Music from Bob Dylan, the Eagles, Public Enemy, Prince and Pavement — artists who have all commented on music critics in some way — played through the speakers in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum Monday afternoon.
It was a fitting prelude for a panel discussion of music writers who spoke on a range of topics, from how to conduct a good music interview to the role of music criticism. They told humorous anecdotes while also discussing more serious issues, such as the relationship between rock and politics.
Lorraine Ali, a contributing editor for Newsweek, said she was frustrated by how reluctant musicians have been to incorporate relevant cultural issues into their work.
“Following Sept. 11, I could not concentrate on music because there was nothing really speaking to me about the heaviness of our times,” Ali said. “Following that, I thought, ‘Give it a chance, music will catch up, music will catch up.’ It hasn’t and it’s really, really frustrating.”
Ali was joined by Alan Light, editor in chief and co-founder of Tracks Magazine, and Associated Press music writer Nekesa Moody for the Medill Crain Lecture series’ discussion “Does Rock Criticism Matter?” moderated by journalism Prof. Abe Peck.
Responding to Ali, Moody suggested that many musicians may be fearful of offending their record labels or of being seen as anti-American. Light, however, said he doesn’t think enough musicians know or care about the important issues of the day.
“I wish I could say this were a result of a corporate conspiracy, but I feel like they’re not dialed in enough to talk about the issues,” Light said. “I just don’t think they’re there.”
In sharing their personal experiences, Moody said she valued originality in her work, especially important since she writes for a national news service.
“I read everything just so I don’t get that same thing,” she said. “If I come out with something that someone else has written, I get frustrated.”
The panelists shared stories from their recent individual encounters with Prince. Although they were initially hesitant about interviewing the resurrected pop star, they said they all came away pleasantly surprised.
“What I ended up getting was so different than what I expected,” Ali said. She recounted how it took about 15 minutes for him to warm up to her, but then he was “fabulous, so above and beyond what I thought I was going to get.”
On the final topic of music downloading, both Ali and Light expressed ambivalence. But Light concluded, “Never in any situation should it be about making enemies out of kids who want to listen to music.”
Ryan Vogt, a Medill freshman, said he enjoyed the discussion but did not agree with the panelists’ opinions that music needs to be political.
“Overall, I think musicians should leave politics alone and just talk about everyday life,” Vogt said. “I think people prefer escapism. Other than that, I really enjoyed the event.”
