“Absent a historical musical context or a functioning b.s. detector, it is possible to mistake (Ryan) Adams for being as talented and clever as he thinks he is. But then there are plenty of people who can’t tell the difference between plastic flowers and real ones, until they bend over to take a whiff.”

Those two sentences, published in the Dec. 15th edition of the Chicago Sun-Times, concluded the review of Adams’ show at the Riviera Theater and generated one of the most childish instances of rock star self-righteousness.

The alt-rocker has built a reputation on reckless antics ranging from kicking audience members out of his shows for mistakenly requesting Bryan Adams songs, to his current unexplained feud with Wilco’s refreshingly humble front man, Jeff Tweety.

Upon returning home to North Carolina, Adams telephoned Jim Derogatis, the man behind the notorious review, and left a three-minute message on his answering machine. The verbal assault that morning found the disgruntled rocker claiming Derogatis “Obviously has a personal problem with (Adams),” and speculated the negative review was rooted in the critic’s personal vendetta and not in the music.

Sandwiched between countless expletives and insults, Adams promised/ threatened he will “continue to come back to Chicago, and there’s nothing (Derogatis) can do to stop it.”

Soon after the call, copies began to circulate on Internet sites such as BuddyHead.com and Kazaa. It is not certain whether or not Derogatis leaked the initial copy; yet it is unlikely for somebody else to have access to the message and a motive. Even though Derogatis’ actions are equally as juvenile and will inevitably perpetuate the ego-struggle between the two, Adams got what he deserved.

Drawing from infinite personal experiences and a library of rock’n’roll knowledge, Derogatis’ opinions are as informed as any. Say what you will about his tactics or opinions, the man’s job is to print what he thinks. No one pays Ryan Adams to write, sing or telephone about the genius that is Ryan Adams. However, watch him for five minutes and it would appear so.

If Adams is as thin-skinned as he seems, and fickle enough to track down the source of negative press, he is in the wrong business. Public figures leave themselves open to constant criticism. Unlike politicians and athletes, artists are judged on both their creativity and execution, not performance alone.

Obviously, the over-zealous bad boy is not the first musician to combat the press.

Courtney Love is notorious for her haunting phone calls rebutting negative publicity. So much so, Adams stated “I’m not giving you a Coutney Love type of call,” during his diatribe. The widow of Kurt Cobain has left threats on many answering machines. Need proof? Just watch the questionable documentary “Kurt and Courtney.” The Nick Broomfield film transformed from a piece on grunge’s royal couple, into multiple battles between Love and the movie crew.

Even indie-rock icon Ted Leo has had a run-in or two with the press. After a less-than-flattering review of his release, “Rx/Pharmacists,” on PitchforkMedia.com, the out-spoken Leo wrote to the editor and explained how sickening it is “the music media absolutely needs to establish control over the identities of the musicians they’re commenting.” The popular Web site simply didn’t like the album.

A Chicago musician, whose identity PitchforkMedia refused to reveal, told the site that poor reviews cause him to seriously consider “not releasing records in America at all.”

Such instances are as trite as they are numerous. From Stephan Jenkins to Billy Corgan [who ironically each have a past with Derogatis], and Lou Reed to Eminem, artists continually battle back against the hands that help feed them.

What these musicians don’t grasp is the triad between the press, themselves and fans.

Musicians need fans to assure their work heard and purhcases. Without the press, they would rely solely on word-of-mouth publicity. What about the famous maxim: All publicity is good publicity?

Fans need musicians for the product, and many rely on critics to steer them toward quality music.

Lastly, without musicians, critics would have nothing to write about. Without the readers, their work would fall on deaf ears.

Then again, the music business has never been known as a modest and cooperative industry – but that’s part of its charm.

Northern Star Online, Jan. 28, 2004