Mr. Id & Caviar

Mr. Id has trouble when an enormously successful and popular artist whines about not getting unanimous critical respect. Does this annoy anyone else beside Mr. Id?

Ever since reading "The World According to Garp" in 1978, Mr. Id has spent many hours enjoying the subsequent novels of John Irving. But beginning with "A Widow For One Year" (1998), Mr. Id noticed how often Irving's characters snipe at literary critics. It got so annoying Mr. Id swore off Irving, returning in 2010 to read "Last Night At Twisted River" only because it was a book club selection. Had Irving grown up and stopped his sniping/whining in the ensuing years? He had not. The book was otherwise terrific, by the way.

Musical examples, especially in pop music, abound. Mr. Id will use Billy Joel, though he could just as easily use the Eagles, another bunch of whiners. It's easy to find plenty of music critics who liked Billy Joel's music in his heyday and even now he (and the Eagles) have no shortage of fans (including Mr. Id), and yes, money. But a few months ago, Mr. Id heard an interview with Billy Joel, who hasn't released an album of popular music since "River of Dreams" (1993). He's often stated since then that he's no longer interested in making that type of music. So what comes up in this interview? How "Rolling Stone" never gave him the musical credit he's due! And this is not the first time Mr. Id recalls hearing or reading this nonsense.

Is it fair to say that people like Irving, Joel, etc. want their caviar and want to eat it too?