Reading Between The Lines

I've read a lot of articles and reviews of my work and lots of people's work over the years. Most recently I participated in a few festivals and I had people that where friends of the music send me the articles. Now the one thing that I thought was interesting was that very few of the articles really captured the WHOLE story. Now I know that in an article you have limited space and you have to get to the high points to keep the reader interested but I still feel that it is the writer's duty to paint a TRUE picture for those that where not in attendance. The biggest thing I gleaned form these articles was the importance of reading between the lines. Let me explain. In one article this guy paints a picture of how the festival was dreary except for one or two performances but he wasn't in attendance for the ENTIRE festival. He showed up late one evening and stayed all day on the next day. It was also evident that his opinions may have been politically motivated because I personally witnessed some of the greatest shows I've seen yet there was no mention of them in the review. I guess my point is for us as artists and musicians to understand that reviews and articles are cool but they don't define us nor do they most of the time even tell the whole story. It is important that we learn to read between the lines of all of it including flattery. It is largely media manipulation. I mean how can you truly cover an event and not see ALL of the acts that take the stage or at least try to see as many as you can to give equal and balanced coverage to all involved and to paint the most accurate picture for the reader. The truth is even though journalists' are suppose to write from a non-biased point of view, very few actually do. If it is someone they like personally then they paint a better picture. Even if that person is not as good as some other artist or performer. At the end of the day it is all politics and BS. Just don't let yourself get too caught up in it. The bottom line for us is what we get paid and how any press or whatever is going to contribute to the advancement of our career. We must remember that we are in control. I mean without us what would they have to write about. So keep your head up and always read between the lines even if the lines are flattering. Don't believe the hype either way. Stay focused!!!!!! And to the journalists' out there, please make an attempt to write honest non-biased stories that will help our careers and don't get involved in the ego game. We perform; you write, that is it. If you want to perform then put down the pen and join us on stage and see what we do. Just be FAIR!!!!!

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011