An Open Letter to Liz Phair

Dear Liz,

I'm a big fan. A big fan. Especially of Whip-Smart and Whitechocolatespacegg. I love the jangly guitar and your smart smart lyrics.

Now I have to say, from this place of fan-dom, that I just heard a single from your recently released album and, well, it sounds like an Avril Lavigne song. Liz! What's going on?

You had it, didn't you see it? Couldn't you feel it? That thing that all artists strive for, that thing that makes us unique, that sets us apart from the others: it was yours. But it was like the more songs you wrote the further away you got from it. Or maybe it's more of an issue that your son is growing older and needs things like braces and expensive sneakers and books for school and a fund for college. Don't get me wrong. I understand these pressures. I understand that music is the thing you know, the skill you have, so why not use that to make some cash to pay the bills. And being the Queen of the Indie Scene is definitly NOT going to make those things happen.

I just don't think that what you're doing right now is the way, either.

So I hope you forgive me for not buying any of your more current albums. I want to remember you the way I love you most.

With the greatest respect,
adrienne