AVRIL LAVIGNE

By Barry Thompson

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Everything about this is wrong. My meticulously constructed defense mechanisms, ironic detachment and deliberate intellectual laziness have been blown to smithereens. I want to believe people aren't as stupid as they seem to be on television. I want to believe there's still hope for the "craft" of A&E journalism, that music writers are more than, at best, PR flacks; at worst, star-worshiping parasites. Then I participated in a conference call with Avril Lavigne. Some halfwit from Village Voice Media asked her, "What do you have to say to your male fans who are passionately in love with you?" And: "Some people on the internet have compared you to Jesus. How do you respond blah blah blah." These weren't the stupidest questions asked—they just made me want to cut myself more than the rest.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MUSIC AS FASHION? YOUR FIRST ALBUM HAD A PUNK AESTHETIC HAPPENING, AS FAR AS TO WHAT YOU WERE WEARING. DO YOU THINK THAT CAUSED KIDS WHO BOUGHT IT TO EVENTUALLY LISTEN TO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MUSIC THAN POP?

I don't know if the way I dressed influenced people to listen to different music. What was cool about my first record and how I was dressing, was a lot of my fans ended up dressing like me, so I was a little trendsetter. If I talked about, "Oh, I like to listen to Green Day," or whatever, maybe a fan of mine would go buy a Green Day record, if that answers your question.

WHAT'S THE MEANING OF LIFE?

I don't think anyone really knows the meaning of life. That's a whole other conversation, my friend. Let's keep it tour related, but thank you.

[Avril Lavigne with Boys Like Girls at the Agganis Arena, Tue. 4.1, 7:30pm/all ages/$43.50. 925 Comm. Ave., Boston. 617.358.7000. agganisarena.com]