Connor O'Brien from the Villagers is my Grizzly Bear

Recently I read an interview in an Australian publication with Robin Pecknold of the Fleet Foxes and he said that when he listens to the likes of Joanna Newsom it inspires him to make more music and he feels like he can do anything. That's nice.

But wait...then when he listens to Grizzly Bear he feels like he will never be as good as that and can do nothing. I wonder which is a greater compliment. Robin you poor thing put Joanna back on!

I realized I agree with him and experience those feelings of inspiration and equally the sensation of creatively shrinking in the presence of giants. It's nice to know that we are all human and have these fleeting moments of inadequacy.

So I think to myself that at the moment Laura Marling is my Joanna Newsom and probably Connor O'Brien from the Villagers is my Grizzly Bear (most likely as he writes lovely lyrics, is two years younger than me and from just down the road in Dun Laoghaire. Somehow that stings a little).

Then I realized that this is the Fleet Foxes we are talking about and even on their worst possible day, where they are visited by the chicken of depression and cant remember their last hot meal they could probably still hammer out a nice little tune. Maybe not one that might send goosebumps racing down my arms but definitely one that could inspire me a heck of a lot more that I could inspire them.

That's when I remember how musically talentless I am and think I better use this analogy with writers as that's what I am working towards doing someday, like, y'know, for money or food or something.

So I think of all the writers I love, Charlie Brooker, Jon Ronson, David Mitchell, Jane Austen, George Orwell, Anna Funder...too many to mention. I try to start mentally filing them into the two columns of those that deflate me and ... no...wait...

Yep. They all make me feel crap.