Salon.com > Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com Wed, 03 Jul 2013 01:14:35 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Abercrombie learns not to mess with Taylor Swift fans http://www.salon.com/2013/06/20/abercrombie_learns_not_to_mess_with_taylor_swift_fans/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/20/abercrombie_learns_not_to_mess_with_taylor_swift_fans/#comments Thu, 20 Jun 2013 20:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13332344 Abercrombie & Fitch has yet to bow to pressure from consumers to change its policy against selling clothing larger than a size 10, but it took barely any time at all for the retailer to pull a T-shirt from the shelves that Taylor Swift fans found offensive.

The garment in question read "#More boyfriends than T. S.," which was interpreted as a dig at the pop star, which made fans very, very angry.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/20/abercrombie_learns_not_to_mess_with_taylor_swift_fans/feed/ 12 Country music has always been feminist, even if Taylor Swift isn’t http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/country_music_has_always_been_feminist_even_if_taylor_swift_isnt/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/country_music_has_always_been_feminist_even_if_taylor_swift_isnt/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13329682 Taylor Swift might not want to be a feminist, but that hasn’t stopped the rest of us from wishing that she were. Sure, she throws us a female empowerment bone every once in a while, giving the occasional public, barely veiled middle finger to the men who have wronged her (who among us hasn’t dreamed of the opportunity to do the same?), but then she does something like picking a fight with universally idolized feminist icons Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, or refusing to identify herself as a feminist, and we find ourselves once again shaking our heads at the singer, even if we are simultaneously singing along to her undeniably catchy singles.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/19/country_music_has_always_been_feminist_even_if_taylor_swift_isnt/feed/ 32 John Mayer offers up “Paper Doll” as your new Prancercise jam http://www.salon.com/2013/06/18/john_mayer_offers_up_paper_doll_as_your_new_prancercise_jam/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/18/john_mayer_offers_up_paper_doll_as_your_new_prancercise_jam/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:54:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13330007 John Mayer, attempting to capitalize on the "Prancercise" phenomenon that's swept the Internet, has released a new music video in which lithe Prancercise guru Joanna Rohrback glides along to his new jam, "Paper Doll."

If you haven't seen Joanna Rohrback's original workout video before, Mayer's video seems random and absurdist, a throwback to Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" or "Weapon of Choice" music videos. But if you are already familiar with the greatness that is Prancercise, it feels more like total bro John Mayer is superficially attaching himself to an Internet meme, which is kind of lame.

The trying-too-hard-to-be-funny video becomes lamer still when you realize that "Paper Doll" is most likely an outright diss to former flame Taylor Swift, whose tendency to overshare in her lyrics have already spawned jokes, Twitter parody accounts and Internet memes ad absurdum. Prancercise, you are much, much better without John Mayer:

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/18/john_mayer_offers_up_paper_doll_as_your_new_prancercise_jam/feed/ 10 Feminist Kanye Twitter follows tradition of Feminist Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/feminist_kanye_twitter_follows_tradition_of_feminist_taylor_swift/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/feminist_kanye_twitter_follows_tradition_of_feminist_taylor_swift/#comments Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:44:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13327824 In the same vein of Clara Beyer's Feminist Taylor Swift Twitter feed, which reimagines the non-feminist singer's lyrics as messages of female empowerment, a Feminist Kanye Twitter account has emerged. The tweets, delivered entirely in capital letters, elevate the rap lyrics and quotes from the nucleus's recent New York Times profile beyond the heteronormative:

[embedtweet id="345668052085530624"]

[embedtweet id="345668919413063680"]

[embedtweet id="345672057238982658"]

[embedtweet id="345673569369481216"]

[embedtweet id="345679632718254080"]

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/15/feminist_kanye_twitter_follows_tradition_of_feminist_taylor_swift/feed/ 1 Taylor Swift gets a feminist remix in this week’s funniest new Twitter http://www.salon.com/2013/06/14/taylor_swift_gets_a_feminist_remix_in_this_weeks_funniest_new_twitter/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/14/taylor_swift_gets_a_feminist_remix_in_this_weeks_funniest_new_twitter/#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:33:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13326826 Taylor Swift is among the many, many successful female celebrities who says she's not exactly a feminist: "I don’t really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have," she's said.

