(photo by Eve Prime)

OK, not everybody is into Stephin Merritt. But is the Master Of Mope’s quoted distaste for much of contemporary hip-hop sufficient evidence with which to label him a racist?

That’s the question posed by Slate’s John Cook (thanks to Jesper for the link) in a provocative piece that brings another question to mind :

which of the following is more depressing :
a) putting any more weight in Mr. Merritt’s opinions about hip-hop than anyone else’s

b) the notion of someone “walking out in anger” during the EMP’s annual pop pundit circle jerk

c) the thought of attending said event.

d) all of the above.

I really think it will take a national convention of bloggers and music journalists who email and IM each other all day long to properly answer the above question. Hopefully with as much grandstanding as possible, regardless of who ends up smeared.

I can’t claim to know whether or not Mr. Merritt’s chihuahua is racist, but it seems as though Jessica Hopper (succinctly described by an occasional correspondent as “a publicist/promo-fanzine cunt”) is pretty accomplished when it comes to calling people out and getting her shit wrong.