in an interview about the new live recording of astral weeks that's coming out, this really bothered me:

I'm not trying to flame, and I'm just curious as to what specifically bothered you about it?

i just don't buy that someone is actually still listening to music if they say something so absurd as "absolutely not" as if "are you kidding?" when asked about anything modern. but i guess "today" is a relative term. i'm just wondering how long "today" has been - like, how long it's been since he heard anything exciting.

Maybe his response would have been different if the interviewer asked what current artists he liked rather than if there were ones that he was excited by. I've got no problem with him not being excited by current artists. I like plenty but I'd have a hard time thinking of one that really excites me.

that came from the fan-submitted portion of the interview, so the calibre of questions wasn't top-notch. but maybe i would've been pleasantly surprised by his response to a better question instead of stacking it in the regular "van morrison's a curmudgeon" deck like nearly everything else i've read of him.

I like hearing new music, but really you can spend a lifetime listening to new to you music without listening to anything remotely current. And not everyone cares about being current. He's not the kind of artist who's going to start selling to the 18-25 year olds in any volume anyway....current music just isn't necessarily relevant to him.

Personally, I like to hear a decent amount of new things to hear what's going on today, but I don't see it as absolutely necessary.

I'll probably be flamed for being a Morrison apologist, but keep in mind that the dude is old. He also has a irish soul, and for some reason, depression and crushed idealism seem to come with that turf.

From a certain perspective, it _has_ all been done before. Someone once told me that in all of history songs have only covered two topics: tragedy and comedy. I don't listen to nearly as much new music as most of you. It isn't because I don't like it, its just that, at the age of 40+, no new music is ever going to affect me as profoundly as the stuff I listened to in my youth. Why do I need to find a better breakup song/unrequited love song/angsty protest song? I've heard them all before.

I'm not saying that new music is irrelevant--I just don't seek it out as eagerly as I used to and I've reached that curmudgeonly age where I occasionally say "That's music?" From time to time, Sketch turns me on to something that moves me (thanks for making me listen to Sigar Ros). He filters out the chaffe pretty well.

Astral weeks isn't my favorite Van Album. I understand its importance, but the non-standard time signatures wear on me after a while. My favs are St. Dominics and Moondance--I'm sure no guru would add some others.

I say give it a listen--its only a 45 minute commitment and I'm sure you can find a copy to taste for free somewhere. (PM me if you're desparate). But if you find him irritating, then I'm not sure there's an imperative. We've generated a few thousand years worth of music on this rock--there's plenty of other stuff to enjoy.

Not well enough, apparently.

i do not like him, as a person. i own 5 or 6 of his records and enjoy them. that's not really my issue because that happens often where i dislike a person but like music they have made. maybe i should be directing my annoyance with time magazine's editor for printing that empty question.

to flip it, is van morrison even relevant anymore himself? releasing a live recording of a 40-year old record isn't really innovative either.

Wouldn't the innovation depend on the substance of the live recording? Maybe he added campfiresque bong playing in the background and harmonies provided by the Animal Collective. Instant innovation right there.

How wonderfully snarky.

You're right. There is no room for subjectivity in personal preference.

Colin knows me and has an intuitive sense of what I'll like. As far as I'm concerned, if I don't enjoy it, its chaffe. I have no interest in forcing myself to try to like something just because "Its supposed to be good for you"

i'm continually amused by "you like/don't like ___ ? you're taste in music is shit" here and elsewhere. . . especially when i comes from someone over the age of, say, 25.

flame on.

That was a meaningless jab at Sigur Ros - it's not a personal attack. When did this site become such a collective of delicate flowers?

And "flame on"? What are we - 8 years old?

i wasn't directing that comment at anyone in particular.

and, well, i've been accused of worse than acting like i was 8.

anyone who is a fan of SIgur Ros has to be ready for some ribbing

it's a fucking trip man.

Anyone actually heard the live Astral Weeks?

And if you don't love it within 20 seconds of the first track starting, you should probably just give up.

I hear you can get guns at Walmart over there! Walmart!

I don't really want to. What's it like?

I haven't yet, I was just curious if anyone else has.

Did they like it?

That one was for you Mick, you dummy.

I'm downloading now but will withhold my opinion until I can ascertain consensus.

Can you pm me my opinion on this?

There is no need for this live album at all. I could barely fucking understand a single word he said over the whole performance, and when I could discern I think it was probably just knowing the actual album so well and my brain just filled in the slurred syllable. He's morphing into Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.