It's hard to brook the idea of a superstar on top of the music industry -- not to mention one with legions of young girl fans and one who's risen to fame by reclaiming the narrative of her break-ups with unworthy men -- disavowing feminism. So the creators of @feministswift mashed up Swift's lovelorn lyrics with the ideas underpinning modern feminist theory and practice.

The feed's existed but two days and has already flooded our feed with rephrasings of some of Swift's music that are a bit more in line with feminist best practices. Below, some of our favorites:

A rephrasing of the old-school romantic ideals of "Love Story":

[embedtweet id="345019598363578369"]

And another, which takes away Swift's fantasy of a guy getting consent from her dad to wed her:

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/14/taylor_swift_gets_a_feminist_remix_in_this_weeks_funniest_new_twitter/feed/ 11 Adam Levine apologizes for “unpatriotic” joke on “The Voice” http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/adam_levine_apologizes_for_unpatriotic_joke_on_the_voice/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/adam_levine_apologizes_for_unpatriotic_joke_on_the_voice/#comments Wed, 29 May 2013 19:08:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13312043 Adam Levine, a judge on "The Voice," has sparked a tempest-in-a-teapot controversy when, after his preferred competitors were sent home by national vote, he said, "I hate this country." The context made clear that he was responding to America's rejection of two chanteuses, and yet Levine was taken to task on the conservative blogosphere (a search for "adam levine" + "#tcot" on Twitter was particularly robust).

[embedtweet id="339808534231400449"]
[embedtweet id="339815983738912769"]
[embedtweet id="339727269285208066"]
[embedtweet id="339742394645893120"]
[embedtweet id="339744342967189504"]
[embedtweet id="339784313048530945"]

Levine initially attempted to make clear that he'd been joking:

[embedtweet id="339663340861259776"]
[embedtweet id="339664009173278720"]

However, he eventually apologized to the nation that has made "The Voice" a career-reviving hit. "I obviously love my country very much and my comments last night were made purely out of frustration," said Levine:

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/29/adam_levine_apologizes_for_unpatriotic_joke_on_the_voice/feed/ 13 Teenage girl claims she was beaten up for looking like Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/teenage_girl_claims_she_was_beaten_up_for_looking_like_taylor_swift/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/teenage_girl_claims_she_was_beaten_up_for_looking_like_taylor_swift/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13307187 In what must be one of the more bizarre teen bullying incidents in recent news, 18-year-old professional Taylor Swift look-alike Xenna Kristian has "suffered bruising and a suspected broken jaw after she was allegedly pulled from her chair by her ponytail and repeatedly kicked," reports news.com.au, claiming that she was targeted due to her resemblance to pop star Taylor Swift.

Kristian is a student at Walford and North Shropshire College in England but earns money as a Taylor Swift impersonator -- a fact that her classmates recently discovered.

"Some girls at college had started making nasty comments, but it escalated really quickly," she told the Daily Mail. "'The girl came up behind me and dragged me off my chair by my pony tail, then started kicking me in the face."

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/teenage_girl_claims_she_was_beaten_up_for_looking_like_taylor_swift/feed/ 10 Bieber booed, Miguel falls on fan at Billboard Awards http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/bieber_booed_miguel_falls_on_fan_at_billboard_awards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/bieber_booed_miguel_falls_on_fan_at_billboard_awards/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 12:54:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13303243 Taylor Swift may have dominated the Billboard Awards on Sunday night, winning eight awards -- including top artist and top Billboard 200 album -- but she hardly stole the show. That dubious honor goes to notorious monkey-abandoner Justin Bieber, who was booed when he accepted the Milestone Achievement Award. Bieber then addressed his fans and haters alike, saying: "This is not a gimmick. I’m an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken of.”

The jokes on the haters, though, because Bieber also took home the top male artist award.

