Matt's Web Page

[Guest Prosis]

I'm still confused here.  Why is this such a big deal?  What is/has Matt gone throught that most musicians or artists in general (incluing actors) haven't?  I understand that most of you, as his fans, would defend him but I'm curious as to why you look upon those who disagree with his opinions as some sort of heathens yet are more than willing to dish out equally harsh sentiments about Britney Spears or Ashlee Simpson.  Guess what, as an artist, you will find that some people like your work and others don't. 

 

If he has a problem with a handful of people on a message board "dismissing his work as shit" then he is right to pack up and run because he will obviously not make it once he steps outside his front door.

 

I also applaud Matt for having the balls to stand up for what he believes and is upfront with his political stance.  But by doing so, you set yourself up to have your beliefs attacked no matter who or where you are.  Matt had to expect flak by posting a blog with nothing but his political agenda all over it.  I'm sure a lot of fans were interested in his music and decided to check out his site and find it littered with his left-wing slant of the world and could have been put off or, in some cases, willing to create a serious discussion (not an attack) as to why he believed what he believed.

 

But whatever, you can go back to the one-sided discussion about sympathy for old Mr. Good.

So basically we should have no sympathy at all for Matt is what you're saying...

 

The thing is that you seem to be very unaware of my posting history (and I am talking about me because I am the only one you quoted).

 

First of all I am all opinions and have never branded any form of art as shit. So therefore your comment about harsh comments made towards Spears or Simpson does not stand. Although I do not consider those singers as interesting nor original (I personally don't like the things they do) if someone does, fine! Saying WLRRR is shit is not an opinion.

 

Second, your whole post seems to revolve around it being normal for Matt to get these attacks. Well I don't agree on that. It's not normal for him nor is it for anyone as previously stated in my original post. You will see I am talking about Matt as well as any human being. So I am not showing "one-sided sympathy for old Mr.Good" but rather explaining the fact that I think it is wrong for peple to do what they do in those cases.

 

Three, his music is not "littered with his left-wing slant of the world" but rather his opinions about the world. you don't agree, don't read the lyrics. Each artist write about what they believe in. If Matt is a left-wing man, that's what will come through his lyrics. If Ed Kowalczyk is a religion man, then that's what comes out of his lyrics. That doesn't make his lyrics littered with religious references.

 

And finally, while writing this, I got to thinking that I won't change your mind or anyone elses. You guys want to think like it's normal for any HUMAN BEING (I'm going to amphisize on this in case you think I believe Matt's an only martyr and that you're a heathen) then fine. You don't give a fuck about all this...fine...don't come and fucking complain about Matt leaving his blog then or leaving the music. Good riddance heh?

 

After administrating the MBlog community for the week it lasted, I got to see an small dose of what Matt has to put up with everyday. It must really be tough to deal with pretencious little assholes who believe they know how the world turns and that they will show him he's wrong. This has become a trend over the years on online MG communities. "Let's show Matt he's wrong!"

 

I'm not so sure it was the people with well constructed arguments that where the problem. I think it was the people making death threats... or the people that where being ignorant. I'm not saying all people that disagree with Matt are ignorant. I'm simply saying that a few make statements based on poor, or no information.

 

Peace

 

I think you pretty much got it on the spot there man...but try getting that into people's head...it's just easier to say Matt's an asshole than accepting being an ignorant

Edited January 16, 2005 by Prosis

[ToadMan]

In regards to the opinions made about other artists. I will be the first to tell you I don't like Avril. But, I don't go to her website and make defamatory comments about her. In fact, most reasonable people stay away from websites about things they don't like. Since Matt's music is very much in line with his political opinions, then I don't see why people who don't really like his music would continue to visit his web site. Matt has been very left wing since he release "21st Century Living", and in WLR&RR songs like "North American for Life" and "Alert Status Red" which make direct statements about the US administration, should really make right wing pundits wonder whether or not they really agree with this guy. I think that they would figure out that he's not got the kind of opinions they support, and move on to something else.

 

Peace

[xcham]

Anyone have the old blog entries mirrored? I'd like to go through reading all the ones I missed.

[C-Bacon]

I'm really going to miss the blogs. Matt's blog was my homepage, and as a result, my most commonly visited sites. I really hope that his online ventures do not end at this point in time as he's easily been one of my most influential role models, which i'm not ashamed to admit.

 

So anways, I need I need a new blog for my homepage. Juan Cole or Noam Chomksy's blogs are the leading candidates for now. If anyone has any other suggestions for now, please reply...

[summerbronze]

Personal reflections on the ex-Mblog and the ending of said blog:

 

I think condemnation of those who "ruined it for the rest of us" is demonstrating a lack of understanding of what the ambition was behind the creation of the mblog.

 

And yes, no one can ever REALLY know what motivated someone to do something, and what the intentions were, philosophically speaking.

