2nd
“Dear (Critic whose work I actually often enjoy):
Congratulations! You have just upped your page views/links/comments by posting a tirade against a semi-imagined trend, confusing your prodigious skill as an observer with the ability to actually affect the form of what you’re observing, and/or resurrecting the “influence” bugaboo in an attempt to show how cool yours would be if you were actually a producer of art instead of a consumer. You are hereby relieved of the obligation to ever, y’know, actually start a band/write a novel/make a movie that synthesizes your superior and more correct influences. Yrs truly, X.”
one goes to Perpetua, back-date one to send to Sasha Frere-Jones for that “why isn’t indie black enough?” thing, and keep a couple (or a stack) of copies on hand.
