MARCH 2018

ISSUE 01

Ann Powers
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In this issue, we talk with NPR's music critic Ann Powers:
Why do different critical voices matter?
The critic is a conduit through which the meaning of an artwork flows – but not an empty vessel. Her own subjectivity, constructed over a lifetime of processing particular experiences, allows her to notice and interpret elements of the work that others might not grasp. This is true whatever gender the critic, but for years, decades, criticism was usually assumed to represent a view that aimed to be universal – a gold standard of judgment uninfluenced by “the personal.” In fact, that standard was gendered male (and raced white). The best women critics were always important because they were great at what they did, whether or not they foregrounded their gender – most didn’t before the 1960s, because they wanted to be taken seriously rather than being banished to the “women’s pages” of their publications.
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"We need to grasp that multiple viewpoints can coexist and be equally valid. That will only ever happen if the critics and curators connecting the work and the world are themselves equally multifarious."
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With the advent of the Internet came a toppling of hierarchies that suddenly meant anyone with a writing voice and the luxury of time could present her work to the world. This great development also meant that women and people of color could find and interact with each other, and communities began to form. At the same time, the viewpoints of women and people of color are still too often associated with protest, quirky individuality and other forms of “otherness,” just as they are in the arts themselves. We need to cultivate an understanding of creative expression as fundamentally various and complex; we need to grasp that multiple viewpoints can coexist and be equally valid. That will only ever happen if the critics and curators connecting the work and the world are themselves equally multifarious.
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What inspired you to be a critic?
I loved rock and roll; I loved writing. So (as a teenager) I found a way to do both at once. Also, because I was a girl and I didn’t want to be a performer, I often felt that I needed some kind of special passport to be enter the rock and roll scene. Girls who just “hung out” were rarely embraced simply as fans, much less so as experts; they must be groupies, many guys though. Being a writer gave me a reason that was also a kind of magic cloak.
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What music are you excited about right now?
What I’m excited about in music changes weekly, because my job is very oriented around discovery. But right now two trends stand out for me. In my hometown of Nashville, and in fact throughout the South and the West, there’s a young cohort of singer-songwriters refreshing old traditions from country to blues to the Lauren Canyon confessional style. And in the imaginary kingdom of punk and indie rock, women are asserting themselves in all kinds of fascinating ways, making the best music in those genres.
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What “hidden gem” do you think deserves more attention?
There’s so much music released now, virtually everything beyond the pop charts is a hidden gem on some level. I’ll call attention to Mary Gauthier’s remarkable album Rifles & Rosary Beads. Mary is a longtime favorite in the Nashville singer-songwriter community. She made this album in workshops with soldiers, about their experiences in war in the Middle East. It’s incredibly powerful to hear what she and these sensitive, insightful heroes made together.
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Claudia Puig
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...and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Claudia Puig:
Why do different critical voices matter?
Critical voices matter more than ever in the world we live today. We have an unprecedented number of entertainment choices so the guidance and acumen of critical voices is essential. With the vast array of opinions expressed via social media, critical perspectives that are well-reasoned are all the more valuable, even indispensable. Voices that rise above the cacophony on social media are those that offer the greatest context, wisdom and creative analysis. Additionally, having a breadth of diverse critical voices is all the more crucial, not just to reflect a diverse audience, but to speak to the differing concerns and issues of a wide expanse of people.
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What “hidden gem” do you think deserves more attention?
There are so many hidden gems I’ve seen over the years. The first ones that come to mind are: Ex-Machina, The Brothers Bloom, Bottle Rocket, Kedi, Beach Rats, Infinitely Polar Bear and I Don’t Feel At Home in this World Anymore.
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What inspired you to be a critic?
I have been a film lover since I was a child. I was raised by parents who were cinephiles—but their tastes differed. My father was a fan of foreign cinema and filmmakers like Fellini, Visconti, Bunuel and Truffaut. My mother loved classic American films. Both encouraged me to watch their favorites with them so I was exposed to great movies at an early age. I loved reading and writing going back to when I first learned how to do both. I knew I wanted to make my life’s work something in which I was always learning and also imparting what I’d learned via writing. Journalism fit the bill exactly. I began my writing career as a journalist covering crime, courts and city government. Then I went on to writing about movies and television and some music. After 12 years writing objectively, I wanted a new challenge: to write criticism. And I had always loved critical essays and been a longtime film aficionado, so I approached my editors at USA Today about writing criticism. I began writing film reviews in 2001 and then also added some book reviews in 2012. It’s been such a joy and honor to review thousands of films over the last 17 years, in print, on television (KNBC, KCET), on radio (NPR, KPCC) and via podcast (Film Week).
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"...having a breadth of diverse critical voices is all the more crucial, not just to reflect a diverse audience, but to speak to the differing concerns and issues of a wide expanse of people."
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What films are you excited about right now?
I am super excited about Black Panther, not only for its well-told, deftly acted and masterfully directed story that had profound resonance, but because of the change its huge success could mean for more inclusive filmmaking by major studios. The most exciting movie of the previous year for me was Get Out, which had so much to say about race in the U.S. and was consistently entertaining in the way it spoke volumes about essential issues.
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