The Reluctance of Jason Lytle

To say Jason Lytle shies away from the spotlight would be an understatement. The former lead singer of Grandaddy is one of many artists who produce art because they love doing so and not because they desire fame and fortune. His indifference towards fans and the media make him one of the more mercurial musicians who are currently in the business. His show last night at the new Seattle venue Barboza was interesting and in typical Lytle style - considerably awkward. He spaced on the first line of the second song in his set which wouldn't have been a huge deal except that he let the drum beat play for about 3 minutes while he scoured his brain for the lyrics. This brings me to my next point about Jason Lytle. It's clear to me after being a fan of his for over the last 10 years that he has less of a connection to his songwriting than his average fan does. He made a joke last night about this not being "slacker rock" and while the off-the-cuff remark was made very much tongue-in-cheek you get the feeling that there were a million other things he'd rather be doing. This was reinforced by his comment later in the night where he said that he released his new album and he likes making albums but he hates touring. He actually admitted more or less to not wanting to be there calling it "weird" (which he repeated several times throughout the show). The folks in the crowd who knew the lyrics to his songs better than he did and payed $18 a ticket on a Tuesday night probably did not want to hear that. The demise of Grandaddy was a result of beautiful misunderstood albums being released during a time when the commercial music industry was dying a painful death. CD sales never reached the necessary number for the entire band to live comfortably (according to Lytle). Shamefully, this was music that eclipsed that of Grandaddy's peers in songwriting, creativity and melody. His loyal and devoted fans have moved on to his solo work with the same kind of fervent passion. Part of what makes Lytle so loved by his followers is his reluctance to give in to others' ideas of what his music should be. This of course made him an outsider in the mainstream music industry. While I respect him for standing by his principles in spite of missing out on more money and a larger audience, I would urge him to not take for granted the people who HAVE enabled him to produce many albums and to enjoy a better than modest lifestyle. We are not reluctant to buy your music and attend your shows. Your fans on your side Jason.