May 2012
43 posts
I know that whining about a bad review of a record you like is ultimately pointless because of subjectivity, etc. but... →
factmag.com
Ugh, I haven’t read a review this poorly-written since like, early Pitchfork or Buddyhead (lol remember those guys, awful awful awful in retrospect) but at least the latter was pretty transparent about their cynicism and small-mindedness. Here, we have a reviewer that’s more interested in stuffing as many analogies as he can into the piece than actually engaging with the music he was tasked to listen to. Also, taking a page from Maura’s playbook here (wish her a happy belated birthday if you haven’t, she’s one of the best), but “old people, man” is not a critical stance like “chicks, man” isn’t.
I don't always care about sports (actually, I rarely do), but when I do, it's because of Gerard Cosloy (you should read his post on Sirius/XM host Dino Costa's homophobia re: the UConn men's ice hockey team's acceptance of gay players). →
cantstopthebleeding.com
I wish I could quote the entire post here but there’s too many great parts so instead, I’ll just link to it. Also, be sure to read the comments too, where Costa and Cosloy briefly have it out. Not to go into TO ME territory too much for this post, but I met Cosloy a couple of years back in Memphis and he remains one of the funniest, most intelligent people I know. One of the few people on Earth I’d call a class act because who’d throw around that term lightly, right?
Sex Rash
Eagleheart is a pretty funny TV show.
“The rallying cry of privileged whites whenever a person of color voices their concern or discomfort with their community’s portrayal in the media is usually along the lines of “You’re a crybaby.” But aren’t these same people doing just that? Crying over the fact that someone actually forced them to think about race in their otherwise colorblind day? It’s been said a million times before but it bears repeating that it’s significantly easier for white people in America and Europe not to think about race being that all aspects of Western culture take whiteness as the given norm. You’re upset that you’ve been made to feel uncomfortable because your race? Join the club.”
—This blog post by Kool AD of Das Racist makes a great response - although it wasn’t written that way, sadly - to yesterday’s pathetic willful display of ignorance.
“The A-list was circling now, wanting a taste of D’s authentic flavor. When Madonna turned 39, she asked him to sing “Happy Birthday” at her party. One press report had her sitting on his lap and French-kissing him. In fact, two sources say that ultimately D rebuffed her advances at another gathering not long after. At that event, the sources say, Madonna walked over and told a woman sitting next to D, “I think you’re in my seat.” The woman got up. Madonna sat down and told him, “I’d like to know what you’re thinking.” To which D replied, “I’m thinking you’re rude.”
—This is definitely my favorite part of GQ’s article about D’Angelo’s comeback.
Popular
Saint Etienne
I had this song from the fantastic, new Saint Etienne album stuck in my head all weekend. More than a few of the songs on it remind me of Fever-era Kylie Minogue, so before she started getting everything produced by Calvin Harris (or more accurately, Calvin Harris imitators).
Play
The most revealing thing about Dan Harmon being ousted from Community is that it’s such a powerful (in a bad way, of course) display of how crass studios can be when it comes to their TV shows. First off, it sure seems like Sony threw NBC under the bus because part of me thinks that no matter how badly they’re doing, they would have never renewed the show had Sony not been so desperate, and now they’re stuck for another season with a terribly-rated show that is going to lose even more viewers this upcoming season, if the backlash will follow through (not to mention that it’s going to air on a Friday night).
More importantly, because I doubt most are going to shed tears over NBC’s situation, this is Sony telling us that not only do they not understand Community’s appeal, they don’t even care to try to understand it. I can only speak for myself when I say that the majority of the show’s appeal boiled down to Harmon’s creativity but yet, I still think it’s undeniable that the show’s idiosyncrasies were his thing, for better or worse. This move is Sony trying to have their cake and eat it too. It’s them trying to push Community for at least one more season to get syndication for it but also them trying to broaden its appeal. They had to know that this show was on its last leg - there’s no way that at this point in the show’s life, that it’ll magically grow an audience size that will keep it alive. You can’t give a show its dying breath just so you yourselves can get paid but also make a move towards accessibility. There’s no point.
“I’m always hesitant to claim that any movie “changed my life,” but this one actually did. At the time I first saw it, I’d never considered the possibility of telling a story without narrative. It changed the way I thought about all art, and it made me want to be a weirder person.”
—Chuck Klosterman on Richard Linklater’s Slacker. So if you want to pin the former’s existence as he currently is on anyone, blame Linklater. Also, “it made me want to be a weirder person”? Ugh.