Perhaps the liveliest part of the event, however, was when pop singer Miguel seemingly drop-kicked a fan. Attempting to jump from the catwalk to the main stage, the singer miscalculated and landed on the soft padding of a human head, instead. But of course -- the show must go on:

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/bieber_booed_miguel_falls_on_fan_at_billboard_awards/feed/ 7 Taylor Swift leads Billboard winners http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/taylor_swift_leads_billboard_winners_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/taylor_swift_leads_billboard_winners_ap/#comments Mon, 20 May 2013 11:25:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13303193 Another day, another domination for Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner at the Billboard Music Awards.

Swift won eight of 11 awards, including top artist and top Billboard 200 album for "Red." She told the crowd: "You are the longest and best relationship I ever had."

She also had a colorful performance of her hit "22" — starting backstage and working her way to the main stage on the back of a bike with help from a dozen background dancers and a flurry of red balloons.

Justin Bieber also performed — twice — and was also a multiple winner with three awards, including top male artist, social artist and the fan-voted milestone award, beating out Swift and Bruno Mars. When accepting the latter — where boos were heard — he alluded to the tumultuous weeks he's had in the public eye.

"I'm 19 years old; I think I'm doing a pretty good job. And basically from my heart I really just want to say it should really be about the music, it should be about the craft that I'm making. This is not a gimmick," he said. "I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously and all this other bull should not be spoken."

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/20/taylor_swift_leads_billboard_winners_ap/feed/ 0 Spock blows it with the ladies http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/spock_blows_it_with_the_ladies/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/spock_blows_it_with_the_ladies/#comments Wed, 08 May 2013 20:55:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13293127 Men like Spock. Women are more interested in Amanda Berry's rescuer Charles Ramsey. Teenage boys like watching things blow up and getting a chance to win in-game currency to buy cool weapons for online gaming. Teenage girls are checking out Tim McGraw singing with Taylor Swift.

I learned these zeitgeist tidbits by spending about an hour perusing the latest neat thing from Google, the YouTube Trends Map. It's the video equivalent of Twitter's trending topics feature, with the added ability to break down categories by gender, age and geographic location. Want to know what 13-17-year-old girls in the East are watching compared to 55-64-year-old guys in California? The Trends Map will show you.

The world is watching around 6 billion hours of YouTube video every month, which suggests that the insights to be gained from spying on viewer habits should be culturally meaningful. For example, I did not realize quite how gendered love of Spock is. Right now the Audi ad featuring Leonard Nimoy (old Spock) battling it out with Zachary Quinto (new Spock) is the most watched video for men of all ages. But it doesn't even show up in the top five for women of all ages.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/08/spock_blows_it_with_the_ladies/feed/ 7 Jeopardy joins in on dissing Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/jeopardy_joins_in_on_dissing_taylor_swift/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/jeopardy_joins_in_on_dissing_taylor_swift/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:27:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13228922 Taylor Swift made some enemies last week when she attacked Golden Globe hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, implying that they'd "burn in hell" for taking a shot at the actress and her tendency to use failed relationships into confessional, tell-all songs.

As the Internet chastised Swift for not being able to take a joke, and she seemed more fragile when she admitted in a InStyle U.K. interview that  she's afraid of  "being awful and intolerable. Alone. Laying in a marble bathtub by myself, like sad, with a glass of wine just complaining that my life ended up alone because I pushed everyone away because I thought I was too good to hang out with anybody."

But any sympathy extended towards Swift was short-lived when it was discovered that she her much-adorned fan mail is in a Nashville dumpster; now the punchline that is Swift's love life is too good for even the characteristically dry game show Jeopardy to pass up.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/jeopardy_joins_in_on_dissing_taylor_swift/feed/ 1 Hundreds of Taylor Swift fan letters found in Nashville dumpster http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/hundreds_of_taylor_swift_fan_letters_found_in_nashville_dumpster/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/hundreds_of_taylor_swift_fan_letters_found_in_nashville_dumpster/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13226963 If you're a T-Swift fan, and you've sent her a note or a card or a crocheted Harry Styles voodoo doll at some point, we've got some bad news for you: She is never ever ever getting your letter. That's because hundreds of unopened letters addressed to the pop star were found in a Dumpster last weekend, a revelation that has Swift-ly ignited the fury of her devoted fans.