 

It seems that Matt was hoping for anyone interested in his music to become more aware of, educated, and evaluative of current events, particularly those related to political science. The 'ideal' mblog consumer would have been motivated and inspired by the posts to pursue knowledge of these events. They would not have relied exculsively on the mblog to provide them with the "news" (I did not interpret the posts as ever pretending to be a comprehensive source of information about current events). Moreover, for those who did pursue obtaining a hightened level of awareness of ongoing political issues (both those discussed in the mblog and those that didn't make the cut), the ending of the blog, while sad, should have no effect on awareness. We may not know Matt's opinion now,

but his 'ideal' reader will still seek out the information he formerly provided.

 

To those who won't be sifting through sources and pursuing knowledge of what's happening in this world: Matt (probably) never did desire your readership anyway

 

I viewed it as a supplement to a more comprehensive awareness, but it's discouraging to realize so many were relying on it as an exclusive news source. That realization alone would have been enough for me to discontinue the blog.

[Maverick]

Is it so impossible that Matt could just ignore the morons who keep pestering him and just not respond to them and edit their b.s. out? Or is this too much of a hastle?

 

Being a commerce student, I realize that people face trade-offs and that you simply need to figure out whether or not the gains outweigh the losses. His blog is a work of art, ultimately impacting on all his fans and others who read it. Does he not get a large sense of self-satisfaction from realizing this? Does he not feel that educating his fans and others is important? Or is all this not great enough, insofar as he is willing to give it up so he isn't pestered once and a while.

 

I mean, it's kind of frustrating to know that MG's blogging talents and web presence is wasted because of ppl with no respect have caused him to go on this meltdown frenzy. Frankly, they don't represent the majority of his fan base. I think he should realize that.

 

Of course, I don't have all the facts and if there are other factors than this post has zero credibility.

 

Take care.

 

P.S. Summerbronze, I think you're way off. MG was presenting his news in a fashion and perspective that was far different from your average news article, etc. He also added opinion and flavour to his work that I greatly appreciated and ultimately lured me to be attentive of. For these reasons, I think many ppl found it enjoyable for them to read Matt's material and evade boring, watered-down, biased news editions. So, I did come to Matt as a source for news. Why? Because it was enjoyable, refreshing, and ultimately represented the work of someone I have for a long time admired. So I don't think it's fair to say that Matt wouldn't have desired for ppl to read his input if they weren't going to be news ambitious outside of his blog.

 

Cheers.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Maverick

[Aidan]

I have to say its a pity Matt decided to shut things down as i enjoyed going there each day and reading what he had to say.

 

I do hope he has a change of mind in the future and decides to reopen the mblog and ignore the naysayers and morons that decided to rally against him.

 

However whatever happens aslong as Matt continues to produce music I can safely say we'll all be happy.

 

-Aidan

[Don't Be So Digital]

I have to say its a pity Matt decided to shut things down as i enjoyed going there each day and reading what he had to say.

 

I do hope he has a change of mind in the future and decides to reopen the mblog and ignore the naysayers and morons that decided to rally against him.

 

However whatever happens aslong as Matt continues to produce music I can safely say we'll all be happy.

 

-Aidan

That's kinda the problem though, for me anyway. Nobody really knows if he's going to do music anymore or not. The rumor that I've heard, is that he isn't.

 

And that really, really bums me out if that's the case, considering how much his music means to me.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Don't Be So Digital

[summerbronze]

Maverick;

 

I think there are a few adjectives in my original comment that differentiate what I was actually trying to express from what you think I was trying to express.

 

An example of one of the adjectives you perhaps did not consider fully is 'exclusive.'

 

Of course the information contained in, and linked to, in Matt's posts were sources of news. Absolutely. I'm not contesting that. What I'm objecting to is the use of the blog, ANY blog for that matter, as an EXCLUSIVE news source. I'm doing so precisely because of the interesting, often enlightening spin you identified as one of the things attracting you to the blog.

 

There's also a bit of ambiguity in your post. First, you commend Matt for the "added opinion and flavour" in the blog. Then, you condemn "watered-down, biased news editions." What kind of news source do you consider ideal?

 

Matt's blog was biased. And that's not a criticism whatsoever. It simply means that what he wrote about, and the way he wrote about it, was affected by his personal opinions and ideologies. This bias exists to various degrees in all news sources, or sources of information in general. Because of this, obtaining a variety of sources on a particular issue is vital (why do I feel like I'm stating the obvious?). One great source was the mblog.

 

As evidence to support my theory that Matt would encourage diversified sources, is the fact that many of the sources he consulted and quoted and/or linked to were from different places. Wouldn't it have been odd if every post contained quotes from the same source?

