I remember first hearing about Beck (Hansen) while I was at school loitering around the campus computer nerd club. You know that song, “I’m a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me.” That struck me as really awkward, assuming Beck was literally some kind of mental case and was just briefly making it big as a pitiful target for ridicule. I’m not saying I could make that assessment from a position of critical authority, spending my days holed up in the basement of a science building. I felt a little ashamed hearing him on the radio, thinking it was a catchy, sarcastic joke. After the novelty and the juvenile laughs I thought for sure that would be the last we would hear from him. Though not long after, the surreal blossoming of his talent and personality dispelled any notion that he had been putting on an imbecile act. He was creeping up on us a genius free spirit.

I listened to Mellow Gold a few times through, but it’s a hard one to follow. It’s like watching a washed out sci fi film from the 60s, like Westworld, where the robot and the humans have a stuttered and stilted interpersonal relationship and where the harsh desert makes it hard to settle in and feel at ease. Beck’s vocals and obtuse lyrics make you feel disjointed, like at a party for robots with flaky wiring. The next record, Odelay, was a little more accessible and human, but by that point you might be used to the random lyrics and you could roll with it. Now fast forward a few years, skipping a few records, I came across “The Information” in a record store, and I was willing to give this musical deviant another shot. This was the cute record cover with stickers you could arrange to make your own unique designs. From the start the music surprised me as being highly accessible, safely quirky, and fun. On top of that I started to feel like he had a human soul and a bewildering imagination with bizarre instruments. It didn’t take long for me to see Beck in a different light and to get hooked on the music.

The more records I listen to by Beck I sense that the tone and message of his music are more human and his genuine nature comes across unmistakably. At first you’d figure he was being scathingly sarcastic, but after all the guileless expression he has produced, along with future Beck giving Bender a second chance as a washboard player in his Futurama band, I have to respect and even admire him for being so genuine and having the talent to express his nature so freely. A little baffling to me is that his latest collection is not a recorded album but a hardbound book of sheet music. It’s up to any interested fans to read and interpret the songs as they wish and as they are capable. I’ve heard a few songs recorded by some very good bands, apparently after reading through the music and giving it their own style. This sounded really nice, especially since there’s no original Beck recording to fall back on to mimic his style. I’ll be getting a copy and I’ll give another shot to skilling up on guitar with my Rocksmith game on the PS3. I may butcher the music, but thankfully it won’t be like aping the original recording. There won’t be a correct original to disgrace.