rock and roll musings by Tim Byrnes

Open Letter to a Force of Nature: Note to Courtney Love, Don’t Die.

Dear Courtney,

Hi, you don’t know me, but I’m the guy who posted that really good review of ‘America’s Sweetheart’ on that frat-boy, hate-metal site antimusic.com. Gave it 5 stars a) because I thought it was a 5 star record and b) I knew that such a review would piss off a large part of the readership at said frat-boy, hate-metal site. I was not disappointed, at first. The first few ‘readers posts’ started off by questioning the legitimacy of the review. Some people thought it had to be a joke because, apparently, you are some kind of pariah at a site that extols the virtues of Iron Maiden in the 21^st Century. No accounting for taste and, while I’m not an Iron Maiden fan by any stretch of the imagination, neither would I publicly call for their death as some of the readers at that site routinely do when they don’t like something or someone.

And Courtney, they don’t like you. They cheer at your troubles and root for your death. Vicious sentiments get posted regarding you on a disturbingly regular basis. I tried to write a review that attempted to explore the roots of this misguided, disproportionate hatred. My take on it was that if you had a penis you’d be cool. I offered a sled-full of pseudo-psychology but boiled it down to the conclusion that "Maybe we just hate women."

That struck a nerve and I was soon getting virulent posts, some tongue in cheek, some I’m not sure, but they ranged from notification that I was ‘Going to get my come-uppance’ (sic) (I requested 2, as my wife wanted one also) to "a 5 star review? On this site? I never thought I’d see the day", "Sign of the apocalypse’ and the ever popular ‘she should just die.’

I was disenchanted, to say the least, at this response, but then a funny thing started to happen. Positive posts started appearing. Readers were taking time to post their feelings about you, your records and the way certain frat-boy hate-metal morons respond to you. The debate continues. Through this review I’ve met people who think a lot about rock and roll and see it as a positive force. In their lives and in the world.

‘America’s Sweetheart’ is still my album of the year, not that one wanna be rock critic’s opinion matters, but the important lesson to be learned here is that while there is indeed a large faction of people who are threatened by your strength, your honesty and your craziness there is an even larger faction of people who love you.

And as one of those people, I am worried about you.

I’ve always maintained that an artist’s personal life has no bearing on their work or my appreciation of it. I mean, I know Lou Reed’s a creep, but that’s never gonna stop me from loving ‘Berlin’. What you do ‘on your own time’ is none of my business, or anyone else’s. I know that. But your music and your stance are important parts of my life. As corny as it sounds, your uncompromising living of your life has been inspirational to me and millions of other people and, speaking on their behalf, I implore you: Please don’t die. Don’t kill yourself with drugs. Don’t kill yourself out of spite. Don’t kill yourself trying to save rock and roll. We’re not worth it.

Apart from the selfish reason of not wanting to lose one of the few artists I still respect, I don’t want your passing to give all those weasel dick, hate spewing, small minded, racist, sexist, homophobic idiots a moment of satisfaction. Your death would play into those pinhead’s hands, and break the hearts of all of us who love you. You really want to piss off the pinheads? Live. Live long. Create startling new music. Become the long-term artist we all know you’re capable of becoming. You’re well known for your chameleon like ability at re-invention. Please, please, please stop poisoning yourself and giving the pinheads the ammunition to dismiss you. Your work is too important to go up in the flames of self-immolation; you give too many of us too much to think about. There are still thinking, feeling people out here you look to your work for strength and identity

Lester Bangs once wrote a long piece about Sid Vicious, about how we all stood by and wrote another human being off as a waste of time, a worthless junkie and how we all said nothing as we watched him die. We were all culpable in Sid’s death because we believed his publicity. Almost as much as he did. Lester tried to clear his conscience by grieving after the fact, bemoaning the fact that he said and did nothing (except cover the story for cash and it’s own black entertainment value) when it might have done some good. People are writing you off as a waste of time and a worthless junkie. These people are, of course, wrong. You are a beautiful, vibrant woman, artist, actor, rocker, force of nature and mother. The world needs your voice, your rage, your sex, your thoughts, your contradictions and your power. Yes. Power. You have the ability to reach people, to let them know that the bastards only get you down when you let them. Or when you do so many drugs that you die. Then you’re just a spectator sport.

So, Courtney, from a nobody to the queen of rock and roll, I beg you, don’t give the idiot nay-sayers the last word. Live through this, too. I know you can and I hope you do. We love you more than you’ll ever know and need you even more than that. I want to be around when you cause a scene at your induction in the rock and roll hall of fame. I want to be around when you get that lifetime achievement grammy award. I want to be around when you’re 100 years old and being interviewed on PBS about rock and roll when Marty Scorcese’s grandson does his 12-part series on rock and roll roots music.

Live damn it, ‘cause you, and we, deserve it.

Thank you,

tim byrnes/punk rock blues/workbook

email: smoke81mc@aol.com

Posted by: timbyrnes at 19:08 | link | comments (2)

Comments:

#1  07 April 2004 - 21:20

 

Well put. Andrew @ bloggedy blog

Anonymous

#2  13 May 2004 - 13:18

 

yes, very well put.

Anonymous

Comments: