Sufjan on Friend Rock

Sufjan Stevens recently posted an essay that explores the world of Friend Rock, which is described as "going to a show not so much as a fan of the music, but as a fan of your friend, the musician, on stage."

We've all experienced Friend Rock -- some good... but most were probably unbearably bad. But as good friends, we hold our tongue and tell a little white lie. Here's some of what Sufjan had to say about Friend Rock:

"Friend Rock is a nebulous genre, often difficult to define. How does one isolate the variables? The first step to recovery is recognition; self-inquiry is key. Consider carefully your motivations for being at the show in the first place. Are you bringing to the performance an anxious, pathological obligation (by sheer, relational proximity) and an unfaltering, unquenchable desire to chatter, gossip, and talk about said friend onstage, capsizing your ability to enjoy anything about the music at all? If so, you may be in the midst of Friend Rock. But there you are, biting your tongue, with an iron will, the will to love, a stoic cheerleader, a loyal comrade, a cheap listener, you are sticking it out because that person onstage is your Friend." [READ MORE...]