[Kayriss]

I have a Question

 

What interest does Universal have in maintaining the site of an artist who doesn't plan to produce any more? To sell old material? Does that mean this will be more of a "joint" MGB/MG site? I don't think Matt's done with music. I know for a fact that it's not just something that one can just drop from their life so quickly. Maybe he'll change the boundaries through which he works, but I think he'll keep producing.

 

edit- I think Matt should have a site like Maddox's, where he can post his rants all he likes without fear of the bullshit comments. Maddox seems to revel in his hate mail.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Kayriss

[Ghetto rock for Princess]

I have a Question

 

  What interest does Universal have in maintaining the site of an artist who doesn't plan to produce any more?

What do you mean by that? Did Matt say that he wasn't going to put out any more new albums??? Damnit I feel so out of the loop!!!

[jamesg]

hey hey, check out what Universal posted on Matt's (old) site!

 

http://www.matthewgood.org/

[Broken]

hey hey, check out what Universal posted on Matt's (old) site!

 

http://www.matthewgood.org/

Interesting.

[Daedalus]

hmmm, not sure what to make of that.

[Maverick]

Summerbronze,

 

You insist that no blog should be used as an exclusive source for news. I think that's where we come into slight disagreement. There's no argument that Matthew was a credible source for information related to certain subject matter. I found myself intrigued and interested in this subject matter. His eloquent, effective work was my sole source for this in depth information. Now, you're condemning this nature. I feel that Matt represented this information very well and could be used as an exclusive source to get a very good understanding of the situations. You seem to disagree. Maybe you think that Matt wasn't being concise or effective in his work. Maybe you think that he wasn't credible enough to rely on solely. Who knows?

 

Yes, there is bias in every news article or written information for that matter. But, I think it could easily be argued that Matt evades the social biases that are constantly fed into published works in todays newspapers and such. Sure, he added a slight (emphasison slight) left wing bias that is more or less unavoidable by nature. But, I feel he avoided the overwhelming bias that we're all accustomed to through the media. This bias is noticeably extreme.

 

You also questioned what i considered to be ideal. Whether it was, "added opinion and flavour" or the latter, "watered down, bias news editions". I obviously would rather the former. Thus, there is a level of articulation and wit that seemingly allows for an easier more effective read (why do I feel like I'm stating the obvious?).

 

Yes, Matt created links to different sources and those were for people, like yourself, who wanted to read further and witness different perspectives and styles. But, for some of us, we were satisfied with Matt's position and his arguments and work.

 

That's just my take of course. You're probably right that Matt would just rip me apart for all this. Thank god i'm only deal with you.

 

EDIT: I just checked out matthewgood.org and that sounds promising. Moreover that didn't sound like a statement by Universal.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Maverick

[ToadMan]

I will admit that I have relied on Matt's blog to feed me news information. Often though, I would follow the links from Mblog, to the source sites.

 

I found that Matt tended to offer a news article, and then an opinion. It was a convenience for me to use Matt's site as a filter for what I wanted to read. I realize that in effect I was trusting that Matt was offing an impartial opinion. I was very impressed at how Matt posted links to stories I was particularly interested.

 

Now I have to go about the process of reading the news for my self.

 

Peace

[summerbronze]

Maverick;

 

I'd like to preface by emphasizing the fact that I'm not even REALLY talking about the mblog anymore. What I say pertains to any credible, informative, and accurate source of news, whether it be a blog, website, tv program, newspaper article, etc.

 

First, my question about an ideal news source was meant to point to the cotradiction expressed in the two different types of sources you identified. Any news source has bias. "Matt's opinion" is a source of bias, (as any author's would be) but you criticize other news sources as being biased. So you're using a quality as a compliment to Matt but a criticism of other news sources.

 

It is inescapable. It's not anyone's FAULT, and is no reflection on the quality of the news source. And more importantly, saying because you chose to agree with what Matt wrote, does not mean he was RIGHT because in such matters there is no right or wrong. There only exists evidence to support and refute various positions, and all you can do is evaluate the evidence (more of the obvious...) And just because you agree with the opinions expressed in a single news source does not mean you should relie on that news source exclusively.

 

Your ideologies, culture, and personal opinions with respect to the topic at hand create bias. At the same time, the ideologies and opinions are crucial to any good editorial or reaction piece, whether you agree with those opinions or not. Simply put, all news sources contain bias, which can be a virtue, but only if the source is not the only one consulted. Yes, bias certainly can be a point of criticism with respect to the major news networks like CNN. And yes, if you were relying on mblog as your exclusive news source, I would suggest the bias present would have affected your understanding of the events being discussed, just as much as if you relied solely on CNN.

