Guilty Pleasure Music: Why I Don't Listen to Sun Kil Moon Anymore

Mark Kozelek, the man behind Sun Kil Moon, has written many albums. There was a time when I got quite into his music. This was around the period of the Ottawa Folk Festival at Mooney’s Bay, when he played there. That was basically the peak of me getting to know him.

He had recently released an album called Benji, which was featured in Pitchfork to high acclaim. That’s how I really got to know him.

Also notable that year, it was, as far as I’m concerned, the peak of Ottawa Folk Fest itself. Neutral Milk Hotel also played. I got to see them as a full band for the first and only time, and it was a dream come true; it lived up to all expectations.

Anyway, back to Sun Kil Moon. He came across as having quite a personality on stage. He was making fun of various people in the crowd and generally being rather belligerent. Still, an extremely talented musician; a wildly prolific storyteller. It was an incredibly engaging show.

He mentioned where he was going after the set, and a friend of mine, a much bigger fan of Mark than I was, planned to go and meet him. My friend was an artist and had even brought a painting to show one of his idols. He did get to meet him, and was basically ridiculed.

Mark has a long history of being a jerk; of not caring what anyone thinks. He even writes about it in his songs. He’s clearly troubled, and sure enough, probably had a hard life.

As I age it becomes clearer, you are what you consume. To some degree, you become the people you spend time with.

This applies widely, including to the bands you listen to. What makes a “guilty pleasure” song or band? That feeling of guilt when you listen to it, it’s knowing that maybe it’s not the best thing for you. Maybe you’re wallowing a bit, maybe you’re grieving in your own way, and that’s okay some of the time. But if you aspire to be more, maybe don’t listen to people you wouldn’t aspire to.

That’s exactly how I came to look at Sun Kil Moon. He’s a jerk. He’s an asshole. I have contempt for him, at least based on what he’s shown to the world, which he controls completely. I wouldn’t want my family or friends spending any time around him. And honestly, I wouldn’t want to be associated with anyone who celebrates that behavior.

Maybe he uplifts people musically; maybe he inspires. But from a humanity perspective, it’s in the opposite direction of anywhere I’d want to go.