![]() ![]() On the other hand, he got me to read, and post this comment, so: mission accomplished, Jim DeRogatis. Piledriving “Neighbors” doesn’t prove anything. And if you ignore wider cultural significance, that renders the comparison even more meaningless. Comedy in the 70s was like the rock of the 60s.īut to walk around claiming now that Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscopo, or Lovitz/Carvey, or Will Ferrell/Cheri Oteri, were “as good” as “the overrated” Ackroyd and Belushi is silly. I grew up loving the comedy of the 70s, which was its highpoint in both creative juice and cultural importance. But all of this is “reaction to”–reaction to Beatle-worship (rather than the fact that Scorsese and Gilliam like MMT), the cult of Pepper (rather than the LP itself), McCartney’s persona (rather than his music), reaction to people saying you missed the big parade, reaction to rock music’s declining cultural importance for your entire career… ![]() Getting back to MMT: the real issue here seems to be that DeRogatis doesn’t like hippies. To judge Pepper simply as a collection of songs, is to miss the point of it entirely. That it turned out not to be isn’t the LPs fault. Pepper wasn’t just a pop culture high water mark like, say, Blonde on Blonde–it was seen as the dawning of a whole new era. Pepper wasn’t the hippies’ version of “Howl”–it was much, much, MUCH more universal. Part of Pepper’s magic is its universality, and that’s not something an us/them rock critic like DeRogatis is going to value. Pepper came along when there was a Pepper-shaped hole in the zeitgeist, and a single, non-splintered audience of kids listening, and young adults willing to hear, and even older people who could be attracted by McCartney tunes. The first thing one would have to do is divorce the LP from its cultural impact, and not only is that impossible, it’s unnecessary, unless one’s sole purpose is to “prove” Pepper wasn’t all that. Pepper one can claim it wasn’t the Beatles best but the basis of Pepper’s preeminence–the absolutely galvanic, worldwide, extended reaction of people at the time–isn’t arguable. (And why Dullblog is a sandbox offered strictly for fun.) That doesn’t make chocolate “overrated” or people who like chocolate “members of the chocolate cult.” There’s something positively teenagery about this style of writing, and it’s why our Dev is pretty much the only rock critic I can stand. A few people don’t like chocolate most do. ![]() Then there’s DeRogatis’ customary dis of Sgt Pepper “which this critic maintains is not only the most overrated album in the band’s catalog, but in all of rock history.” Well, when “this critic” is on one side of a work of art, and pretty much the entire rest of the world for 45 years has been on the other, at some point it must be entertained that “this critic”‘s opinion is malarkey. Claiming “Hello, Goodbye” as a pop gem (and slapping down “Penny Lane” in the same breath) reveals exactly what we’re in for: “I like this, because I like it and I don’t like that, because I don’t.” In a world drowning in commentary–viz. I’m sure Jim DeRogatis genuinely doesn’t like MMT–god knows its flawed as hell–but within an impossibly crowded marketplace, there’s an advantage to being That Critic Who Disses The Beatles.Ĭould DeRogatis include insight along with the contrarianism? Sure, but I couldn’t find any. Either the reader agrees with you and gives you no credit, or disagrees and thinks you’re a goof.Ĭontrarianism, on the other hand, wins over the haters AND makes you seem like an honest broker. Unless you work for Jann Wenner, there’s no percentage in praising The Beatles. (Guys, I don’t have any more time to edit this down, so I’ll do two comments.) I wish he were a bit more open-minded and less apparently convinced he’s handing down judgments on stone tablets, but that’s part of the game - gets you comments, anyway. Pepper’s” is the most overrated album in rock history and who unreservedly hates “Ram.”ĭeRogatis has a right to his opinion, of course. Yeah, exactly what I’d expect from someone who thinks “Sgt. And make no mistake: a spectacular, disastrous, largely incomprehensible and nearly unwatchable mess it was and remains.” And the music? De Rogatis describes “Penny Lane” as “one of less annoying romps through rose-colored nostalgia,” and “I Am the Walrus” as one of Lennon’s “lesser psychedelic fantasies.” Here’s the executive summary: “Nearly half a century on, the fascinating thing about “Magical Mystery Tour” the film is the rare glimpse it offers into one of the best rock bands of all time at its unaldulterated worst. If you’re interested in reading his vilification of the movie (and a lot of the album), you can do so here: ’-worst-mistakes-104650 For everyone who loves “Magical Mystery Tour” (the film) or has come to appreciate it over the years, there’s someone who still hates it - Jim DeRogatis, a Chicago critic who broadcasts on NPR’s WBEZ, is a case in point. ![]()
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