 

I don't think having relied upon mblog, and the links presented, was a responsible or effective way of obtaining information. Matt consulted a huge variety of sources. But the process of selection of which sources to quote and link to introduces bias as well. Consulting exclusively the mblog, and the chosen links to outside sources, was simply not enough to form an educated, and well-rounded opinion on the news. This is by no means a criticism of the mblog in any way and should not be taken as such. I'm simply pointing out the invevitable even for the "best" of news sources.

[Maverick]

Summerbronze,

 

I said Matt's blog had flavour and style that other news articles and such lacked. That was the main idea. Also, I pointed out in my second entry that I recognized the bias in both and my opinion is that Matt's bias is far less extreme than those seen in the media. Even you yourself pointed out that there were degrees of bias. So Matt's quality of being able to add flavour and reduce bias is far more deisrable than the majority of other news sources I have encountered. I hope that's clear.

 

Moving on, I made no mention that what Matt wrote was necessarily "right". I simply agree with his view on many aspects of the news as he shares a left wing mentality that is very reflective of my ideals. Therefore he is certainly a candidate of mine to reflect a view and standpoint that would be in accordance to my views.

 

The point you made about Matt relying on several other sources is well put and possibly your strongest of arguments to persuade others that being such a news junkie is seemingly and ultimately a responsibility to us all. Yet, I would strongly disagree that solely reading Matt's blog, which happens to consult these many other sources, isn't indicative of forming "an educated, and well-rounded opinion on the news." I think Matt's research of primary sources and several articles is the very reason why his reports are credible and representative of educated news representations. Moreover, Matt represents himself through solid findings, quotes, and facts.

[summerbronze]

Maverick;

 

It's interesting how people can basically agree with each other and still manage to continue a debate. I think where I stand as opposed to where you stand on the issue is quite clear.

 

Let me just point out that what Matt offered in his blog was an "educated, and well-rounded opinion on the news" precisely because he did consult so many sources (and I'm simply agreeing with you here). You took this quote of mine out of context, as I was originally referring to someone who relied on a single source, pretty much the opposite of what Matt did.

 

Great discussion overall, I enjoyed it, and look forward to reading what you think on a variety of other issues in the future though. Thanks.

[Maverick]

Summerbronze,

 

Yeah,

 

I think it just took us a while to understand eachother through the internet interface. It's not an easy job. Anyways, that was enjoyable and I think I better understand your viewpoint now and definitly agree with you on many aspects of it. Thanks a lot and take care.

[somnambulist]

I went to Matt's site today, to discover it's no longer up. The message posted there was not promising. I hope he has not decided to stop making music. He is my favorite rock artist, and it's so good to hear someone with an actual opinion, with meaningful lyrics rather than someone who is just manufactured to make money. I've liked his music almost since the beginning, and bought every album. To me, if Matt Good stopped making music, that would be the equivalent of someone else's favorite rock band breaking up, or the members dying, never to play again.

 

Given the circumstances, I understand how he must feel. To listen to people ridicule you every day, especially when they don't even know you, wears upon a person. I know this from experience... And just because he is in the public eye does not mean it should be expected. He deserves as much common decency as anyone else. You would not expect to go walking down the street and be called names... but that the same is what he has been enduring.

 

I grew up in the Okanagan. I had heard that he came to play in Vernon, and someone in the crowd decided to throw a water bottle at him. That's utterly disgusting. Why would someone even bother to come to his show if they didn't like him? That kind of thing hurts, no matter how much you just try to shrug it off. I wonder how many people have had some random person come up to them in the mall or at school or something and call them names... I have, and it hurts, and after so many times, it's hard to just go on and try to live happily.

 

Anyway, the point of this is, I understand, and hope that getting out of the spotlight will help him. I also hope that if he still likes making music, he will continue. If he has decided it is no longer his desire, then I wish him the best in all his future endeavors, and will always consider him one of my favorite artists.

[juanpe]

Still without being really able to come back to my "normal" life, I find that Matt has closed his blog and that he's posting opinions, articles no more...

 

I honestly dont know what to say... I just feel sad because for the first time in a long time I had found someone I could share my own ideas, thoughts, wishes, concerns... someone who would really understand what I have always fought for (and as much as I can what I'm still fighting for), who would really understand my political views, my world views...

 

I have the feeling that i have lost something in my life...

 

juanpe

[CaptainRocket]

I am an Education student with a social studies minor. Matt's blog really helped me to choose my minor, as when I read it I found myself becoming more and more interested with politics and the world around me. Matt's music has been a major part of my life since junior high when I bought Underdogs, and the blog really broadened my appreciation for him as an artist. I loved how, unlike some artists who will spill their views out anytime the press is nearby, Matt provided his readers with a very in depth understanding of why the issues he discussed were so important. I have been inspired by Matt in a way that will affect me for most of my life, especially in my career. The seeds of activism have been planted and germinating in my head, and I hope that with my own students I will be able to inspire the same feelings.

Thanks for everything, Matt. It was greatly appreciated.