what a day that was: article

It's an interesting read because a lot of what he writes about isn't ever discussed. It's especially interesting in the context of the anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show... that this particular milestone is celebrated proves the notion that the group was style and marketing over substance.

The Beatles sold a lot of records not because they were the greatest musicians but simply because their music was easy to sell to the masses: it had no difficult content, it had no technical innovations, it had no creative depth. They wrote a bunch of catchy 3-minute ditties and they were photogenic. If somebody had not invented "beatlemania" in 1963, you would not have wasted five minutes of your time to read a page about such a trivial band.

I don't entirely agree with the analysis, but it is refreshing to read a piece that isn't anything but glowing about the Beatles. It's an example the worst kind of critical elitism - that the group has no merit because objective truth about what is 'good music' has no room for this pre-fab construction of a group.

He doesn't care much for Bowie either.

2013-11-14

Link: Hyperemployment, or the Exhausting Work of the Technology User

Subtitle: Feeling overwhelmed online? Maybe it's because you're working dozens of jobs

Good piece by Ian Bogost on the idea of 'hyperemployment'.

2013-10-07

Viral bullshit as the new classifieds

Interesting piece from Jeff Jarvis. It also led me to this link: The soul of a new machine: Gawker struggles with the slippery slope between viral and true

Basically, unverified viral crap supplements journalism the way classified sections supplemented newspapers in ye olden days.

Raises some interesting questions about the sensationalism surrounding that whole crack-mayor thing. Page views are more important than accuracy under the Gawker/BuzzFeed/et al business model.

2013-07-25

Trent Reznor Took Inspiration From Talking Heads, Himself For Recent Album and Tour...

The Daily Swarm - Trent Reznor Took Inspiration From Talking Heads, Himself For Recent Album and Tour...

2013-06-27

Popmatters: Miley Cyrus and the Mainstreaming of Hipster Appropriation

Miley Cyrus and the Mainstreaming of Hipster Appropriation

For good or bad, Miley Cyrus' latest music video marks the final move for the hipster sub-culture (with its appropriated hip-hop imagery) into the mainstream.

Also: Ugh. What a piece of garbage.

2013-05-24

The Daft Punk Press Problem

The Daft Punk Press Problem: Nostalgia for What?

Haven't listened to the album in its entirety yet, just samples from iTunes. This is an interesting take, as well as this other article that CDM links to: Daft Punk, “Authenticity”, Classism, and Kids Growing Up

2013-05-15

Ruhlman: America Has a Serious Eating Disorder

America Has a Serious Eating Disorder

On the 'dangers' of salt.

2013-03-21

How the Darcys went from catastrophe to indie stardom

Good article at blogto

2013-01-16

The Daily Swarm - Best Thing You Will Read Today: 'The Only Black Guy at the Indie Rock Show...'

Great read.

There are a multitude of uncomfortable situations to deal with: being looked at like a dartboard after someone’s fifth drink in a dimly lit dive, New York Times think-pieces on “blipsters” (as if “hipster” were invented as a white-specific term). And let’s not forget the friendly condescension: “You like this kind of music? That is so cool!” they say, as if they’ve seen some sort of unicorn. All of these are (mostly) subconscious forms of cultural gate-keeping, a “separate but equal” doctrine for the iPod generation. As a genre historically panned for its straight white maleness, indie rock fans of color are hardly ever quietly and begrudgingly tolerated in the same way as women and homosexuals; whether positively or negatively, people are far more demonstrative about how peculiar they think it is.

2013-01-10

Vigilant Citizen: Thought of the Month (01/13): Mass Shootings and Mass Media

Thought of the Month (01/13): Mass Shootings and Mass Media

During the coverage of Sandy Hook, news sources continually referred to the massacre as the “second deadliest shooting in History” as if it was all a competition and, even stranger, as if he somehow fell short of #1.

2012-11-15

Bob Dylan’s unintelligible performance at ACC leaves fans, critic frustrated

Toronto Star

I'm all for artist's rights, but contempt like this for your audience is pretty pathetic.

2012-10-16

Space Leap of Faith - Bad Astronomy

Phil Plait has an interesting take on the recent Red Bull publicity stunt - Space Leap of Faith

On Sunday, skydiver Felix Baumgartner stepped out of a high-altitude balloon and plummeted 40 kilometers back to Earth. I wanted to watch it live but missed it due to an appointment I had to keep. I heard it was heart-pounding, and Twitter went nuts over it. I wish I had seen it!

Still, my feelings on it are mixed. While I really am glad it got people excited, I couldn’t shake the feeling it wasn’t more than a stunt. A cool stunt, but a stunt. It was plugged as a way to learn more about spacesuits and all that, but I had my doubts. Having it sponsored by a sugary caffeinated energy drink marketed to teens also made me a bit wary.

2012-10-12

The Daily Swarm - Bargle Nawdle Zouss: 'Weird Al' on 'Smells Like Nirvana' 20 Years Later...

2012-10-05

How Indie Finally OFFICIALLY Died: The Broken Indie Machine. | Hipster Runoff

Awesome takedown/polemic/rant/whatever on the state of music on the Internet in 2012. The best post from HRO in a while, and surprisingly un-ironic for the most part. Definitely says a lot of things that have been on my mind and the minds of many music fans as well. Worth the long read.

our buzz harvest has gone bad, and now is the Winter of Our Buzz Content.

How Indie Finally OFFICIALLY Died: The Broken Indie Machine. | Hipster Runoff