Artists on Twitter

I don't read Twitter posts. I'm still not sure what it means to RT (re-tweet? as in sharing someone else's tweet?) or the whole @ thing that shows up on people's pages (someone else posting on your page?). I understand the attraction and why people obsess over it. Okay, I don't understand why people obsess over it, but yeah, I get it. I mean, I post Facebook updates so I'm not really that far off. And I have a blog. And I send about 455 texts per day, so by no means am I'm claiming to be "above it." That's actually not what I'm saying at all.

However, when it comes to those I look up to or artist's whose work means the world to me, I beg of them not to go the route of Twitter. I understand Miley Cyrus, McCain's tedious daughter or Paris Hilton Twittering, because, well, these people really don't have much to say whether on Twitter or not. And sure, fans of say Nickelback should probably be able to read posts from those asshats, but when it comes to credible artists, please, oh please, steer clear. I recently found out that Aimee Mann tweets. I put my tail between me buns and went to take a look. I read a few lines and closed the window. Good lord. I don't care that she's having lunch with some writer. (If she was having a parm, then yes, post it.) I don't know if other musicians, actors, writers, etc. that I adore have Twitter pages and I'd like to keep it that way. I mean, the mere thought of Springsteen, Neil Young, Oldham (okay, Oldham's would probably be hilarious) or Cormac McCarthy posting mundane crap on that service makes me want to curl up in a ball and throw in the towel. I like to see these people write, but to write for their craft. If they have something to say, it comes out in the art, and if not there, usually via interviews, and that's more than enough. I'm by no means telling these artists how they should conduct their marketing efforts, but man, this is an area that I think should be off-limits. Fine, if you're posting tour dates, articles, etc., I get it, but the personal stuff? Yikes. Please don't tell me that Sean Penn or Clooney have accounts? Atom Egoyan? Laura Linney? Noooooo....

One of the most unspoken attractions to the artists and creators that we love is the mystery that surrounds them. We now live in a country where most want answers to everything. We don't like gray. Well, I still do, and I think many folks I know do as well. So please, I can only hope that some steer clear. Aimee Mann's The Forgotten Arm is one of my favorite records, but honestly, once I read a few of her posts, something cheapened it all. I want her stories to remain those stories. Having a daily look into her personal life dilutes it all somehow.

And I'm now off to make some tuna salad.

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