I saw him in bright eyes a couple a years ago… had my mind open to experience what was being hyped… they blew donkey nuts. went home and sold my vinyl copies of lifted, wide away & digital ash, and have been better off since.

fwiw, the band that opened that show (fellow saddle creek alums), the faint, rocked my world.

While no doubt going to see an artist that a) you don’t like b) don’t pay for c) you have to put up with 40 degree temps d) didn’t play his best show ever and e) who uses cliches better than you anyhow, is a road paved for making a night fantastic superb and spectacular. Nonetheless, artistic frauds has managed to create a sweet little drunken blog comment filled with laughter, pomp and the cleanest of circumcision.

Those fools who have collaborated with Oberst like M. Ward, Jim James, Emmylou Harris, Lou Reed, Norah Jones and Winona Ryder for God’s sake surely must enjoy the sweetest of red Kool Aid.

Pretentious, ass-hole and self-righteous – probably, but the guy has been song writing prolifically since his early teens – a fraud he’s not. Though dozens of the “fans” who ere non-stop talkers during the show were.

@Joran – please forgive my smuggery, but thanks for using actual examples. Don’t get me wrong – I’m no Bright Eyes fluffer. His whine can be an acquired taste and I’d never hold it against anyone if they didn’t like an artist (except The Beatles, Talking Heads and Radiohead). And hell, I can’t even make it through Digital Ash – I have no idea how that’s your favorite album. I assume you’ve given I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning a fair listen?
You mention Joanna Newsome while knocking his “affected” vocals? umm… Shes interesting for sure, but in that whole it’s different but not mind blowing way that doesnt do anything. Silver Jews? David Berman is a smart guy – he can write, but he doesnt move many people because he doesnt write great songs and no one cares about them because they’re so mediocre.

And, I don’t think it was a shark Conor jumped, it was probably Winona’s big brown beaver.

; ) love, BTreotch

http://www.myspace.com/desaparecidos

their one tampa show at the orpheum back in 2002 was mind blowing.

wade@cln.com

I have a few of his records – Digital Ash in a Digital Urn being my favorite at the time. I wanted to give him a chance since he was all the buzz. But now, years later, I have to agree with you wholeheartedly.)

I think that Oberst’s affected (not effected) vocal delivery is to blame for a long line of bad emo/folk bands that have come along since. And lyrically, I think someone like Joanna Newsom or David Berman (Silver Jews) makes Oberst look like Jared Leto.