# "No criticisms, please."



## impressions (Jan 25, 2011)

a good real story about criticism i've encountered in google:



> *"No criticisms, please."*
> 
> Everyone has a story (or ten) they wish they could forget, one that makes them cringe or blush every time they recall it. Here's one of mine. In 1993, when I was living in L.A. and looking for a collaborator for one of my musicals (I write the book and lyrics) I was contacted by an seasoned composer who had once had a semi-successful musical on Broadway. When I sent him the script which was about an early American president, he said rather bluntly he had no interest in writing music for my play and added, "Who would want to see this?" Despite that he and I kept up a correspondence for about a year. His letters, while self-centered, and deservedly so, were very interesting. And at times he sent me parts of other musicals he was working on. When I told him I was coming to New York, he insisted that I come by for breakfast, which I did. He lived with his girlfriend (both in their late 60s) in a rent-subsidized building near the Battery with a spectacular view of the harbor and The Statue of Liberty. While the breakfast was rather a peculiar concoction, the conversation was pleasant and it was great to hear theater stories from someone who was part of the Broadway world. At one point he reiterated that my musical would never get produced because nobody would be interested in such a boring theme. Though his comments were rather rude and blunt, I was not especially offended and even granted that he might be right. When we discussed his one Broadway success, which I had seen years before and had not enjoyed, I mentioned that I was surprised, having seen the play that it was based on, that he hadn't created a song on a special scene in the original play that I regarded as a powerful moment begging for musical expression. Once I said this, all amiability disappeared. He stood up and left the room. His girlfriend followed. Returning, she told me that he was tired and it was best for me to leave. Later, when I called, she made it very clear I was to have no further contact with this talented, but obviously over-sensitive, composer. Anyway, I hate this story and wish I could erase the memory. I am sure everyone has such experiences. For a while I wondered if I had been especially harsh in my criticism. If I should not have felt as free to comment on his play as he had on mine. Did I deliberately wound him? The answer is no. It is just another one of those unfortunate situations in life where a person feels he or she can make completely undiplomatic comments but are suddenly shattered when someone criticizes them. In this man's case it is especially sad because I suspect he would have been a more successful Broadway composer if he were not so sensitive.
> 
> Note: Once I moved back to Miami, I did find a very talented composer, John Dusenberry (in L.A. , where else?) to collaborate with me on the musical The Accidental President. We managed to have a very well-received production in Manhattan Beach, California. No one in the audience seems to have found the theme boring and, in fact, there were quite a few wet eyes during the moving last scenes.



taken from here:
http://crankycopywriter.blogspot.com/20 ... ut-it.html


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## midphase (Jan 25, 2011)

I don't get it....I mean what was the point of that story and why is it a good story about criticism?

Am I being critical of this post? Perhaps.

Seriously...let's analyze the story. The guy pursues a composer who is not interest in his pitch and is rather dick-ish. The guy doesn't really seem to have any respect for the composer's work, so the fact that he keeps on this weird relationship seems really unnecessary. Then the guy sees an opportunity to give the composer a taste of his own medicine (totally unnecessary), and the composer gets really offended and shuts him out.

Point of the story...people who dish it out can't take criticism? Well, duh.

To top it off, the guy does manage to make his musical made, but apparently it's not enough of a substantial hit to put him on the map (a Google search reveals several entries for the book, but none for the musical)...which perhaps indicates that the composer dude was right afterall.

So...am I missing something?

PS.
I'm not trying to be a dick...I'm not, this is written very tongue-in-cheek, but I still don't get the point of the story.


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## snowleopard (Jan 25, 2011)

There seems to be something missing in the story, and it's from one side, one point of view. 

What was the mood when the lyricist told the Broadway composer about his play -

_"..I had seen years before and had not enjoyed, I mentioned that I was surprised, having seen the play that it was based on, that he hadn't created a song on a special scene in the original play that I regarded as a powerful moment begging for musical expression."_

The author makes it seem like the mood was joyous and the comment polite, professional and almost innocuous. But was it? I'd like to hear the Broadway composer's point of view from how this went. 

Just telling someone that their highly successful work was begging for something different isn't the best way to continue a conversation, or improve their understanding or vision. There's a George Bernard Shaw quote I love about criticism that I think may apply here: _Almost anyone can tell you when there's something wrong with your writing, but it takes a genius to tell you how to fix it._


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## choc0thrax (Jan 25, 2011)

"Anyway, I hate this story and wish I could erase the memory."

I know how he feels.


