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Date Posted: 22:21:40 07/19/03 Sat
Author: Paul B.
Subject: give her a break

This is to all those who are being super critical of the new CD.

First of all, I've been a fan since Exile in Guyville. I have been listening to that CD for 10 years, I keep coming back to it, probably more than any other CD in my collection.

As an artist, Liz Phair has the right to do whatever she wants. As fans, we can appreciate what she's doing, or we can get turned off, but we have no right to tell her what to do. And critics should not set someone on a pedestal and judge them by some imaginary standard like "independent".

If she had produced another Guyville, there would be fans and critics that would say she hasn't grown, same old Liz.

So what, she worked with the Matrix. So what, the Matrix did Advil Laverne. Just take the blue pill if you don't like it.

The thing I always liked about listening to Liz Phair is the way it felt like she was singing to me. That she was letting me know her. I don't feel betrayed; I still hear Liz on the new CD. And I'm happy for her. She does what she wants, she doesn't owe anybody anything. She wanted songs that can be cranked in a car with the windows down. I think she has succeeded wonderfully. I know I am playing the CD loud in the car, and enjoying it. And there's a bit of a joke in it too. She has every right to play with her image, it seems she gets the joke and none of her fans do. Take a look at the pictures in the CD. She's mimicking Britney Spears in one of them. Then listen to "Rock Me" and "Extraordinary". She's making a statement that's very much in line with what she has always stood for, and having fun doing it. It's a very empowering statement about women in general, and women in the music business in particular. Remember what "Guyville" is? What "Exile in Guyville" refers to?

Every one of these new songs is worth it. Just like everything on Guyville is. And if it's successful, mainstream successful, even better for her. Why should she have to struggle as an artist, to make her fans happy? What kind of nonsense is that?

I'm very happy for her, very happy to hear more music from her after so long, and wish her the best. Give her a break. Stop feeling like she owed you anything, stop feeling betrayed. Get over it, get on with your life. Get yourself an open mind and listen to this new CD a couple dozen times. I bet it took a few listenings of Guyville before you truly appreciated it. You'll see this is still Liz Phair. If she ever touched you, made you care about her with her music, made you feel like she understood you, then you'll cut her some slack. You owe her that much. If you're wrapped up in your own elitist, independent music world, and feel personally affronted because she did what she wanted to do and not what you wanted her to do, then you have every right to not listen to the new CD, but you have no right to call her a sell out or be bitter and attack her about it.

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[> elitist, independent music world... -- Chrissie, 01:32:33 07/21/03 Mon

All I have to say is...RIGHT ON...You summed it up amazingly Paul. I couldn't have done it better myself.


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