what the fuck is it with me and criticism? no idea, but i can't stand it... and that goes both ways. good and bad. i have a hard enough time taking compliments as it is... at least genuine ones, let alone some random kid on some random internet who says "blahhh you sucked at X venue"
i feel like i need to come up with some kind of complaint form for people who think i give a shit. Im willing to assume that 99.9999% of most "you suck" comments are unfounded alltogether, and children tend to make the most noise anyway.
however, every once and again, ill get something online to the point of "the show sucked, the set was awful".
would someone please show me the critera that would need to be met to be the perfect show? because all this sounds like to me was that your GF dumped you at the event, ergo, i sucked.
i wish people took as much time to put thought into a complaint as i put into a show. then we might be getting somewhere.... but in the meantime... it looks like im on my own.
I was at the 9:30 club show that had to be canceled half way through because you got sick. That may arguably be your worst show ever but I still made the most of it and had a blast! Can't wait for you to come around again!
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, they paid to see your show. You win anyway.
ReplyDeleteHow can you complain that a show sucked when you specifically bought tickets to see that artist. It doesn't make sense to me.
Regardless, eager to see you at Earls Court in December!
Good post. Everybody has feelings... Even the famau5 people. I love you mau5.
ReplyDeleteobviously people need to stfu and get a life. i've been to three of your shows and they've all been great!
ReplyDeletethanks for starting a blog! i love it :) i was sad when you had to take down your discussion board on fb. good luck at the vmas!
you can't make everyone happy, and people love to bitch. best thing to do is let them bitch, if they are not bitching about "you" they are bitching about someone/something else. I mean, you bitch that there isn't any good IRC apps for the mac ;)
ReplyDeletelingk: true..... true.
ReplyDeleteWell, y'see, you're 110% correct there. On the one hand, if you do a show just to do a show, and make money, and it sucks, and people still pay, then that's becoming the start of fail. However, you're doing shows now, and they're mind blowingly awesome - visually and aurally (equal amounts of both, IMO - that visual setup you've got is FUCKING AWESOME). Thing is, there's always... "that guy". That guy that just had a bad night, and as a result of the bad night, thinks the music was bad too.
ReplyDeleteI get that a lot. Someone I pissed off, thinks I'm stupid, though they can't come up with any reason why. Just brush it off, dude... seriously! If it was any person of any particular significance, they'd be able to give you a reason why. As it is now, there's totally none.
Might be worth it to set up that complaints box, if just to get a little laugh every morning from all the trolls and jackasses, and get some practice in "brushing it off". Then, maybe, set up a "compliments box". See what happens there.
Or just make a thread on 4chan about it. I'd love to see it. ;)
people are only judgmental towards what they cannot be successful in. so every time you get a "you suck" or "the set wasn't that great" just think that these people, down deep inside, wish they could be half as good as you in what you do.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy it is to be consumed by the curiosity of why one person out of thousands (millions?) had a bad time, but are they really valuable feedback?
ReplyDeleteBesides, the other 99% are always available to rail on them publicly. Haha.
i cannot vouch for everyone.. but i will say that where i am from, you and your music are both completely incredible. and although i am pissed that you aren't playing in nashville.. i hope that the drive to atlanta is well worth it! my dad is a renound sound engineer and mixer and loves your music as well. he actually was interested in working for you.. so don't worry. YOUR DOING IT RIGHT.
ReplyDeleteare we allow to post a comment? cause u already have alot going on at facebook and .twitter !!!!!!!Straight to the point here it is!!!
ReplyDeleteBut maybe music was not intended to satisfy the curious definiteness of man. Maybe it is better to hope that music may always be transcendental language in the most extravagant sense.!!!!!
Sorry man. :<
ReplyDeleteuh i wrote a very long and detailed account of your toronto show and why it sucked. but i also talked about how you had nothing to do with that and your set (what i saw) was the only redeeming quality of the whole night. so i basically put a lot of thought into what i wrote but im sure you didnt read it. sooooo ya.
ReplyDelete13th bitches :3
ReplyDeletemaybe 14th lawl ^_^
ReplyDeleteAtmospheric intro.
