where's sufjan?

i just read a couple of very challenging interviews, one via pitchfork (a website i am prone to distrust) and one on the asthmatic kitty website.

mostly i was intrigued to find out where sufjan stevens is these days, and what he's doing, but that was thrown back at me and i am now left to think through some very provocative questions relating to my production and consumption of music.

the way stevens talks about the excessive convenience of laptop culture, the internet etc. has cut through to me in a very real way, and his questions about the value of albums and songs in today's society are also incredibly poignant.

i do wish that i could respond on a couple of points though.

#1. the LP isn't dead. especially not the way sufjan's doing it. his forthcoming release comes with a DVD, a 40-page booklet with liner notes and photos, and a stereoscopic 3D View-Master reel. the physical product will always retain some value. i'm careful to attain physical copies of albums that i love because of some perhaps slightly paranoid fear that the technology supporting my music-collecting habits will crash and burn, and all will be lost.

#2. "the personal song" vs. reaching a mass audience. i believe that both are important, and if sufjan is feeling disillusioned, maybe it is time to take a step back. obviously when you are a high-profile recording artist the pressure is on to keep touring and putting out records, but it doesn't have to be that way at all. creativity benefits from taking a break, i can vouch for that even from my limited experience. maybe sufjan should have a sabbatical, write some personal songs that maybe never reach beyond the ears of a faithful few, and regain some perspective.