Rock stars

A bonus quote for a Sunday afternoon:

A rock star is not someone who takes the temperature, who gauges the marketplace before he creates his "art".  A rock star is someone who needs to create and is willing to tolerate the haters along with the fans.  He’s someone who incites controversy just by existing.  That’s what we lost in the dash for cash.  Unique voices.  I’m not saying we haven’t ended up with some pleasant music, but it just hasn’t hit you in the gut, it’s the aural equivalent of Splenda, it might do the trick, but it’s not the real thing.  The real thing grabs your attention, drives down deep into your heart and lodges itself there.  A rock star doesn’t follow conventions, doesn’t go disco or add drum machines just because everybody else does.  A rock star exists in his own unique space, and if you met him you probably wouldn’t like him. Because he tends to be self-focused to the point of being narcissistic.  Because he cares.  He needs to get his message out.

Dilemma: This is a quote from Bob Lefsetz (his blog is profane, direct and will make some people uncomfortable). Bob is, in fact, a rock star. But it's his blog, not yours, and you should only read it if you want to be provoked. And you shouldn't read it if it bothers you to read things online that you disagree with. Some people will be upset by Bob's blog, which means that they'll be upset by my quoting any part of it. At some point, though, the web comes down to bumping into things we might disagree with. That's my favorite part. It's where the learning happens.