Calvin Johnson film appearances (and their pomposity)

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Just watching the trailer for that Jandek film and I see that Calvin Johnson makes yet another indie documentary appearance. I can't quite put my finger on it but does he seem, in every on-camera instance in any film (Shield Around the K, Songs for Cassavettes...), to speak as though he has the ultimate and most profound answers to pretty much any question? I feel like I could ask him about the history of the banana and he'd come off as though he not only knows something about bananas, but is in fact the foremost expert on bananas? Is he the world's biggest charlatan? Maybe the title of this thread shoulda been "who's the music world's biggest charlatan?"...

― kentaylrr, Saturday, 10 May 2003 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Is he the world's biggest charlatan?

yes

― brains (cerybut), Saturday, 10 May 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Is he the world's biggest charlatan?

is charlatan synonymous with asshole? if then, yes.

he was on tour with a friend of mine who when my friend came in to town, he called me and we met up... only CJ invited himself along with us and he seriously was the most annoying, conceited and insecure person i've ever met. i sold all of my beat happening records (and a dub narcotic single) the very next day because i was so bummed on him.

in the late 80s he stayed at a friend's house who lived with the future director of mktg. for matador records and she invited beat happening back to their house. CJ told my friend (who was a smoker back then) not to smoke. in his own house! he wasn't even in a room close to them! and he broke my friend's favorite coffee cup too.

see? i made it two paragraphs without a mention of his appettite for 18 year olds.

― oh no (gygax!), Saturday, 10 May 2003 23:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, maybe he has his good points. Someone tell the Henry Rollins crotch-grabbing story or something!

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I like BH but his "performance art review" (or whatever) The Moon Is up There was just infuriating--two hours of Calvin and his friends wasting everyone's time.

― amateurist (amateurist), Sunday, 11 May 2003 00:40 (twenty-two years ago)

"Off-stage" and "off-screen" Calvin has always been a nice guy in all my dealings with him. I first met him around 1980 or 81 when he came by the University of Maryland radio station where I was d.j.'ing and then I subsequently met him at various dc hardcore punk related events. He has or had relatives in the Washington DC area and was frequently around. He always just chatted about his favorite dc go-go funk records and stuff with me. His performing is a whole 'nother thing. Alot of what he does I think is tongue-in-cheek or ironic and is designed to antagonize people who he thinks are too serious. I wish he'd learn to sing.

― Steve Kiviat (Steve K), Monday, 12 May 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know if he's a jerk or anything, but I think he heard me making fun of the huge headphone-type ear protectors he was wearing when I saw him. He wore them not only through the admittedly loud first opening band, but during the very acoustic Little Wings performance. Yup.
Then when he played, he played like 3 songs, then "answered questions" (basically a monologue) for about an hour. This was at 1:30 in the morning. Then he played like 2 more songs.

― NA. (Nick A.), Monday, 12 May 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Calvin is really a very sweet guy. He definitely knows how to ruffle people's feathers, but it's all in good fun.

Incidentally, seeing "The Moon Is Up There: a paper opera" was a life-changing event for me, still ranks among my favorite performance experiences of all time.

― kevin erickson, Sunday, 18 May 2003 07:17 (twenty-two years ago)

seeing Dub Narcotic open for Built to Spill at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle a couple years ago ranks with the worst musical experiences of my life. it was every "who fuckin' cares maaaan?" cliche I hate about the Pacific Northwest wrapped into one endless-Chinese-water-torture hour, and it made me want to throw bottles at him.

― M Matos (M Matos), Sunday, 18 May 2003 07:35 (twenty-two years ago)

designed to antagonize people who he thinks are too serious.

If this true, Calvin can go fuck himself. I'm glad I sold my Beat Hapepning records.

My live C.J. experiences have been closer to Matos's water torture than Kevin's "life-changing event" anyhow.

― amateurist (amateurist), Sunday, 18 May 2003 15:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Also isn't antagonizing someone a surefire way to make them more serious?

― amateurist (amateurist), Sunday, 18 May 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

eight years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD96qMnK4n4&feature=share

― andrew m., Thursday, 14 July 2011 16:37 (fourteen years ago)

i saw this video a while back. i have a lot of time for k recs and associated bands. calvins production is second to none. i dont really care if hes a dickhead or not. his head is probably up his own arse but it doesnt really bother me that much.

― jumpskins, Thursday, 14 July 2011 18:45 (fourteen years ago)

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