The first time I saw Ryan Adams, I honestly had no idea who he was.
I was at SXSW waiting to see The Black Crowes — it was that long ago — and he came out and played a surprise solo acoustic set before them. I think his first album might have just come out. Anyway, he was great, I was impressed, and I’ve been along for the ride ever since. I’ve seen him a buncha times, I’ve interviewed him, and of course, I’ve reviewed all his albums up to and including his latest release Big Colors, which came out Friday. But not all my reviews have received the attention the latest one has. As I write this, it’s up over 2,300 views and counting. I’m not sure why. It could be that it got shared on a fansite, it could be a Google thing, or it could be just one of those things. I know I haven’t seen a lot of other reviews — I presume plenty of critics have written him off since his personal life imploded a couple of years back. If you read my piece HERE, you’ll see I haven’t. Today, in the latest Sonic Reducers episode from world-class publicist Eric Alper and I, we talk about separating the artist from the art, what freedom of speech really means to us, and why Eric does not want to see your fist. Sonic Reducers: One topic. Two music nerds. Five minutes. Everything you need to know.