ReplyDeleteHigh Quality Sound.
Flawless delivery.
Connect with crowd.
Merchandise stall.
Kebab.
See you in Manchester in December (again) :-) which is now being called DecMau5ber round these parts!!!!
Well, I know at EDC a few of my friends were claiming it was not one of your better sets. They were saying they were a little bit of bored in places. I think it was specifically Strobe that they were like "waaa we're bored right now". Personally I thought your set was pretty fucking awesome (I fuckin love Strobe). At that point my legs weren't able to handle dancing anymore, but I thrashed around anyway like that kid opening up his new N64 at Christmas. So if that was a boring set from you, I dunno if I'll be able handle your best. You were hands down my favorite part of EDC AND my girlfriend broke up with me there. I forgot all about it when you got going. :)
ReplyDeleteyou're famous and their not. you're music is awesome and many many many people would agree with me. keep doing what you're doing!
ReplyDeletePfffft! Some people need to learn some manners!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but drunken comments aren't 'criticism' - it's crap! Don't let it get to you, Mau5! :))))
the first two times i saw you live were so sick and some of the best shows ever. Irving plaza in NYc and Webster hall. You and steve opened at both. You had the red outfits going the first time. Those two sets combined were magical. Then the last time i saw you, you played 80 minutes and had some shit ass dj's playing for four hours and a volume so low it was impossible to dance to.
ReplyDeleteI know you can't do anything about this but the crowd at the first two shows was cool. This crowd..... OMG white trash everywhere.
I know you are an artist and not a DJ but 80 minutes? If you had a bad ass DJ or artist before you then maybe but that shit in philly was a joke.
Been following you since the beginning. Still will buy your albums. You're still awesome. =)
This stuff about selling out, your show sucks or you sound too mainstream. Man read Anthony's Bourdain medium raw. It explains how to deal with this shit. Keep being strong man we will try to support you thru the words of a comment.
ReplyDeletehere is a review i did of the show at irving plaza back in 2008. That show was so sick. With pics.
ReplyDeletehttp://tommygunthebaby.blogspot.com/2008/07/deadmau5-bsod-live-show-review.html
Sometimes when I'm bored I like to read one of the good old 'deadmau5-threads' at tranceaddict.com. They're all like "1 hit wonder" and "talentless clown" lol. Delicious jealousy...
ReplyDeleteWell, I heard from alot of people you "sucked" at EDC this year compared to coachella, but I was the one saying back to them on Saturday, "Well Teh Mau5 is meant to be seen in a more intimate venue due to his personal special effects he produces himself." I thought you did well myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.
ReplyDeletei thought you liked children
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see you suck in AC in few weeks!!!
ReplyDeleteMy ideal show would include Arguru, Reward is Cheese, Slip, World Problems etc etc, but fuck that. Just play what you wanna play and if people don't like it they can go elsewhere. And if they do, they weren't fans anyway!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletesome people honestly just dont understand what goes into your set mau5, your sets are honestly insane and how you mix your beats is insane.
ReplyDeletepeople just like to hate it happens hahaah
Dude...can I get some ppl to rip on me? I'm feeling god like and need some mis-spelled insult's tossed my way!!!! PHIL SUCK'S!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYou can't please all the people all the time you know , someone is always gonna have to have a moan about something just for the sake of it . Some are going say 'you suck' just to get a reaction off you because they know it will.
ReplyDeleteAs they say ' Thats show biz for ya' Really wouldn't let it get you.
My ideal show ....would be a drug free one. Why? cos for some of us who don't do drugs and never have its a scarey ass thing being in a room full of people that are off their heads on something.Drug free venue ..?It an't gonna happen though is it . So i have a choice put up and shut up or simply don't go. Mine is simply don't go.Shame like but hey ho But if i moaned and said 'you sucked' to get your attention would you listen up and start doing drug free venues? lol no chance! . There you go see you can't always please everyone can you :)
ReplyDeletemake a 'i don't give a shit but click here to think I do button'
ReplyDeleteon deadmau5.com
you anger filled muscle slut you.
