2008

“Times New Viking sound like the kind of band I’d really like...”
— Stereo Sanctity

The Stomach-Churning Battle of the Insect...

Confused by Grant Morrison’s Batman R.I.P.? Did the...

“loneliness + alienation + fear + despair + self-worth ÷...”
— Anti-Life Equation

“The Secret Life of Sofia have nothing too secretive about...”
— i guess i’m floating:...

Can't Log in

For some reason, I can’t log in to comment on Idolator even though I have a log-in and...

“The turning point of their would-be meet-cute romance occurs...”
—  The Face Knife » My...

The Rodney Jerkins Retirement Village

Chris: http://www.nme.com/news/britney-spears/37779
Britney, "aggressive" is not the sound you need right now
poor girl
nobody ever bothered to build more than one track for that train
Matthew:
this makes me wonder...
what is Rodney Jerkins like?
because he's always the guy who gets stuck working on comeback records wtih dangerously unstable pop stars
Michael Jackson, Whitney, Britney
TLC too
Chris:
it's just a function of his having had a few big, dumb, obvious hits
So big, dumb, obvious people gravitate towards him
Matthew:
well, I think there's probably something about him that makes him open to these projects.
Chris:
oh totally
it's an ego boost to save a falling star
Matthew:
cos I think a lot of other producers are like "no way, I want to get things done"
Chris:
of course, he hasn't managed to actually DO that yet
Matthew:
well, I think Jerkins is also kind of a falling star himself
Chris:
cf. Jacko, Whitney, et al still being in the dumper
Oh totally
He was eclipsed by Timbaland on every level
Timbaland's sound is now the mainstream in the way Jerkins' was
Matthew: I hope that my life is never so fucked that I get sent to Rodney Jerkins
Chris:
Put that in your living will now
(8.) In the event that at the time of my incapacity/senescence, I am in posession of a pop career, please do not allow Rodney Jerkins to construct a track out of my Alzheimery rantings

Against Inertia

I really miss going to work every day. I miss accomplishing things on a regular basis, being...

Okay, that's it.

Hack indie bands of the world, pay close attention to me: We don’t need any more lame,...

I saw this image of Metron by Jack Kirby for the first time...

I want these pins very, very much. Especially the one that...

village voice > blogs > Status Ain't Hood >...

As Gas Prices Rise, Teenagers’ Cruising...

“Animation isn’t a genre — it’s a medium, just...”
— Jeffrey Wells Argues Against...

16. Reign In Blood

tomewing: There was some interview where Morrison said that Final Crisis is the “death metal”...

“What I don’t get–and I don’t want to be a dick here (NOTE:...”
— Chris’s Invincible Super-Blog...

“Majoring in Art at the state university appealed to me...”
— From Chip Kidd’s novel...

Professor Splash: Professional High Dive...

Newsarama.com : WWC-THE BENDIS JOHNS PANEL

“7. Black Dice, “Endless Happiness” “I don’t know why the...”
— Bonus Summer Playlist: Dirty...

“Apparently, Six Flags feels sanguine about the recession...”
— spyinthehaus: Possibly of...

Alex Balk is truly the best in the biz. Radar Exclusive!...

“Yeah, bloated music videos are what ended music videos, not...”
— marathonpacks: cigarette math...

“You’ve heard of this Jerry Lewis movie about the...”
— Robert Pollard, talking about...

"Too bad we'll never know if this is a...

veriloquent: I just watched episode 9 of the first season of Angel. I’ve been watching on Hulu just...

'Miss Sweeney (AOL Sessions)' Video - Weezer...

“Flagpole: I wanted to ask you about the logistics of the...”
— http://flagpole.com/Music/Featu...

“In the story “Phood Phobia”, Archie and Dilton...”
— Jughead Jones - Wikipedia, the...

Margaret and Frank Rock The House

Before Pearl Jam went on stage last night at Madison Square Garden, there were two large Verizon...

Photo by Maria Tessa Sciarrino, taken at last night’s...

jeffbaum: Yeah, I have to agree. While SS may be my...

Not Afraid To Be Servicey: In Which We Help...

“Soon after the installation, we were approached by an animal...”
— Cabinet Magazine Online -...

I Will Attack and You Don't Want That

kfan: I love this meme. You are in a mall when the zombies attack. You have:1. One weapon.2. One...

Creep Show

Appropriately enough for a story titled BOY EATEN BY FAMILY, there are many, many horrifying things...

Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, Feeds the Animals...

Bryan Lee O’Malley’s convention sketches...

Night Moves

douglaswolk: The scientist in this scene — and Bendis, by...

“SP.com has another small byte of information for you...”
— Smashing Pumpkins Wait,...

Best Signature

For some reason the emoticons in this quote didn’t agree with the quote function on tumblr, so...

“I feel very, very hopeful with 2008.” How that optimism, not...”
— Music Review - R.E.M. - The...

I have a few other problems with that...

barthel: Anyone with a laptop and home mixing software such as GarageBand (a substitute for both...

WHY HAVE SO MANY BLACK MUSICIANS BEEN...

“A few years ago, when I got back into comics, I’d have...”
— Tom Ewing Pitchfork Feature:...

