Nick Hornby on pop music, and Sasha Frere-Jones on Nick HornbyNick Hornby (of High Fidelity fame), wrote an opinion piece about pop music in last week's New York Times. He says things like this...

I understand that I run the risk of being seen as yet another nostalgic old codger complaining about the state of contemporary music. And though it's true that I'm an old codger, and that I'm complaining about the state of contemporary music, I hope that I can wriggle out of the hole I'm digging for myself by moaning that, to me, contemporary rock music no longer sounds young.

Run the risk? Too late you whinging oldie - best to embrace old age rather then try and excuse yourself with 'but actually, modern music does suck' lines. Terrible. Sasha Frere-Jones obviously feels similarly, and takes Nick's piece apart in an excellent post over at his site. For example, Sasha translates the quote above for us...

TRANSLATION: By acknowledging the wack thing I am doing, I prove that I am an honest, down-to-earth guy. I know my limitations, and I am being paid to flaunt them. I can now say the thing I was going to say without making you mad because I have apologized in advance for saying it. See? I do not even have the courage of my own dreary convictions, but you still like me!

Read the whole thing here.
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