Sorry, Wally!

If you're a close friend or family member you probably know of my unabashed admiration for Wally De Backer a.k.a. Gotye, the Aussie musician who is currently taking the U.S. by storm.  My husband Jay and our kids have been bombarded with practically a constant stream of his music (thanks to yours truly), and have been pretty patient with this latest bender of mine.  Haven't heard of him yet?  Get out from under your rock and watch this, the video that started it all:

It's a bit embarrassing for a woman my age to admit to being so fascinated with something as adolescent as this, but hey--we all have our faults.  And it's not like I'm all, "I want to have Gotye's babies!"  No, I'm definitely too old for that, plus that falls into the "Been There, Done That" category (just the babies part...with Jay...not Mr. De Backer).   I think my admiration is wholly directed at Wally's stance as an artist.  He produces only what makes him comfortable.  What clicks.  I can identify with that when I'm painting or drawing.  When things are right, they just flow.  Everything fits perfectly, and it makes you feel good, deep down inside.   Doesn't matter what everyone else is saying.

I think I've made my perspective pretty clear about the whole subject of Wally De Backer, no?  And you can only imagine how thrilled I was when I found out that there was going to be a Gotye show here in Boston at the end of March.  I got to go to the show and brought along a very doubtful Jay.  Jay, whose musical taste is hugely varied, but will always truly be the Deadhead I met twenty-two years ago, and who was totally blown away by the whole Gotye show.  That in itself is cool.  The show was freaking amazing. 

THEN, today I came across an interview from a Boston radio station that was done when Wally and crew were here in town.   The interviewers were two local radio personalities.  They're OK, I guess.  Sometimes I listen to them when my daughter chooses what radio station to listen to in the car in the morning.  BUT, their interview chops were horrible!  Oy, it was an embarrassment for them to represent Boston radio.  Their questions were daft, and they basically said that Americans were inane people who thrived on reality TV and fast food. It was so bad, that at one point their interviewee stated, "Listen to the music, leave me alone."  Wow.  Watching the clips from this interview made me feel the same embarrassment as when my kids were younger and misbehaved in the grocery store or at a play date.  Pretty much mortified.

So, what is the whole point of this rant from me this morning?  One thing, just one statement to Wally De Backer.  And that is:  We're not all idiots here in Boston.  Honest.  Nor are all Americans infatuated with reality TV and other inane things.  A good portion of us have functioning brains, are able to carry on intellectual conversations, and are fully aware of the goings-on in the world outside this country.    And hopefully you won't bypass our fine city on your next North American tour due to fear of imbecility!

And for those of you who have read through this entire blog, thank you for putting up with me to the end.  And if you're not familiar with more of his music, give Gotye a listen here:  http://soundcloud.com/gotye/sets/gotye-making-mirrors/  Good stuff.