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Well, broadly speaking, yes, this is a fairly reasonable take. Sensible. Measured. I find myself largely in agreement, which is frankly a relief these days.

However, there are a few points that rather stick in the craw:

Now, comparing Kanye West to Bryan…really?

That feels like comparing a malfunctioning space shuttle to a rather confused pigeon.

Yes, both are airborne disasters in their own way, but one has billions of dollars, a sycophantic entourage, and Yeezy-branded delusions of grandeur, while the other… does not.

I’ve written reams on Kanye and the hideous apparatus that insists on propping him up like a particularly lucrative corpse in a weekend-at-Bernie’s scenario. Bryan, talented though he may be, simply does not occupy that stratosphere of unchecked cultural capital.

And as for the domestic violence situation look, I deal with the legal system on a daily basis. Not from the defense table, I hasten to add. It’s a grim, bureaucratic machine built to assign blame like it’s playing a cosmic game of hot potato. But reality is not, despite our best efforts, a courtroom drama.

It’s messy. It’s murky. And people shockingly are not easily divided into “evil villain” and “innocent saint.” Often, tragically, they’re both damaged, both dangerous, and both doomed to a kind of slow-motion mutual destruction.

Now, the bit that really deserves more fanfare the music. My god, the man’s sound is like if Leonard Cohen, Elliott Smith, and Johnny Cash wandered into a bar, had an argument with Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, and then all recorded a concept album together in someone’s garage. It’s brooding, brilliant chaos clearly drawn from a sprawling mix of influences, and frankly, I think that’s going to carry him further artistically than Kanye’s increasingly unhinged techno-narcissism ever could.

People think I’m joking, but go listen to a bunch of early third wave Emo and you can see its fingerprints also on Bryan.

Overall.. Great article! Nice to see someone writing with nuance!

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