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## impressions (Jan 25, 2011)

its obvious you'll take the composer side, but i think the "author" tried to be objective, however hypocrite she is showing. i'm not looking to get into an argument what meant who, and how silly or not my claim is, i really liked the way -she- told the story, she might be the villain as you all say, just don't forget you are also composers who can understand his situation much better than her, and thus relate to his side. i think she portraited a good picture of the situation that even with her subjective self you could see clearly and connect to the characters..

and this is not by any means public relation for her. interesting point of view for me to read, i think all your comments are valid.


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## midphase (Jan 25, 2011)

impressions @ Tue Jan 25 said:


> its obvious you'll take the composer side, but i think the "author" tried to be objective, however hypocrite she is showing. i'm not looking to get into an argument what meant who, and how silly or not my claim is, i really liked the way -she- told the story, she might be the villain as you all say, just don't forget you are also composers who can understand his situation much better than her, and thus relate to his side. i think she portraited a good picture of the situation that even with her subjective self you could see clearly and connect to the characters..



I really don't see her as a villain, nor do I have an issue with how she told the story...I simply don't understand what point she is trying to make. I feel as if either I'm completely missing the moral of the tale, or that she's omitting the proverbial "punchline" to the story.


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## snowleopard (Jan 27, 2011)

Isn't the moral of the story here: 

_"...a person feels he or she can make completely undiplomatic comments but are suddenly shattered when someone criticizes them. In this man's case it is especially sad because I suspect he would have been a more successful Broadway composer if he were not so sensitive."_

Hence, the composer was so thin skinned - in her opinion anyway - that he couldn't even accept mild constructive criticism, which inhibited his growth, both personally, and professionally.


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## dcoscina (Jan 27, 2011)

I think accepting criticism is a good thing- to a point. If any one of us toils and is happy with our output, than we should be confident enough to withstand opinions that might not align with ours. Sometimes, not all the time, I will compose something I really like and feel the mix is good and everything works. Some might have preferences that would suggest I change it. Most times, I posit this and do make some alterations. Other rare times, I stand firm and stick with what I did because it feels right to me. Obviously these are cases where I don't have a client who's paying me...but you get the idea.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Jan 27, 2011)

Kays, I'm assuming that you accidentally reported this thread by mistake - correct?


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## midphase (Jan 27, 2011)

Yes...I was testing to see how easy it is to accidentally hit the Report button instead of the Down Arrow...as it turns out, very easy.


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## NYC Composer (Jan 28, 2011)

The author had a motive for hanging in there with this extremely dick-ish guy-to maintain a connection with a semi-successful Broadway composer, which might bear fruit in the future. He, not liking her script, nevertheless was somewhat gracious in allowing the relationship to continue-until he didn't. Perhaps he enjoyed telling stories of his semi-fame to a realtive neophyte in the theater. Then she crossed his ultra-sensitivity line, fini.

I have to admit, I'm not sure that there's much moral to the tale except that people will often take crap from unpleasant people to maintain connections they deem important....and that's hardly altruistic, rather just a fact of doing business.


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## lux (Jan 28, 2011)

choc0thrax @ Tue Jan 25 said:


> "Anyway, I hate this story and wish I could erase the memory."
> 
> I know how he feels.



:lol:


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## impressions (Jan 28, 2011)

NYC Composer @ Fri Jan 28 said:


> I have to admit, I'm not sure that there's much moral to the tale except that people will often take crap from unpleasant people to maintain connections they deem important....and that's hardly altruistic, rather just a fact of doing business.



i think that's what i liked about this story, that there's this "Relationship" while actually either side is "exploiting" each other in their way-and even though it was supposed to be purely business they *both* got offended by it, as if they got a taste of their *own medicine*.

and that's what i liked.

they're both held to something they knew is dead end, and when it arrived they feel bad about it??


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## snowleopard (Jan 29, 2011)

Good point, Impressions. 

Thanks for clarifying Kays. 

I was thinking about this entire subject today. Because of my job (in TV) I've met several famous people. I only chatted with most of them for a minute at most. However, one person I did sit down and talk with for about 15 minutes or so was Peter Buffet. He turned out to be very easy going, easy to talk to. When I brought up subjects they were about The Waiting (his first album, almost all Synclavier) which I adored, and some of his more recent work which is a nice departure with some intriguing and often moving lyrics (listen to Blood Into Gold, about human trafficking); A direction I would not have expected him to take some 20 years ago. 

I didn't think for a moment to be critical of anything he had done. Not even the period in his career that somewhat bored me (the New World Ensemble-Spirit era). It never even entered my mind, and in retrospect seems completely pointless, petty, and entirely subjective to even think about such a thing. Just because _I_ found some of that music drab is utterly meaningless, because he was obviously happy with it and so were enough people who bought his albums, saw his shows, and hired him for scoring, all which obviously kept his career going just fine*.

*[In case you wonder, his wealthy father put him through college, and that was it. He did not finance Peter's career.]


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