Bob Blog

Bob Mould’s been a part of my listening diet for a long time. I’ve been a fan from his flannel-flying post punk days with Hüsker Dü onward across various solo records and the mighty magnesium flash that was the power trio Sugar. Over the years he’s gone through a lot of changes- from scowling self-hater to soul-searching acoustic minstrel to his current persona as proud homo technocrat. He also has a blog, which I discovered on a recent surf past his Granary Music site. It’s been up since the beginning of the year and within its numerous cyber pages Bob waxes revelatory about lots of topics personal, professional, political, and even occasionally musical: wrestling, exercise, dieting, match.com, gay marriage, travel, etc.

It’s an interesting read and one I plan to return to, but what surprises me most is the level of intimate detail he’s willing to go into in what is basically a public forum. Especially considering the fiercely private person he was in the past, at constant psychological odds with the trappings of fame. It’s got me thinking about the whole concept of ‘celebrities’ and blogs and wondering what other musicians maintain similar diaries on the web. This is an age where a blog is available to every boy or girl who wants one. So I guess it makes sense that the ‘famous’ would engage in the activity right along with the ‘anonymous.’ Still, there’s something vaguely unsettling about it. Maybe it’s just that part of me selfishly wishes Bob would spend less time posting on the web and more time putting the finishing touches on his upcoming album Body of Song.