Missing Members

Started by Cato, October 24, 2011, 07:14:12 AM

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EigenUser

Did James leave?

A shame he couldn't be nicer to people. We seemed to have very similar musical tastes, apart from most of the Stockhausen stuff. He fueled my recent fascination with the Tippett PC, too.
Beethoven's Op. 133 -- A fugue so bad that even Beethoven himself called it "Grosse".

North Star

Quote from: Soapy Molloy on May 02, 2015, 02:52:10 AM
I don't think it's a matter of niceness, having seen James respond with courtesy even when being abused in an apparently ritual fashion i.e. because it's James.  The problem is the need to be right all the time, which is in most cases a worthless pursuit, no more so than in matters of individual taste.  Hence all the threads dealing with whether this or that work or composer is or is not "the greatest", "a masterpiece", or whatever. As if it were not enough just to like something.  It's a fragile perception that depends on the agreement of others.

Yes, we all remember James' courtesy.  :)
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

Cato

Quote from: EigenUser on May 02, 2015, 01:55:38 AM
Did James leave?

Incredible!  He just wrote all kinds of things a few days ago, I thought.   He was such a disciple for Stockhausen and other experimental types.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

chadfeldheimer

Quote from: North Star on May 02, 2015, 03:06:16 AM
Yes, we all remember James' courtesy.  :)

Yes he could be quite confrontational some times (some reactions to his posts weren't either the most polite), but I also agree with Soapy Molly that he could also be quite courteous, depending on his mood I think.

The new erato

Quote from: Soapy Molloy on May 02, 2015, 02:52:10 AM
I don't think it's a matter of niceness, having seen James respond with courtesy even when being abused in an apparently ritual fashion i.e. because it's James.  The problem is the need to be right all the time, which is in most cases a worthless pursuit, no more so than in matters of individual taste.  Hence all the threads dealing with whether this or that work or composer is or is not "the greatest", "a masterpiece", or whatever. As if it were not enough just to like something.  It's a fragile perception that depends on the agreement of others.
I agree, and I will miss his posts. He was arrogant (as in always right) but when you got past that also insightful and corteous.

mc ukrneal

I am not sure why you are all talking about him in the past tense. Although he deleted some posts, he is still registered.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Gurn Blanston

Speaking as a moderator here, I do wish the taunting of James would cease. I know he has been... unpleasant, shall we say?... in the past, but as most of you will admit, he is also a poster of interesting things, and champion of some less than popular ones too. Just because someone can be a snappin' ar'sle when provoked is not then a license for everyone to provoke him. Sometimes, people need to look at themselves and they will see the same folk who go to races to see the crashes, the ones we all deplore (unless they are us).

We deal with James far more than any of you do, and the constant barrage of needling, like picadors with a bull, doesn't make it any simpler, since he is right to be irritated.

Why don't we call a moratorium on all that? If you want to interact in a positive manner on the level of music, then by all means do so. Otherwise, take the high road and if you are piqued by something he writes, then get over it and move on.

Thanks,
GB   8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

bhodges

Quote from: (: premont :) on May 01, 2015, 12:08:50 PM
Yes, I certainly do not envy you (moderators), who - dutifully - have to read those threads.  :)

Thanks for this (also speaking as a moderator). Though I confess that sometimes - mostly for time reasons lately - I'm doing no more than skimming them, making sure the participants haven't annihilated each other.  8)

And re: James, I don't have much to add to what Gurn wrote. No, I'm not the biggest fan of James's style, but - as with a few others here - it's less annoying (not to mention, less time-consuming) just to ignore, rather than incite. GMG has become a rather large (!) community, not to mention, a rather diverse one, and just like any small city, there's no guarantee that all its citizens will get along.

In any case, it's good to pause now and then, and realize that - for better or worse - people who love classical music are a pretty small subset of the population at large. The other night on Jeopardy, contestants were avoiding the "Czech Composers" category like the plague, since I'm pretty sure they didn't know much about them. ;D (And those of us who like Stockhausen - or contemporary music in general - are an even smaller club.  ;D)

But it's that love of the art form that makes people want to discuss it - most of the time very passionately - and the thing many of us have in common.

--Bruce

Ken B

Quote from: EigenUser on May 02, 2015, 01:55:38 AM
Did James leave?

A shame he couldn't be nicer to people. We seemed to have very similar musical tastes, apart from most of the Stockhausen stuff. He fueled my recent fascination with the Tippett PC, too.

Did Eigenuser leave? I ask because James was last active today, and so was Nate.

TheGSMoeller

I found Ken. (see above)

Ken B

My 2c
James got the most grief not for his taste but for his principled position that some stuff is shit and some is not.
People who would pillory him for stating this explicitly would then go on in other contexts to evince the same belief.

