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Fan Landers Advises Musicians With Kids, DIY Pop Stars And Working Class Heroes

Jessica-hopperMusic critic Jessica Hopper writes an advice column for indie musicians under the guise of Fan Landers. The column is a mix of tongue-in-cheek riffs and practical advice for musicians from those struggling with identities that conflict with their genre, such as being a closeted rapper, to more mundane concerns, like whether or not to play Spokane. Along the way she unravels numerous sticky situations

Jessica Hopper's stint as Fan Landers for The Village Voice began back in July with a double dose response to the following:

"I'm having problems becoming famous like Sonic Youth. What should I do?"

And a more sprawling question that presents, first, an unpleasant interpersonal dynamic followed by the dilemma of whether or not to accept that he's too old to rock or instead to find some new bandmates.

And that covers a lot of the mix from how to get famous:

"I've DIY'ed Myself Into Oblivion. How Do I Climb Out Of It?"

To the more mundane:

"Should We Bother Playing Small Towns on Tour?"

From identity clashes:

"Should I Stay in the Closet For the Sake of My Rap Career? "

To the interpersonal:

"Help! A Bridezilla Fiasco Might Result In A Band Breakup!"

To the totally unique yet useful:

What To Do When Your Newly Vegan Bandmate Refuses To Participate in Your Black Metal Band's Ritual Blood Sacrifice

Hopper's responses aren't the sort of thing one can chop up into quick tips for emerging superstars or aging road warriors. At their best, they present a creative response or develop a scenario to help her readers see a personal dilemma from a larger perspective, such as her advice to a musician dad facing hard choices. After a bit of tough love, Hopper spins out a rejuvenation scenario worthy of an extended Rob Brezsny column.

If you dig around you'll find that Ms. Hopper has had her controversial moments but sometimes such a vantage point leads to an awareness of not only the complexities of life but the necessity of getting on to the living of it.

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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