Okay this is really bugging me. People keep throwing around the word satire as if they know what it means. Writing or saying something false, hoping to trick someone into believing it, is not satire -- its just pulling your leg. True satire is using irony, exaggeration, or sarcasm specifically to EXPOSE and CRITICIZE others weaknesses and vices. (Check Oxford English Dictionary, Miriam Webster, or Wikipedia.) Satire is both a beautiful and subtle art and a crucial public service. Fake news is neither. There are SO MANY crazy and absurd things in the jazz world that should be criticized, both openly and through the use of satire. (See JazzIsTheWorst for an example of doing it well and hilariously.) HOWEVER, an elder statesman of jazzs own enthusiasm for the horn and the beauty of music is not crazy or absurd at all; in fact its quite inspiring, whether you know anything about jazz or not. Of course when I read the New Yorker piece I knew it was fake -- obviously Sonny Rollins (nor any musician) would ever say that in an interview -- but that does NOT mean that it was a joke in any way, and certainly not satire!!!!! Thank you good night.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 13:44:37 +0000
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