Today is the day that Taylor Swift‘s new album, Fearless, is released. Today is the most miserable day of my life.
When I went to George Strait’s concert at John Paul Jones Arena in January 2007, Taylor Swift’s publicity agent offered me the chance to interview the 17-year-old Goldilocks of pop-country. Swift was opening for Strait; her first single, "Tim McGraw," was getting some radio play but didn’t peak until roughly a week after her gig in Charlottesville. But I passed on the opportunity; in my review, I praised her Dolly Parton-ish sweetness and piles of hair, then quickly moved on.
Well, now I’m more out in the cold than Joe Jonas. Rolling Stone led its reviews with a four-star take on Swift’s new record, Sasha Frere-Jones writes in The New Yorker about being "stopped in his tracks" by "Our Song," and The New York Times makes her out to be equal parts music prodigy and social networking pro, bringing attention to old Nashville through young publicity methods.
Taylor Swift: Should’ve interviewed her when I had the chance.
Yes, I missed the Swift boat. Sometimes the radar is on, like when I saw Arcade Fire open for The Unicorns years ago, or heard an early EP from TV on the Radio—go buy their latest, Dear Science, now. And sometimes the radar is an idiot.
So, comment below and tell me about the breaking artists you saw before they got big. Cheer me up, people. Or rub it in.