Nashville resident Kylee Francescan was throwing out some old newspapers when she discovered the letters in a dumpster outside a local elementary school. "I didn't know if they were stolen [or] discarded, so I threw them in a box," Francescan told Nashville's News 2 Investigates. "And I'm like, ‘Somebody needs to let Taylor know.'"

The letters, which I like to imagine were sealed with a combination of watermelon lip gloss, mall perfume, and a Lisa Frank panda sticker, were addressed to Taylor Swift International, a P.O. box in a strip mall a few miles outside of Nashville. News 2 reporter Andy Cordan delivered the letters to the address, where he was told that a representative from Swift's staff drops by to pick up fan mail.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/hundreds_of_taylor_swift_fan_letters_found_in_nashville_dumpster/feed/ 33 Tina Fey curses out photographer when asked about Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/tina_fey_curses_out_photographer_when_asked_about_taylor_swift/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/tina_fey_curses_out_photographer_when_asked_about_taylor_swift/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:55:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13222946 Tina Fey used an obscene term, twice, to a photographer who was pestering her on a New York street about her purported war of words with Taylor Swift.

After the comedian and co-host Amy Poehler joked about the country singer's dating history at the Golden Globes, Swift used a common quote in Vanity Fair: "There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women."

When a member of paparazzi asked Fey, "Do you think Taylor Swift overreacted with the joke?," the "30 Rock" actress used a well-known obscene expression; she then laughed derisively and walked away, using the expression once more. Fey's frustration may stem in part from the fact that she has already responded, saying, "I did not see that one coming. It was a joke. It was a lighthearted joke. And it’s a shame that she didn’t take it in the crazy-aunt spirit in which it was intended." In the past week, the actress, who's gone from a low-rated but beloved NBC series to carrying romantic comedies like "Admission," also noted how horrified she was that photos of her swimming on vacation were captured by paparazzi."

"My nightmare came true and I was photographed in my bathing suit in Florida. Thankfully, I was mostly submerged," she said.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/tina_fey_curses_out_photographer_when_asked_about_taylor_swift/feed/ 10 Tina Fey defends Taylor Swift jab, says it was “a lighthearted joke” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/06/tina_fey_defends_taylor_swift_jab_says_it_was_a_light_hearted_joke/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/06/tina_fey_defends_taylor_swift_jab_says_it_was_a_light_hearted_joke/#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:50:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13221113 Taylor Swift, a girl who doesn't "wanna end up being awful and intolerable," or alone "because I thought I was too good to hang out with anybody," sounded just that in Vanity Fair yesterday when she insulted American national treasures Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, implying that they would go to hell for mocking her at the Golden Globes.

Swift referenced a Madeleine Albright quote by way of Katie Couric: ‘There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women," referring, in part, to Fey and Poehler, who joked that the serial dater and confessional singer should "stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son.”

Poehler apologized to Swift for the misunderstanding yesterday, saying, "Aw, I feel bad if she was upset. I am a feminist, and she is a young and talented girl. That being said, I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff."

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/06/tina_fey_defends_taylor_swift_jab_says_it_was_a_light_hearted_joke/feed/ 16 Taylor Swift disses Tina Fey and Amy Poehler http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/taylor_swift_disses_tina_fey_and_amy_poehler/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/taylor_swift_disses_tina_fey_and_amy_poehler/#comments Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:20:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13219205 Pretty much everyone loved Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as hosts of the 2013 Golden Globe Awards -- everyone, that is, except Taylor Swift. During the ceremony Fey and Poehler threw a sharp jab at the singer known on tabloids for her confessional songs about her string of high-profile relationships; Fey said, “You know what, Taylor Swift? You stay away from Michael J Fox’s son." Poehler joked that maybe Swift should "go for it."

