It's always hard to know--on the one hand, being bombarded by dozens of e mails is not a good thing; on the other hand, lots of folks have interesting things to say. Ms. Vega herself tends to weigh in only once in a while, usually with a quick note of thanks or sympathy. I tend away from wanting to "worship" celebrity. Still, I buy her Songs in Red and Gray, think it's good, and then sign up for a list largely dedicated to adulating a particular celebrity. I'm a big practitioner of foolish inconsistency, and think that this, too, is a bit of a small-mind-hobgoblin. Though
somebody's journal I found on random was celebrating the body electric of Whitman's "am I inconsistent" verse...I'm not quite ready to placate my contradictions that way. It bothers me a little that although the Vega mail list
has dozens of interesting people, one part of me is disapponted that the featured artist rarely joins in--it's all a game, this fan stuff, and not particularly a healthy one. It reminds me of hte Sparks message board, where much of the posts I read a few months ago bewail the fact that the band rarely, if ever, contributes. I think that many of us, including myself, can get stuck in this "get a life" mode--T shirts for a sci fi convention, desperate efforts to meet and indie artist, spirited e mails with a chess writer or
a poet....it's a bit noble to look for kindred spirits, but why must we reject those who are not 'famous' or 'underground in a big way'? I think that we all fall prey to the marketing machinery....nothing good comes from our Bethlehem, because if it were good, it'd have a record deal/publisher/big budget....
Let's all unsubscribe.
