Remembering Roger Ebert and Why I Write

"Ebert was without a doubt one of the best critics out there. I can't count the times I went to his page only to find that he said what I thought or felt but couldn't articulate. The guy was a very gifted writer, regardless of what you think of his opinions on film. He was a voice of civility and understanding."

 - Anonymous


I'm not a big film fan. Unfortunately, I lack the attention span, and there are a lot of things I'd rather do instead of sit idly and burn out my eyes on a screen for two hours. I'm trying to watch more films though because I know there's an endless amount of good work out there, and my to-watch list grows by the week. As you can imagine, I don't read many film reviews either, Ebert's included. I also don't have the first clue as to what goes into film criticism.

But despite my lack of familiarity with film history and film criticism, taking the above quotation as a general consensus, I can say that the anonymous remembrance of Roger Ebert speaks to everything I strive for in writing about music. I know how difficult it can be to articulate the emotions that some music makes me feel. I've said time and time again (although more likely, I've only said it in several drafts of posts) that I rarely write about the music that moves me the most because I can struggle for up to months to articulate exactly how and why the music that moves me the most moves me the way it does.

I also know what it's like to come across writing that conveys exactly how I feel about a certain musician or piece of music, writing that re-affirms my belief that as little as personal tastes should matter, sometimes, they do matter, because to understand a piece of music, a movie or a book the same way someone else does - the way you thought no one else ever could or did - is to speak a same language. In these comforting moments, I feel a jolt of faith in my connection to other humans and in my capacity to empathize.

That I might possibly articulate how even one other person feels about music - that I might create a mutual understanding between people who may never meet and in doing so assuage any social anxiety that arises from a sense of aesthetic-and-wider-philosophy-based isolation - is the fundamental reason why I write. To be able to provide fresh perspectives and "contribute to the conversation" or "discourse" is just a bonus.

I consider myself fairly non-partisan. I can usually appreciate good writers whether or not I agree with them because when many issues are broken down, there are valid arguments for all sides. At the very least, I try to appreciate well-defended positions as motivation to remain as non-partisan as possible when I disagree. "Civility and understanding." If you can at least uphold those virtues, the way Roger Ebert was purportedly able to, there's value in your writing. It's least I can hope to do.