The comment even prompted Michael J. Fox to criticize her, saying, "What a way to build a career" (though he and Swift have since reconciled). But Swift still has issues with Poehler and Fey, it seems. The singer this month indirectly fired back at the comedians in Vanity Fair, dismissing Poehler and Fey as mean girls:

“'You know, Katie Couric is one of my favorite people,' Taylor Swift tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Nancy Jo Sales on the subject of mean girls in general and in response to an incident at this year’s Golden Globes, where Amy Poehler and Tina Fey mocked her highly scrutinized love life. 'Because she said to me she had heard a quote that she loved, that said, 'There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.’"

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/05/taylor_swift_disses_tina_fey_and_amy_poehler/feed/ 48 Take that, Taylor Swift: Goats can also sing Bon Jovi http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/take_that_taylor_swift_goats_can_also_sing_bon_jovi/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/take_that_taylor_swift_goats_can_also_sing_bon_jovi/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:42:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13210634 Now this is what the Internet is for: Letting goats take over the screams on pop songs.

The genius "wahs" added to Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" have owned the web for days -- but have you seen the goats add the background "woah-ohs" to "Livin' on a Prayer" yet?

Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" (Goat edition)

Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" (Goat edition)

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/take_that_taylor_swift_goats_can_also_sing_bon_jovi/feed/ 0 The Grammys’ most surprising moments http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_grammys_most_surprising_moments/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_grammys_most_surprising_moments/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2013 04:50:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13197123 Most Staggering Display of Self-Regard: Host LL Cool J hectored the audience at length after the show began, delivering a rambling monologue that he seemed annoyed had been postponed last year due to the death of Whitney Houston. It was mainly about his own career, and how his two Grammys inspire him to pursue excellence. And he kept talking about Twitter, though it seemed he had just found out what it was. "You're gonna see hashtag Carrie Underwood, hashtag Jack White, hashtag Kelly Clarkson," he announced before a show-closing performance. It was alternately narcissistic, and so 2009.

Most Improved Live Singer: Rihanna gave a surprisingly compelling take on her ballad "Stay" and was creditable in the Bob Marley tribute. That said, her disaffected pre-show red carpet interview -- and her walking off-camera after losing an award to mentor Jay-Z -- indicated that 2013 may be the year she opts out of releasing her annual album.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_grammys_most_surprising_moments/feed/ 13 Salon’s 2013 Grammy Awards liveblog http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13195018 [liveblog id=63]

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/feed/ 0 The Grammy Awards: Who won? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13194823 RECORD OF THE YEAR

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

WINNER: Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

El Camino - The Black Keys

Some Nights - Fun.

WINNER: Babel - Mumford & Sons

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Blunderbuss - Jack White

 

SONG OF THE YEAR

The A Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

WINNER: We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

 

BEST NEW ARTIST

Alabama Shakes

WINNER: Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

 

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Set Fire To The Rain [live] - Adele

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/feed/ 0 I dared criticize Taylor Swift http://www.salon.com/2013/02/09/i_dared_criticize_taylor_swift/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/09/i_dared_criticize_taylor_swift/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13195233 Mostly, when I write music criticism, I write about things I like. I write about things I like not because I am apprehensive about the reaction when I dislike something, but because I approve of what happens with language when I feel strongly. Praise makes for good prose. Recently, though, I thought I might test the waters and write about something I disliked a good deal. My hypothesis was simple: Maybe, occasionally, a violent distaste can make for interesting prose, too.

The music I chose was the music of Taylor Swift. So I wrote about disliking the music of Taylor Swift over at the Rumpus, where I have been writing music criticism since 2009. In this case, it should be said, the majority of my column (a miscellany of brief thoughts I have had about various musical phenomena since last summer) was the usual hortatory stuff: shout-outs about a Los Lobos show I saw last summer; about the new Young Fresh Fellows album (great! buy it!); about the breakup of the band called the Books; a brief attempt to connect Owen Ashworth (of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone) to Raymond Carver and so on.

Continue Reading...

]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/09/i_dared_criticize_taylor_swift/feed/ 196