 May 2008, 21:57

This thread triggered a thought...
How about getting artistes to actively write reviews of their own concerts?
It would be interesting to hear what mistakes they feel they made, where they could have improved, etc. - and of course in which places they felt they did better than they expected. It could give us a different perspective, from that of someone who listens passively to them.

Of course, a review of this kind would require an artiste with a certain level of honesty and maturity.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 03 May 2008, 23:31

ragam-talam wrote:This thread triggered a thought...
How about getting artistes to actively write reviews of their own concerts?
It would be interesting to hear what mistakes they feel they made, where they could have improved, etc. - and of course in which places they felt they did better than they expected. It could give us a different perspective, from that of someone who listens passively to them.

Of course, a review of this kind would require an artiste with a certain level of honesty and maturity.

Dear r-t,
I bet if you know an artist really well & if they know you know enough they will definitely discuss in PRIVATE their failings as well as what they attempted & what they actually delivered. I have no reason to believe that EVOLUTION has moved so fast that in a generation Musicians have evolved from what GNB, MMI & SSI were in this aspect! However when I meet younger persons esp. children on my annual visits to Chennai I wonder maybe Evolution has speeded up in Newtnian time......vkv

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 May 2008, 00:54

Writing their own reviews? That will be the day! Even supposing there is one who would do it on the forum--how would it help him or us? We get enough rap reviewing as rasikAs (who are supposed to be objective).
I imagine the following reactions, should that happen:
Even if he says he was pleased with the AlApanA of one particular rAgA:
Does he think he has sung the ultimate in the rAgA? The alApanA of so and so that I heard in 1948! Even the one I heard last week sung by so and so (has to be the other popular musician)!
If the musician speaks with humility and says, 'I could have sung that RTP better'. the response could be:
Ha! I thought he did his best! If he admits to it, well, I would say that's all he can manage even if he tries. Average is his name!
And think of a hundred other responses.
Then again, many of them have a fragile ego and wouldn't want to deal with anything more than the reviews others write.
Let singers perform, rasikAs listen and reviewers say their bit, whatever it is worth.
Performing is work enough. Carrying on without being distracted (distressed) by poor accompanists, the sound, ill-behaved audience
is all stress enough. Write their own review? I don't think so!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 04 May 2008, 01:26

Has it been attempted by anyone? (I mean, not furtively!)

gn.sn42 · Post by **gn.sn42** » 04 May 2008, 03:34

arasi wrote:Writing their own reviews? That will be the day!

I remember reading some excellent reviews by mridangam, manakkalsriram, and prashant on this board.

mri_fan · Post by **mri_fan** » 04 May 2008, 04:00

My Review of my most recent concert:

I performed an extensive Mohanakalyani (Bhuvaneswari) today ( a one song concert) with no swarams, ragam or nirvel It was memorable and fabulous and probably the best ever!

Location was a very serene and relaxing environment.

Accompaniment was provided by cascading water and the sound of water draining from my tub

Fortunately, attendance was sparse.

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 04 May 2008, 04:23

Isn't there a adage which says that if a tree falls in the forest would there be a sound if no one is there to hear it... or something like that?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 04 May 2008, 05:04

Just as a few famous artistes forbid their performances being recorded and distributed, they can also forbid reviews through legal injunctions! Then this Forum will have to add to the policy statement that no review should be posted here unless it is one's own or been approved by that artiste! In fact the performing artistes can form a 'Guild' to safeguard their 'Intellectual Property Rights' like other professionals.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 May 2008, 07:31

What next, CML? That we can enter the hall only if the main artiste approves of our rasikA stature?

Lakshman,
Lovely saying! The performers DO want us to be around while they spread their wares!

gn.sn42,
Yes, they do. However, they speak of fellow artistes who they performed with. They don't say a word about their own playing. We welcome that because, as Ravi puts it, it is 'a ringside' review and is well appreciated.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 04 May 2008, 10:52

I don't know what country has laws so severe that an artist can take out an injunction to prevent the audience talking about their performance?

Of course, if it could be construed a matter of 'national security'...

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 04 May 2008, 15:21

ragam-talam wrote:This thread triggered a thought...
How about getting artistes to actively write reviews of their own concerts?

<snip>

Of course, a review of this kind would require an artiste with a certain level of honesty and maturity.

Sanjay has mentioned in some interview that often when he thinks he has put on a good performance, the audience response is lukewarm and on days when he feels that it was just an okay performance, the audience response has been terrific. He seemed to be somewhat resigned about this.