Btw people should know not to feed the trolls
<3 ya joel, and your mean sense of humor
Sucks that you get annoyed so much mang...
ReplyDeleteYou're a baddass l337 hax0r =D
"i wish people took as much time to put thought into a complaint as i put into a show. then we might be getting somewhere.... but in the meantime... it looks like im on my own."
ReplyDeletesweet mau5y,
It might seem like you are on your own and fighting an uphill battle, but, you are NOT alone. I can honestly say that I respect you immensely for the passion that you have and put in your creations.
Just because some ignorant fool writes garbage doesn't mean you have to worry and upset yourself over it. It is so easy to be cruel and type things that aren't true when hiding behind a keyboard. Humans are so awful to each other.
You need to ignore those comments. I know it's easy to say.... If you give power to a bully or troll then he/she wins. Ignore them. That is their worst fear.
You put everything you are into your shows. All of your effort and passion is a gift to us who understand that. Even if you gave every drop of blood you live by, it wouldn't be enough for "the asshole people". You know the kind, the one's who always have to make a negative remark just to feel perceived. Don't fall prey to them. They don't count. They don't deserve the hurt they cause you. I apologize for them.
Try your best to ignore their mean, absurd comments and TRY to relax and enjoy all of the "beauty" that is you. I'm wishing you the best each moment of every day. Love to you. :D
Mr. T's Commandments
ReplyDeletePlease apply when needed (it looks like pretty often).
"I pity the fool!" -(you might need this one quite often).
"Quit your jibber jabber!" (always...)
"First name Mister. Second name Period. Third name...T" (place your name instead of T and add Biatch gives it the extra punch required).
"Don't Gimme No Backtalk!" - Always respect your superiors (no need to add more)
"Shut up, fool!" (in case that all of the above didn't made the point clear).
And remember.."Consider the source."
Now enjoy all the exotic location that ur bad ass job takes u to :)
I don't get how a mau5 fan could NOT love your show. And if you're not a fan, why are u there?
ReplyDeleteMarkov chain text generators. Give the haters one of those to paste their whiney crap into and generate paragraphs to their hearts content.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, people thesedays seem to think they're entitled to everything. They think musicians just exist for their own gratification, they dont realise there's a thinking, feeling human being behind that helmet.
Mau5, the reason you take those comments to heart is the same reason you are a great musician, because it takes a certain depth of feeling to make great music.
i LOVED all 3 shows i've seen from you. COACHELLA 2010 BLEW MY FUCKING MIND!!!!!! words cannot describe how epic it was
ReplyDeleteObviously some of your shows are going to be better than others. You do unfortunately have a tendency to play VERY different sets. Your two best were easily Coachella and Lovevolution this past year. They were high energy sets that were bad-ass. But you know very well you played mellow sets at both EDC and HHM. I go to shows to dance, so obviously those two were a big let-down for me.
ReplyDeleteCompared to what I know you are capable of, those two shows really were extremely disappointing. But whatever, at least you vary it up. All 5 times I've seen you in the last year it has been completely different. It's a double edged sword.
Latest: RevRunWisdom Loser often get mad at winners! I repeat:: Never come down off of ur chariot to address peasants throwing tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteI think you should try to have your sets last more than an hour and a half. That is my only complaint. Everything else is phenomenal.
ReplyDeleteHello mau5,
ReplyDeleteJust tell the lil fuckers to QQ MOAR.
You rock. Seriously.
Who gives a shit what these whiney kids think?
♥ L
>there isn't any good IRC apps for the mac ;)
ReplyDeleteYes there is. Bitches don't know bout my Xchat Aqua.
Why would you even want to pay attention to them.
ReplyDeleteBetter pay atention to your fans :P
<3 your shows rock
So I'm pretty upset you were not at Electric Zoo this year. WHY? =/
ReplyDeleteAlright... so this whole business with you sucking and whatnot... Sir, if you suck after I've gone from West Palm to Miami, then all the way to goddamn Atlanta Georgia, I'm going to seriously want to hate you. Then again, I'm fairly certain you're incapable of fail.
ReplyDeleteOr at the very least, close to incapable of it... Then again, I might be spouting complete bullshit. Your call.