Jillian and Joshua talk about Girl Talk

Jillian: Hes garbage
he reminds me of douches in neon shirts
Joshua: hahahaha
Jillian: haha
its true
its like oh remember when? Yeah that song killed
awesome!
fuck off!
just listen to the damn song if you love it so much
and make your own mix fools
its totally ADD
preying on our lack of attention span
and our love of pop culture referencing
its Robot Chicken put to music
and thus, the lowest of all art forms
quote me on that
Joshua: sweet
Jillian: BITCHEZ!
Joshua: AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Jillian: Its like people cream every time they recognize something from our pop past
thats why those shows are so popular
the VH1 programs
it instantly makes a person feel like they are part of something and simultaneously superior to those that dont get the reference
its all very self-validating
and believe me I am a part of it
but I think it really hinders culture from moving forward
its collective narcissism
we look back at a reflection that isnt even really us but we pretend it is
and no one knows the difference
Joshua: i agree with that completely
everything new is just something old repackaged
Jillian: but instead of giving the past credit
we pat ourselves on the back instead
its disgusting

Greg Land Guessing Game (image intensive) -...

Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High - TIME

Dear Mr. Girl Talk

I didn’t pay for your new album, and when you had me select a reason explaining why I...

I Am Trying To Stump Your Brain

Okay, so Wilco has this thing on their site where you can request a single song for a show that...

Typical Reaction to the Revelation That I Do...

“Do you feel this is your best album? I do. And I hesitate...”
— The Silver Jews’ David Berman...

“It was a goddamn lot,” Groth recalls of the first third of...”
— How Dash Shaw Wrote the...

Sean T. Collins had various indie comics artists — and...

“Nancy doesn’t know she’s a criminal. She...”
— Lance Mannion: Wacky...

“Carla had always seen Diane as a threat to the family.  She...”
— Lance Mannion: “Shelley,...

The Pitchfork corporate offices are...

rendit: But now that record companies have lost control of the means of production, it’s funny to...

“I was sad when the gig ended, realising it will be another...”
— Jessica Popper on the live...

I Want My 90 Bucks Back [A Rant]

jeffbaum: jennyc: Seriously, did the organizers or Jones Beach or Nokia or whoever’s in charge...

Nature's Light Show

I saw R.E.M play a slightly abbreviated concert in the pouring rain earlier this evening. Despite...

“Margene’s blog might just be the strangest corner of the...”
— Emily Magazine  » Blog...

The biggest pop stars you've never heard of |...

“We might as well start with the most familiar. “Eye of the...”
— For Your Pleasure - Survivor:...

Remembering the Sixteen People Who've Died in...

“2. Related: I like how in this video Wayne absolves himself...”
— Kevin Fanning on Lil Wayne and...

“But “Scott Pilgrim” is not simply another book...”
— Ready to rock: ‘Scott...

“This leads toward the question posed by all these amateur...”
— marathonpacks: cigarette math...

“NRAMA: Someting that caused major repurcussions with the...”
— Newsarama.com : GRANT...

Dolphin deaths: Expert suggests 'mass...

OMG, there's a blog devoted to doughnuts in...

“i am so bored with art that makes sense and...”
— Kevin Barnes on Skeletal...

Art by Ephameron, from her book Love/Pain, published by...

Illustration by Ray Sohn

“Helena Christensen, Paul Banks (nice work) and a shrimp...”
— goldenfiddle | Oh, Those Days...

Art by Wilhelm Staehle

Illustration by Eve Englezos This little book is really...

Illustration by Lucy Knisley. If you’re thinking...

Illustration by Robin Ha.

Illustration by Mark Burrier.

Illustration by Jim Cooke.

Molly Colleen O’Connell “Elkekatito” The...

“I keep coming back to the Martian Manhunter’s death,...”
— Attentiondeficitdisorderly Too...

“The Kate Jackson of these songs comes across as ‘a bad...”
— Taken from Miss Amp’s...

Made by Bio K9.

“where is your originality? / you are so fake / so picture...”
— Lil’ Wayne “Dr....

“JK: On a song like “Century” which is such an...”
— Merry Swankster: Letting Their...

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— Lemuria: Get Better: Pitchfork...

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— Mike Barthel: What I Learned...

“Part travelogue, part search for the self, the road...”
— David Edelstein on ‘The...

The Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat medley...

There was a request for this on Fluxblog, and so I’m being nice and putting it up here. As far...

“My wife’s elementary school had their end-of-year...”
— ortho_bob: austin - more of...

Deerhunter’s Microcastle is perfect « elastic...

“I have a lot of worries, but now I know that I can die in...”
— HIPSTER RUNOFF: What happens...

“The film renders this idea of cool immaterial. It’s more...”
— For Your Pleasure - Cineplex...

Things I Did While I Was In Debt

Matthew:
out of curiosity, how is No Age doing
maura:
8,365
total
Matthew:
I guess that's relatively healthy in context
maura:
dude i think i read that many words about them just from your blog post and the responses to it alone
Chris:
god, the music industry is totally fucked
Matthew:
seriously.
at least yr not on THAT sinking ship
Chris:
What was list price on that album?
Matthew:
probably 12.99?
something in that zone?
Chris:
I'm trying to figure out which book we publish is a bigger deal than No Age
So what's wholesale? 40% of that?
Matthew:
No Age's packaging is REALLY nice and expensive
Sub Pop might have to sell a good number just to recoup on the costs of that
Chris:
$43,464.54 in proceeds at wholesale cost.
(If wholesale is 40% of list.)
So maybe they've shipped about 11,000 copies of that record.
Also worth noting - Robyn also outsold that record.
In her first week.
Matthew:
well, jeez
let's hope so!