Talk:Ian Penman

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[edit] Article archive

i thought it would be valuable if any other editors would like to help me in creating an archive/links to various pieces on the web demonstrating the varied journalism of a number of music writers, including Penman. I was thinking about including the great writers of the seventies and eighties, such as Paul Morley, Simon Reynolds, Ian Penman, Nick Kent, Charles Shaar Murray etc. If anyone is interested i'd appreciate some help and guidance. Thanks. Ask me

[edit] Two Ian Penmans!

Someone has asked me why I deleted some stuff today. Well - as it happens, I am the 'Ian Penman' this entry is about. And someone brought it to my attention that this page - which for a few years now has been solely about me and my career as a writer - had been hi jacked by someone else with the same name. I think he was deliberately and erroneously misrepresenting a situation in the UK, where he claims there was "much confusion" between "two" people with the same name, Ian Penman, him being the other one. This situation does not, and never has pertained in the UK or anywhere else. I think this person is just trying to get some free publicity for himself off the back of my name and work. I'm sorry - I won't be relegated to "Ian Penman (2)" on my own page - in my own life, as it were. This is a total misrepresentationof the objective facts. It may be that HE himself, in his persnal life has had problems or confusions with the name - but I defy anyone to claim that this is a general case, or ever has been. Objectively speaking this Wikipedia entry is about rock critics, the NME, and the NME at a specific time in the 70s and 80s. It is NOT about this local DJ guy from Newcastle who - well, no one is thinking of him when a Wikipedia entry for 'Ian Penman' is clicked on, let's be accurate here. If people want to be critical of my work or whatever, fine, I dont mind that. But not inaccuracy, or fantasy. If he'd even just put this in a small footnote - but NO, he has to take over the entire first pargraph with what is in effect a glorified C.V. and call himself "Ian Penman (1)" I mean - come ON! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.129.160.213 (talkcontribs) 11:34, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Article cleanup

I had added Template:Inappropriate tone to this article, but on closer examination, I don't think there's much that can be done to save the second paragraph. I've removed it per WP:BLP, as it seems neither verifiable nor neutral. Consider:

  • "Penman's elaborate syntax and self-centered prose served as a critical counterpoint and mirror to the New Romantic wave." What does this mean? This sounds like someone writing an essay, not an encyclopedia article. If this is worth including in the article (I'm not convinced that it is), it probably needs a citation – "according to [expert], [claims about Penman's writing]".
  • "As NME's resident intellectual provocateur during the early 1980s, Penman was not as interested in music as his postmodernist rival, Paul Morley, which makes his writing less dated." This entire section sounds like unverifiable POV/writer's opinion.
  • "Penman was the true test of NME fidelity, a contrast with the earnest 'muso' preoccupations of Melody Maker and the proletarian philistinism of Sounds." And this is gobbledygook. Again, it sounds like a line out of an essay or paper, and is badly biased. If there is something important buried in here, it's not going to be apparent to the majority of Wikipedia readers.

The rest of the article looks OK, though. →smably 19:18, 6 November 2006 (UTC)