The meaning behind this section of my web site is not to tell you how to think when it comes to recent changes in Ani's style. I just wanted to put in a section where I can share other views with you guys. if you are happy with Ani the way she is, if you are sick and tired (like I am ) of hearing people Bitch about Ani, then this part of my page is not intended for you, so I offer to Take you Home Other wise, stay, read, and at the bottom of this page you can find a link that will take you to a "goodbye" page, where I will list the sites that I have found that have been taken down for one reason or another. Keep those e-mail's comming, they give me inspiration to work on this page more! :)
Holding The Folksinger Up To The Light: Special by the Merry Prankster for the artvoice
"You gotta lot of nerve to say you are my friend ... When I was down, you just stood there, grinning..." Bob Dylan, 1965
Not since the pied poper of the acoustic 60's plugged in his Fender Telecaster has a popular musician's fan base turned against their heralded leader like Ani DiFranco's followers are today. Like Dylan chuckling the folk doldrums for searing electric blues, DiFranco is quickly shedding the feministic veil of integrity that put her in the national spotlight as the poster girl for independent, socially conscious artist. Decades later, the music Dylan's fans (or critics) responded so harshly to is considered to be some of the finest this half of the century has seen. Will DiFranco's craft survive the test of time? Will it make it through the year?
In the recent past, Ani has engaged in several actions that seem to be nothing more than a middle finger in the face of integrity ... Shoddy, businesslike treatment of her co-musicians, a song usage deal with the (cringe) NFL, rising ticket prices, wandering song content, and, interestingly, marriage ... to a man (givin her touting as a fervent bisexual and the homoerotic nature of many of her earlier songs). She also received a lot of flak for hoarding a lion's share of album profits. While her concert attendance remains stable, DiFranco has encountered strong opposition from one of the most potent forms of media today ... namely, the internet.
A quick search of Ani DiFranco websites turned up a total of four large websites that once promoted Difranco, but have since abandoned her. A more detailed search found numerous smaller sites that expressed similar sentiments. In an age where a website can mean unlimited promotion, to have this sort of whiplash can be harmful to both a performer's reputation and sales.
To get a better glimpse of the mentality behind this total about-face (which indeed has rocked the halls of RBR, as several members of Difranco's staff rudely cut off my non-confrontational phone calls regarding this situation), I tracked down one of Difranco's internet naysayers. As to not draw undue attention towards her, we'll call her "Eve". Eve on the surface, could be considered to be the prototype for the typical Ani fan. She's a young, attractive, socially conscious woman with a very much female partner. She likes to promote the virtues of veganism, honest feminism, and independent musicians. Enjoyable to talk to, she comes across as an amiable, thoughtful soldier for many of the issues that DiFranco held so dear at the onset of her career. But when DiFranco herself is brought up .. the conversation takes on a much different tone.
Eve spoke about a few of the above indiscretions, but kept her cards fairly close to her chest "I don't talk about Ani on my page .." she ponders "If I did, you could write 5 articles on what I'd say!". The actions taken against DiFranco are not dramatic and full of venom .. rather, they are the remorseful feelings of people who sound more wounded than furious. The atmosphere is more like that of a lost friend than an archenemy.
This is where the heart of the matter picks up? When Dylan scoffed the folk purists in
?65, he did so with little or no pretenses. While his social protest remained sublime,
intricate, and occasionally blatant (see this year?s movie, ?The Hurricane?), he never
truly made a mockery of his socially active beginnings. Difranco, on the other hand,
seems to be caught between the roles of performer and activist. On her newest album,
?To the Teeth?, the title song features some witty and quasi-poignant prose about the
virtues of gun control. However, later in the record, she finds herself tangled up in the
muck bucket of ?Freakshow?, a mangled song that betrays her true nature: trying to
maintain the (potentially very lucrative) fan base of the socially/artistically conscious,
while at the same time sucking the corporate dick as often and as thoroughly as
possible. ?There?s a lot of love, and compliance?, sings Difranco, when in reality, the
?compliance? half of the deal is by far the more dominant. ?Freakshow? would like to
convince the listener that integrity and capitalism can be balanced, when in actuality,
the twain will never meet. I wonder if Ms. Difranco thinks that supporting the
stereotype-perpetuating cheerleaders of the NFL can be justified by the fat royalty check
in her mailbox?
The bottom line is, Difranco has made a mockery of the principles her career was
founded on, and what?s worse, she refuses to not look back. Her new friend, The
Bottom Line, has taken obvious and public importance over artistic and social
integrity? and what?s worse, she continues to think that a few smatterings of
pseudo-activism will cover the wound. The real issue is not integrity. The internet
backlash has not taken place because of integrity. The real issue is hypocrisy. Saying
one thing and doing another. When Difranco took on a very ?aware? crowd, did she not
think that artistic indiscretions such as these would be found out?
Earlier in ?65, Dylan had this to say about the plight of the artist: ?You said you?d never
compromise with the mystery tramp, but now you realize? He?s not selling any alibis?
As you stare into the vacuum of his eyes, and say, ?do you want to make a deal???. Who
did you think he was writing this for, Ms. Difranco? Dylan saw the way the wind was
blowing, and didn?t look back, and history has seen the longevity of his career. But for
Difranco, reckoning time has come. You can?t say one thing and do another. How does
it feel, Ms. Difranco?
Click for a list of Ani Sites that have been shut down for one reason or another