But yeah. Just a thought. First time seeing you - since I live under a rotting log somewhere in the cotton-mouth infested swamps of south Florida - so you'd better not suck. Or you can if you like.
Just do what you feel like doing, and have fun with it, I'd say. Everyone else can just sit on a cactuar and spin.
I haven't seen you perform yet, and was inspired to start a frikkin blog... I think you are a "good blogger," but I don't know what the efff that even means?! So now I'm into this thing. Suck, don't suck, whatever. You show up, I'll show up, we'll all have fun, and we'll all move on with our lives with some good memories. KC~10/04 I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI was at Lollapalooza a few years back and a band that shall remain nameless was the worst i've ever seen. The guitarist stumbled around the whole time wasted, they were all out of synch, and at the end a flying bass guitar came inches from nailing the drummer (pretty sure it was thrown with the intent to decapitate) which then ended the gig twenty minutes early. That is the definition of a bad show my friend. You have yet to disappoint in any way! I feel that if you just focus on having fun, with a healthy dose of keeping your goals in mind, you can't fail.
ReplyDeleteI saw you at EDC, and I thought your set was pretty great. I love the cube and all the visuals you had. You played lots of new stuff, but I do love your older stuff as well. Songs like clockwork and brazil. I'm going to the cypress hill smokeout and I'm excited to see you play again.(if you played clockwork there I would be thrilled.) Truth is, there's always going to be those random people who will say whatever they want through the internet. You just have to know that your doing what you love and your fans will love your music regardless. Your fame was brought on by the great work that you have done, so forget the people that are criticizing you for your new found fame, you earned it! Good luck at the VMA's on sunday, I'll be watching along with all of your other fans!
ReplyDeletefuck that, there will always be some loser who has to put you down to make themselves feel better. and its easy to hide behind a pseudonym on the internet and say rude shit that you're too bitch ass to say otherwise. i saw your show in Kelowna. I loved it.
ReplyDeletewhaha, lols :P
ReplyDeleteI actually got a date just before your performance @lowlands in Holland, you started I was up front with her and my friends. So she's hinting me (I need some air speech) and I let her go..
You know what, I don't really care. Was the best night I ever had mostly tanks to your great performance (except the head wasn't working :O). You rock!
now go kick some VMA butt!
went to alot of parties the last few years, where i saw alot of djs. Im a very critical person when it goes about music. To be honest im a trance addict and most of the time i don't like the electro stuff etc. but Joel...i saw you two times at Amsterdam and the only thing i can say is: YOU'RE F*CKING ROCKING DUDE!! Last year i was on the party at Paradiso.. you were crowd surfing, throwing beers true the club, walking at the dancefloor with the last partypeople..i never saw a dj doing things like that! I really like it. Keep up doing this! And don't listen to those shitholes. ther aren't worth it at all..
ReplyDeleteTiako
fuck the haters
ReplyDeleteWell, I've been following your career since 2007 and have seen 8 shows since. I loved everyone of them. I've never heard anyone saying your show sucks but heard some people being disappointed that some shows are very identical (tracks, order of tracks). I try to argue that of course not every show can be completely different since you're not at all the stereotypical DJ who uses whatever is hot at the moment in his sets. You play your own stuff. This is one of the reasons that has made you such a success. Obviously you can't produce 5 new songs a day for the next show. Those who claim to be disappointed have to understand that. Deadmau5 is a different electronic music artist than all the others. GO Mau5!
ReplyDeleteif i may say so, i think you got so much criticism (not all of it warranted) because the shows this summer were so tightly choreographed, between setlist/effects/visuals.
