Don Rosa vs Kurt Nilssen

Olaf Solstrand olaf at andebyonline.com
Sun Jul 13 18:25:25 CEST 2003


As an answer to our lurking friend:
> Yesterday our friend Olaf Solstrand compared Don Rosa with
> the new Norwegian music artist Kurt Nilssen (at least this is how
> Olaf's statement could be interpreted).

Well, yes, that's how my statement COULD be interpreted, but that was not
what I meant. So, let me try to explain what I actually meant. (in a way
that does not need an answer so that Sigvald wouldn't have to go de-lurking
again...)

I was just trying to state the difference between importance and popularity.
So, I went to the extreme and picked an example that I hoped you [Sigvald]
would understand. Kurt Nilssen has been mile high on both the Norwegian most
sold albums-list and most sold singles-list for weeks. He's played on the
radio almost continously (especially on "hit" stations). Booking a concert
with Kurt and the others from "Idol" costs 40.000$. Many people, especially
young teens (I would have used the word "fjortis" if it was in my
dictionary), meet up and praise this artist like The Beatles was in the
1960's and Elvis Presley was in the 1950's. (Thus perhaps not THAT many.)

Is Kurt Nilssen a popular music artist? Of course he is.
Is Kurt Nilssen an important music artist? Not at all!

But I'm not trying to compare Don Rosa to Kurt Nilssen. Please - I have more
respect for Don Rosa than that. All I'm saying is that YOU CAN'T DRAW A
PARALLEL BETWEEN POPULARITY AND IMPORTANCE.

I realize that I _could_ have used an example everybody would understand -
e.g. Britney Spears or the Spice Girls. Which are WORSE, as they don't even
write their own music.

I hope my point is taken.



____________________________________
Olaf Solstrand
going lurking for the next one and a half hour...



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