r/BlindboyPodcast

He’s spent years preaching about internal validation, not caring what other people think and not seeking external approval. Yet one bad review of his play apparently bothered him enough to spend an entire podcast explaining why the critic is wrong.

The argument basically boils down to...if you like my work, you understand it; if you dislike it, you don't understand it. And if you explain why you dislike it, you're apparently insecure and threatened by the art.

That’s not intellectualism. It’s an unfalsifiable ego defence.

Someone can completely understand what you were trying to do and still think you did it badly. Understanding Surrealism, Absurdism or Postmodernism doesn't automatically make a three-hour play good.

Sometimes criticism isn't proof that you've created challenging art. Sometimes people just think the art isn't very good.

And ironically, spending an entire podcast desperately explaining why one critic's opinion doesn't matter makes it look like their opinion mattered quite a lot.

For someone who constantly tells everyone else not to seek external validation, Blindboy seems remarkably desperate for it when the validation disappears.

EDIT: Apparently this is now in the Top 10 posts of all time on the sub.

Which obviously means absolutely nothing. I don't care about upvotes, rankings, engagement or what strangers on the internet think. In fact, external validation is completely irrelevant to me.

I'm definitely not going to spend the next hour explaining why this proves everyone else is wrong. But obviously, if a post criticising someone suddenly gets this much attention, it must have hit a nerve. Anyway, Top 10 means nothing.

Nothing.I'm just mentioning it again because it means nothing.

Obviously his latest pod goes against his own values. But I suppose I am triggered more directly, because, ahem, I am someone who loves his podcasts but hates his writing.

I don’t think his non-pod writing is "bad". I don’t think it’s not art. But every time I listen to it, I find it torturous. Call me “neurotypical,” but I don’t like his brand of whatever he would pedantically define it as. I DO need more to work with… or at least not have everything taken away from me so often in the way he does.

Call me neurotypical but I still prefer this low point of a pod to his previous one - when I made myself listen to one of his short stories again. You see, I want to like his non-pod writing. But I can't!

By the way, I am actually an artist and neurodivergent to the point that moving through space is difficult. But man, listening to his short stories makes me feel like I am giving birth to an arse baby every time.

To me, Blindboy is a river that needs to flow against the valley of reality. When he flows against nothing but himself it's just too much for me. (That's flattery; actually feels it's too little.) So in that sense.. him flowing against a poor critic and their apparent arse is still better than his stories!

(I am actually curious to see the play because I'd like to see if the physical limitations of theatre provides some "valley of reality" for his river to flow against.)

Ohhh, just listened after all the hubbub yesterday.

Just made me feel kinda sad for the lad and I experienced some major second hand cringe. I don't think we have a proper word for that in English...I believe the Germans have: Fremdscham.

Anyway, just an opinion innt, I hope the podcast can return to its former glories, he's losing me lately, but I don't wanna give up on the chap.

Also, someone needs to tell him about websites that get around paywalls, coz subbing three times to the Irish Indo to read your bad reviews and then unsubscribing immediately is a waste of money.

After years of learning the theory of solemnity in art we got to experience it somewhat.

He is well within his rights to critique a critic and it was fucking hilarious calling him an entertainment critic.

He is here to stay so if you are going to cry about his episodes you should really reevaluate how you spend your time and energy.

“Ooo Blindboy doesn’t practice what he preaches” listen to yourself ffs.

“Blindboy is narcissistic because he wont adapt his behaviour, business model and personality to suit me”

This place is ridiculous lol, honestly, the anti mob all seem to have bot behaviour.

This notion is pure conspiracy bonkers, he's not wanting to make video, fine by me but don't make it a world ending conspiracy theory?

Is this Blindboys most pretentious reversal of his old mantra yet ?

Right lads I need help getting some great episodes to throw his way, he’s a gifted writer, art lover and all round silly goose so I’d love to ping him some great episodes as I on the other had an a big dafty and don’t remember half the shit I hear in the podcast the minute it stops. Thank you