| Posted: 30 September 2014 at 7:08am | IP Logged | 8
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It's an oft cited revelation that an artist who stops trying to get better at art, soon become stale and derivative. •• Many of the complaints that have been leveled against my work spring from this. As I have mentioned before, I am terrified by the thought of stagnation. I am driven always to push, to twist, to try something new. And, yes, it doesn't always work. I'm fully aware that my career is a roller coaster of highs and lows. I only hope that, like a roller coaster, there is at least a forward motion involved.* What I find frustrating is when the internet gives voice to the minibrains who have seized upon one idea, and who refuse to move past it. They can speak only in cliché, and others, no less capable of independent thought than they, pick up those same clichés. The other day I came upon a post praising George Perez. George is worthy of every scrap of praise that can be sent in his direction, no question. Yet the poster, in praising George, took an unrelated and unnecessary shot at me. Along the lines of "Perez is great (unlike Byrne who sucks)." The comment neither enriched George, nor added anything of value to the post. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the kind of fan-think that wants stories peppered with obscure and out-of-context references. THEY know what they mean, so it doesn't matter that such things disrupt flow and structure. They take the form of a "shout out to my homies" by the writer, himself an aging fanboy. Anyone writing commentary online knows he can toss in a "Byrne Sucks" and guarantee himself a cheer from the less intellectually endowed members of the peanut gallery. I can draw some small solace from that fact that just a few decades ago it was Jack Kirby ("Jack the Hack") who occupied this role, before the Image Boys did one worthy thing, and elevated him to something like his proper status. ______________ * Roller coaster is not the best metaphor here, of course. After completing its journey, a car on a roller coaster ends up back at the lowest point!
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