the review.
the archives.
Am not!
Is it ever appropriate for an artist to respond to a review?
I have to say, the vast majority of responses I've read send my opinion of the artist into the gutter. They typically fall into one of two categories: the angry pottymouth (especially popular among musicians) and the condescending pedant (found more among writers).
You've seen these before. For examples of the former, pick up an "alternative" newsweekly in any city in the world, and I'll bet you'll find a few letters complaining that the editors shouldn't send ******** who don't even ******* like music let alone understand it, to review a ******** rock show, often larded with comments speculating on the size of various parts of the reviewer's anatomy.
Yeah, I have a lot of respect for people like that.
The second type, the if-you-were-smarter-I-wouldn't-have-to-waste-my-time-explaining-myself type, are more likely found in publications devoted solely to books, and equally likely to elicit eye-rolls.
I long ago resolved that if (when?) I get the damn novel published, I am not even going to read reviews, let alone ever respond to one. It only ever makes things worse.
But what if the complaint is justified?
For example, take this review excerpt:
Adam, who apparently got a digital cam last Christmas, brings it down to earth. He has no sense of how to capture bodies in motion.
Now, you could choose to not take this review seriously, as its snide tone clearly indicates the writer was trying to be clever, not accurate. But it suggests two things which are simply not true: first, that the film was shot on digi, when in fact it was shot on 35mm; secondly, that the director is inexperienced, when in fact he has been making dancefilms for almost a decade.
So, should the director respond? He's well within his rights. But how to respond in a way that doesn't make him look even crankier than the critic?
It's difficult to force critics and reviewers to be accountable, since so much of what they do is completely subjective. Unfortunately, it's also difficult to hold them accountable for outright lies and missatements.
Hm, maybe I should become a critic. Then I'd never have to answer to anybody. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
updated 15 november 2004. permalink
The rest of 2004 was spent chronicling what is known as "novel-writing hell." It's all right here.
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