Pitchfork

Ryan Adams is an asshole. I know it. You know it. His girlfriend knows it. His dog knows it. Most important, he knows it. He even told this website as much last year: "Everybody can't be cool. Somebody's gotta be the fucking dork. And I'm the dork. Or the asshole, or whatever." He's absolutely right, everybody can't be cool. If hype machine fanboys didn't have assholes like Adams to bitch about, there would be a lot more talk of how the Junior Boys are "really great to jog to" and how your buddy "has a hunch" about Sufjan's next state (Oregon) and how the TV on the Radio record "is, like, the aural equivalent of America in 2006." And that would be really fucking sad. Balance is key. If Ryan Adams can tip the scales ever so slightly by questioning the existence of kevincostner.com and impersonating witches, Yoda, and Jim DeRogatis, he's playing his part well.