ReplyDeletei know, that's supposed to be a good thing. obviously a SHIT ton of work goes into setting a tracklist that takes the amped-ness of the crowd up and down for 2 hours while keeping the energetic feel going, not to mention having all the lighting effects sync up perfectly. (after all, people come to your shows to dance and let off some steam). but i think the opportunity cost of having a show that is so specifically planned/sequenced is that the natural feel of a DJ set is lost.
this leads back to the main point of contention between you and your critics who misunderstand you - that you self-identify as a producer, not a DJ. i remember you once posted that you're not performing to 'match the energy of the crowd' or feed off of them, but rather to get up there and play the music that you've learned to produce over the last however many years. and when people go to these festivals/clubs, a lot of times their expectations are that the DJ will feed off the energy of the crowd, mix & match his song selection to correspond with that energy, and the entire thing has a more organic feel. whereas in your case, with such tightly choreographed setlist/lighting/effects, it's obviously not going to be that way, since the whole thing is rehearsed and you're there to give your music (so to speak) to the crowd. it's like watching a play vs watching improv - the play clearly takes a lot more scripting, homework, and rehearsal, but people enjoy watching improv so much since you really don't know what you're gonna be getting.
it's not easy to reconcile this, since the crowd is there not only for audio stimulation, but the light show / visual effects as well. no one can realistically deny that the connection between the audio-visual components of your live shows are unmatched. and obviously it's impossible to have them perfectly in sync if, like most DJ's, it's an extemporaneous/largely improvised set. your sets are truly a performance whereas most other artists out there are putting on a show, if you get my drift. it's unreasonable for the crowd to expect an audio-visual experience that is perfectly balanced and complemented if they also want you to make up the setlist on the go. find me someone who can do that, and i'll show you someone with 4 arms and 2 brains.
case in point - your live uStream set a few days ago was by far the best received set amongst my many mau5-addicted friends. why? because instead of structuring the songs to match the scripted light show, it seemed like you were just having fun up there with the music, while (seemingly) implementing a lot more improvisation.
i saw you 7 times this summer, each time was mindblowing, but also exactly the same. in my opinion, most of the criticism you've received is because after seeing the same show several times, it gets monotonous, even if it consists of the absolute best tracks from the absolute best producer out there. it's a trade off, i don't particularly care since your music captures my general state of mind so well, but maybe this helps clear up why so many people were attacking the shows this summer that clearly took a lot of work, and were something that you're rightly really proud of.
i loved you at EDC, and it was well worth the trouble going. me, being probably the only kid there who spent the whole time sitting down with a notepad taking notes on the performances, found just a minor li'l bug about your set. kaskade had a crazy light show, then you came on. it was a bit dark at first, so i thought it was going to progress, but it remained pretty much the same through out the rest of the set [except for the occasional fireworks/fire/strobes]. i felt the lack of having an insane light show might've not done justice to the set, but regardless, everything else was flawless.
ReplyDeletetl;dr: ZOMG U SUK'D BIG TIEM I HAIT u NAO!1!1!11!!1!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA DUde, what the FUCK is wrong with them?? I bet almost 100% of your haters dont even know that you correlate your feelings and thoughts and creativeness for something not only into the music but into the name of the song and the show. Take for example the song Cthulhu Sleeps. 1) Most people have a hard time pronouncing Cthulhu along with spelling it. Your haters probably cant do either. 95% of your haters dont even know what Cthulhu is and out of that 95%, 100% dont even know you correlate what Cthulhu is into your set...You know what I'm talking about mr. mau5. If more people truly knew what CREATIVE music and sets were about, our world would be filled with talented geniuses. Instead we have a failing teenage society where everything is so one minded as to "your set sucked."
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, TOmmy Lee as a drummer? That shit is dope. Sorry we cant bring Tommy to every god dang set for your fuckin convenience. Either way it doesnt matter what set you do, its about putting heart and soul into each set and thats what you do Joel. Thats what makes it the perfect set.
ANd another FUUUUCK YEAH TO GALTJOHN 2 COMMENTS ABOVE ME
ReplyDeleteMost of those little brats don't even know what a loop is and are just trying to sound like hipsters. "Oh hey there's this really great artist but he sucks compared to my imaginary perfect artist."
ReplyDeleteI was very sad that I stayed through the end of Justice's set at last year's Hard Haunted and missed the beginning of your set. We were tired as hell but had to stay through yours. I love Strobe and Soma and they are nice breaks to let people breath. I am keeping my eyes peeled for your next show near me.
Is that guy bothering you again?
ReplyDeletehonestly i dont know why he goes to your shows....