I'd like to take issue with Chessrock's ideas on this issue and those that hold similar opinions. Hopefully this will be viewed as a dialogue of ideas, and not a personal attack.
There are many areas in the arts where people of great talent and vision are hired and put in a position where they need to manage, direct, or organize other artists towards a common goal. As an example, we can look at orchestra conductors, film or theatrical directors, and in the case of a "hands-off" producer... an audio engineer. If we focus on the first two categories, one could very well ask: How many conductors or directors are hired because they have great patience and treat their musicians or actors always with great respect and in a polite and humane fashion?
I'm sure there are some who do, and probably more who don't. (Just ask any orchestral musician). While it's a bonus if they are wonderful human beings, these people are hired because they can create a particular product (i.e. a symphony or film) that is on a high artistic level and/or attracts large masses of people to spend their dollars.
While one can make the argument that a "real" pro would treat the artists better because it would result in better performances, the reality is also that the musician or actor better lose their thin skin - because not everyone is going to treat them with kid gloves. It's part of the business.
I've seen a world famous performer stop in the middle of a song, and turn to the pianist and say, sarcastically: "Are those your chords or mine?" Was that constructive or helpful to the show? Probably not. Did the pianist smile and say: "They're yours, sir!" and then continue to play a flawless show? Of course - because he was a pro. (I only know all this because I was the pianist...) And this was not an unusual case - some of the greatest performers have been famous for treating their accompanists like shit. And in the end, NO ONE judges them on how nice they are - only how many records or concert tickets they sell.
So to reiterate: throughout history the best and most talented artists have rarely been the most likeable human beings. If someone has reached the pinnacle of their field, it is because a large number of people in positions of power have recognized their abilities, and proceed to hire them and reward them appropriately. Or because large masses of the public are willing to purchase their products or creations. Mixerman is one such person. We can criticize his personality all we want, but guess what... given a choice between a top engineer and a top human being, the record industry is going to hire the top engineer.
It's the same with a star pro athlete. We can gripe all we want about how if we were making millions and playing a game we love, we would never be the spoiled, self-centered, etc. etc. personalities that we think a lot of pro athletes are. Well, guess what? We DON'T have their talent (at least most of us don't) and we aren't in their shoes, and we don't deal with the same pressures to perform, and the constant travel, and the lack of privacy, and the obnoxious fans and journalists... and a million other reasons why we AREN'T the same as a basketball or baseball star... so it's a little difficult to keep a straght face while listening to some amateur wannabe say: "Well, I always dreamed about being in a top pro situation, and I can tell you for a fact, if I was in their position I would do things differently..." (Sound familiar, anyone?)
But aside from all that... what we are privileged to have here is a "hidden camera" view of a pro dealing with adversity: Mixerman's brilliant account of this recording session. He is kind enough to expose his inner thoughts, most of which, to be fair, are kept inside when he is in the studio - not communicated to the musicians. In a world where you are only judged largely by the success of your most recent product, Mixerman has every right to feel his standing in the industry might very well be affected by the success or failure of this project - and therefore has every right to resent others efforts to sabotage his success, be it intentional or just through gross incompetence.
He may already be resigned to likely failure, and through his postings is keeping his sanity and salvaging a small artistic success from this cesspool - albeit a literary one instead of a musical one.
I don't know if I would have even been able to show the restraint he has shown if I were in a similar situation. But it doesn't matter, because I'm not - and most of the critics here are not. So they don't really know how they would react.
I'm not Shaquille O'Neal. Or Barry Bonds. But I would be grateful for the chance to see "the game" through their eyes, if even for a moment. And I would be even more grateful if the presentation of that moment wasn't cleaned up or sanitized to protect a few anonymous feelings, but was presented honestly.
On the other hand, what if Mixerman is pulling a Hunter Thompson on us? Maybe this recording session is a fictional account drawn from his various real life experiences! I guess we'll never know for sure...
I apologize for the lengthy rant...