Karl Henning

Well, one makes oneself amusing by staking that claim, and pointing to a steaming musical artifact and claiming Ceci n'est pas la merde.   8)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Ken B

Quote from: karlhenning on May 02, 2015, 05:46:47 AM
Well, one makes oneself amusing by staking that claim, and pointing to a steaming musical artifact and claiming Ceci n'est pas la merde.   8)

Oh, I agree with you about that! But you can be right about a principle and wrong about a composition.

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: Ken B on May 02, 2015, 05:44:21 AM
My 2c
James got the most grief not for his taste but for his principled position that some stuff is shit and some is not.
People who would pillory him for stating this explicitly would then go on in other contexts to evince the same belief.

Well, exactly. As Schumann once wrote, the critic who is afraid to attack something bad is only a half-hearted supporter of something good.

I've always felt this stance we take here of "discuss your favorites, but don't say if it's great or not, because that might offend someone (and we can't have that)" is totally phony. Who's going to actually admit to liking music they think is crap?

If good old James is gone, I for one am going to miss him. Despite his deaf spots towards Mozart and Beethoven, and his excessive devotion to the later Stockhausen, he was never namby-pamby about his beliefs, and in my opinion  he was fundamentally right most of the time about contemporary music. And yes, some stuff people like here is shit.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: Ken B on May 02, 2015, 05:44:21 AM
James got the most grief not for his taste but for his principled position that some stuff is shit and some is not.

And yet I found that amusing rather than provocative. Everyone here has some variation of the same behavior. James is just shamelessly blatant about it. Knowing this, and knowing its object, most people should be able to have a grin and move on. We art music lovers are superior beings, remember?   :D

8)

(PS - Ken, I know you aren't picking, you just phrased it conveninetly for me)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on May 02, 2015, 06:15:26 AM
Everyone here has some variation of the same behavior. James is just shamelessly blatant about it.

Precisely, and people should not hide behind cloaks of self-righteousness by blaming James for what they do just as shamelessly themselves. If you're so weak that you can't take a little criticism of work you hold dear, then step aside and let the adults play. Perhaps the stuff you consider so "great" is not as good as you think it is, and perhaps you can learn from listening to others' comments.

After all, professional critics don't hesitate to say they think a work is worthy or not, and the world doesn't come to an end if a few sacred cows get poked here and there.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

Mirror Image

People are talking about James like he's gone. He's still registered. I'll keep my personal opinion on him short: he was fun to pick on, but I think he crossed the line whenever he personally insulted me in a truly disrespectful manner. I'm far from perfect and I have made mistakes on this forum (many times), but I've always apologized for my actions and, if I haven't, it's because I didn't know I offended someone or someone didn't let me know otherwise. If he wants to post, if doesn't wants to post makes no difference to me. He must have a heart of stone. You simply can't treat people however you want and not expect some kind of resistance.

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: Mirror Image on May 02, 2015, 06:31:29 AM
People are talking about James like he's gone. He's still registered. I'll keep my personal opinion on him short: he was fun to pick on, but I think he crossed the line whenever he personally insulted me in a truly disrespectful manner. I'm far from perfect and I have made mistakes on this forum (many times), but I've always apologized for my actions and, if I haven't, it's because I didn't know I offended someone or someone didn't let me know otherwise. If he wants to post, if doesn't wants to post makes no difference to me. He must have a heart of stone. You simply can't treat people however you want and not expect some kind of resistance.

And when did he insult you, John? Seriously, are you that thin of skin that an occasional criticism over the Internet from a total stranger is going to affect you so strongly?
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

Ken B

Quote from: Mirror Image on May 02, 2015, 06:31:29 AM
People are talking about James like he's gone. He's still registered. I'll keep my personal opinion on him short: he was fun to pick on, but I think he crossed the line whenever he personally insulted me in a truly disrespectful manner. I'm far from perfect and I have made mistakes on this forum (many times), but I've always apologized for my actions and, if I haven't, it's because I didn't know I offended someone or someone didn't let me know otherwise. If he wants to post, if doesn't wants to post makes no difference to me. He must have a heart of stone. You simply can't treat people however you want and not expect some kind of resistance.

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Mirror Image

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on May 02, 2015, 06:34:09 AM
And when did he insult you, John? Seriously, are you that thin of skin that an occasional criticism over the Internet from a total stranger is going to affect you so strongly?

You don't remember when he called me a cunt on the 'Greatest 20th Composer' poll/thread? Oh, I do have a thick skin and I can overlook almost all his 'attacks' if you want to call them that, but I thought this was out-of-line (even for him).