|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
173.69.50.245
Up just now on Stereophile's website.
jm
Follow Ups:
> Up just now on Stereophile's website.
Thank you for providing the link, John. As you might imagine, this was very
difficult for me to write.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Sometimes it is better to publish such write ups before the person dies.
Bill
Actually, S'phile ran the linked story about a year and a half ago.
nt
Stereophile's sub-site dedicated to Computer Audio, Michael Lavorgna's "Audiostream," has given extensive coverage both to Ayre's products and to Charles Hansen, culminating just about a year ago in a video interview.
Furthermore, many people feel uncomfortable hearing about themselves what sounds like tactical praise or an early funeral oration. I usually deflect praise by saying, "Praise no warrior until his ship has been burned."
I would feel very weirded out if a whole bunch of AA Inmates began bombarding me with emails about how wonderful I am or making posts about how wonderful I am.
Now, of course, within a family or a close friendship, things are different. Of course one praises one's spouse and kids, the more frequently the better. But at the end of the day, Mr. Hansen and Mr. Atkinson were "business friends." Both would have had very valid reasons to keep a critical amount of critical distance in their relationship.
So your criticism of JA in this respect just won't wash with me.
john marks
You even appear uncomfy when I praise your Christmas CDs on here. Which I'm playing at the moment. Buck up and accept my glowing compliments, Marks. False modesty does not become you. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
"Both would have had very valid reasons to keep a critical amount of critical distance in their relationship."
Mr. Marks, I realize that this is an internet site in which many write with terrible sentence structure and no one thinks twice, but given your background as a former Stereophile contributor, this sentence makes me cringe. "... a critical amount of critical distance"? Really? Then again, your writing was always, uh, mediocre at best.
Now on to the point-a wise person once noted that funerals are for the living, not for the dead. What has been said since Charles' death has been for our own sake and not for Charley. It is a common emotion amongst us to regret things that were said when someone was alive and to wish that there had been an opportunity to make things "right" before that person passed. Go to the main thread on Charley's passing and read what Alan Hendler said. Here, I will make it easier for you:
"I think of the recent arguments I had with him and I now regret them. I will miss him. Maybe I will try to be a nicer person
Alan"
That, sir, was a classy post. You don't need to defend JA btw. No one has singled him out and in fact, in that same thread, I mentioned that despite their disagreements, JA was at all times a "consummate gentleman" with Charley.
Really!As I wrote that, I chuckled to myself. this will really annoy some AA pissypants!
And it did!
Thanks.
Twitting aside, I wanted to underscore the point that the day some equipment manufacturer or record producer can think of me as a "friend" in the sense of, "someone would want make some non-trivial sacrifice on behalf of me or my family" is the day I have to be extra-careful about assessing that person's product or projects.
Having "industry friends" is OK for a (underscore) "critic" (end underscore). But having a real friend send you a product to review raises issues that I know from personal experience John Atkinson is very sensitive to.
I have long said, mostly in private conversations, that ill-intentioned audiophiles who complain about the compromised nature of the review process are usually barking up the wrong tree. Equipment loans, lavish dinners, and factory tours are less important that unconsciously putting on rose-colored glasses because you like or admire the company or love their story (or find them a convenient cudgel to wield against a competitor you don't like).
It's a tough wicket and I think JA can usually be found on the right side of it. So, statements such as "Bury the Hatchet" do tend to offend me, because I read most of the MQA thread content and I did read all of JA's postings, and he was as objective and dispassionate and impersonal as he could have been. I saw no "Hatcheting" by JA, and so if you did, please point it out to me (I of course realize that you were not the author of the "Hatchet" post, but you did say I had no need to defend JA).
Have a nice day.
jm
Edits: 12/04/17 12/04/17 12/04/17 12/04/17
Thanks John for the post.
Whenever I read an obituary or hear an eulogy I feel that some of the praising should have been done while the person was alive. Do not want all inmates to shower praise but from a few would produce the happiness hormone in the brain. That's all. Sorry if it appeared as a criticism. I must apologise to you and JA.
Bill
I know that praising Ayre's products is only indirectly praising Charley Hansen. But over the past 20+ years, there has been lots of praise for things Charley designed.
I just wanted to make sure that everybody knew that Stereophile had gone out of its way to bring Charley the man before its reading public.
ATB,
jm
Thanks for that John and agree whole heartedly , sadly missed ....
Regards
If there ever really was one.
This is just a forum, an exchange of ideas and words. Behind it are real people, flesh and blood, living their lives (and sadly, sometimes not) with all the drama that entails. Bring the curtain down and have the actors stand in front for a round of applause.
We love them, after all. Otherwise, we'd be somewhere else.
Regards,
Geoff
Well done. And I have the feeling that, had the situation been reversed, Mr. Hansen's thoughts and comments about his relationship with you would have been equally gracious.
In the heat of passionate disagreement it is easy to lose track of the fact that we are members of a community with shared goals and values, and a small one at that.
That was a moving tribute, JA. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, especially in light of recent posts on this forum.
That was a great tribute you wrote. I for one was very glad to see it and given some of the recent discussions around MQA, I think it was particularly notable.
Thank you
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: