Paul (Wicked Deeds): YOU WROTE: Is anyone really concerned about winning?
MY REPLY:
Good question. I really didn't communicate as well as I should have. I DO 'care about winning.'
But.... as you say, "Democracy is Overrated."
Particularly when it comes to judging something as elusive, abstract, and arbitrary as "quality" in a Democratic vote.
Let's just say that I seldom trust a democratic process to define "best." That is what I should have communicated.
When I chose nominees for this SOTM contest, I was not (and still am not) certain that I got the "best five." And, if I were asked to authoritatively name a "best one" I would not trust my own judgment at all. It has been soooooo fascinating to see the votes come in whenever I have done this.
It's even more fascinating with the extra layers of votes with the "top three" concept.
I've learned a lot about songwriting just watching those votes come in and seeing the "second and third place strength" of a couple of the songs. Learned a lot about listening. It's actually changed me in a good way (I think).
But no matter what, when we are done, I will have no real faith that I have done a perfect job of selecting the "five best" and/or that the votes perfectly reflect the quality of the five songs.
For me, being nominated is the primary honor, and winning would be nice, but I try not to get "too high" over winning, or "too low" over not winning.
I'm glad you made me think and (through clarifying it to you) bring that understanding to the front of my mind.