So you know how VH1 has those awesome "I Love The [fill in decade here]" shows? Well, apparently 2008 means enough of the 2000s have happened and they have started showing "I Love The Millennium." I happened to catch the 2000 and 2001 editions the other night, and I enjoyed a super flash-back to my senior year of high school (1999-2000) and my freshman year of college (2000-01). (Who didn't LOVE that Shaggy song, "It Wasn't Me"? That's what I thought.)
Anyway, one of the segments was dedicated to Napster. Napster was a huge phenomenon when I was a freshman in college. I know 2000 doesn't sound like that long ago, but the majority of people my age had only been using the internet regularly for a couple of years at that point. Most of my friends got their first e-mail address in high school, and I didn't even have an AIM screen name until I started college. So to suddenly have a network where you could find any song you wanted (along with live/rare/poor quality cuts, too), it seemed pretty rad. Augustana, the college I went to, even had AugieNap--a mini version of Napster that just went between all the computers that were linked into the Augustana network. For some reason, to me, using AugieNap seemed like an acceptable way to get music because it didn't feel like "stealing," it just felt like borrowing from a potential classmate.
One of the quotes from a commentator during the Napster segment was something along the lines of "Shawn Fanning: The person who single-handedly took down the music industry."
I don't know if I necessarily agree with that statement, though there's no doubt in my mind that Napster played an integral role in digitizing people's music collections. If it hadn't been Napster, though, it probably would have been something else. I am not one who will stand on a soap box and preach about the pitfalls of illegally downloading music--if that's what you feel like doing, no one (except maybe the RIAA) will stop you.
I am, however, not a fan of when music gets leaked before it is finished. I have a lot of respect for musicians and the recording process--partly because it's the industry I work in, but mostly because I would never be able to write a song, let alone record it, so I am constantly amazed at the whole process. And while I am not a musician or an artist, I am occasionally a writer. And I know that if an unedited, first draft of something I wrote got published without my consent, I would be furious/devastated.
As long as records are being leaked, there's always going to be music that gets out without the bands' final artistic approval. But recently, it's been happening with more than just the music. Last week, Matches frontman Shawn Harris had to issue a statement explaining that a leaked version of a video for their song "What Katie Said" was not the finished version and didn't reflect the band's goal concept.
Bands shouldn't have to do that. A painter with a gallery show wouldn't open without the proper lighting. A sculptor wouldn't unveil a statue if the face wasn't finished. So why should bands be treated any differently? I know that the internet makes so much accessible, but I guess I just wish more people would respect bands as artists so they weren't constantly having to explain that what is leaked wasn't finished. If they have a specific context in mind for a song, an album, cover art or a video, they deserve the freedom to present that to the public for the first time in the way they want.
I know that's asking for way too much, but I dunno. I guess it just bums me out.
In the interest of full disclosure, we've been a little short-staffed at the ol' AP Skyscraper for a couple of months. It's stretched everyone a little thin, but we're definitely truckin' along. However, the editorial department experienced some major relief on Monday when Jennifer, our new copy editor (I'm sure you'll meet her soon), started work. I think she is a great addition to the team, and I hope all of you out there in AP-reader land will give her a warm welcome. I was certainly very excited to see her.
That being said, as we've all shuffled duties, I've had way less time to listen to new music as I would like. I mean, music is usually on in my office, but I haven't had the kind of time to take it in the way I want. (And I missed the new Gym Class and TAI... because I was out sick. Boooourns.) But, as the way most things go, the lack of time I've had to really concentrate on bands lately has made room for me to have a little time to immerse myself in new films. (No, I'm not slacking off. I now assign AP's Screening section, so I gotta stay on top of it...)
As per usual, there are tons of movies coming out this summer. But if you're looking for an alternative to the "Summer Blockbuster," may I suggest you throw a fistful of dollars at the ticket window of your local indie theater and take in one of these films next month:
THE WACKNESS (opens July 3) You know Drake (Josh Peck) from Drake & Josh? Yeah, it's OK. You can admit to still watching Nickelodeon. Anyway, in The Wackness, Peck has an interesting summer job which may or may not involve selling weed to Sir Ben Kingsley. Olivia Thirlby (Juno's teacher-loving best friend) is in it, too.
AUGUST (opens July 11) Set in August, 2001, this film (starring a juicy Josh Hartnett) focuses on the thriving dot.com culture in New York City weeks before the 9/11 attacks. Not only is it an interesting historical piece that shows how much lives were changed in the U.S. following 9/11, it also showcases one of bright new talents in the biz: Zoe Kazan. Remember that name--I predict you'll be seeing a lot from her.
BOY A (opens July 23) If you like a good cry, this might be the film for you. Intense and devastating, Boy A traces the reemergence into society of a young boy who committed murder when he was just a child. Now 24, "Boy A" will find out if he can reinvent himself in a world he's hardly been a part of. Based on the novel of the same name by Jonathan Trigell.
AMERICAN TEEN (opens July 25) Who doesn't love a good documentary? Director Nanette Burnstein embedded herself in a rural Indiana high school to capture the inner workings of a high school senior's brain. Totally interesting and totally relatable--no matter where you grew up or received your diploma...
BONUS Films that are out now that you shouldn't miss: Baghead (get down with the mumblecore) Quid Pro Quo (anyone remember Nick Stahl? Yeah, that's what I thought.) Son Of Rambow (adorable and creative) Speed Racer (visually stunning) The Foot Fist Way (hi-frickin-larious)
What have you seen so far this summer that you'd recommend?
Many theories exist today in regard to people (particularly, the youth) and their ADD-inspired music tastes. Because you can access so many bands and songs and info with a few mouse clicks, there is a constant barrage of info, possibly making it more difficult for music fans to dedicate their devotion to one or two bands at a time and instead have a new "OMG! They're, like, the best band ever!" moment every couple days.
I'm not here to comment on that theory, per se, or the pros and cons of instant gratification in music listening (as opposed to waiting until Tuesday to head to the local record store for new music).
I do, however, think there's a chance that short attention spans have nothing to do with the internet and are, in fact, an epidemic of much larger proportions. One that affects humans and animals alike.
Take my cat, for example. Over the weekend, I noticed that at least one bird had taken up residency in my chimney. Super! I wasn't too worried, though, as I have a screen in front of the fireplace to keep my cat out. However, there's still about a 6-inch gap between the top of the screen and the top edge of the fireplace, so there was a chance that said bird could get into the house.
This morning as I was in my living room (with the fireplace) gathering up all my stuff to come to work, a flutter out of the corner of my eye caught me off guard. Sure enough, sitting by the stereo speaker (in front of my brand spankin' new U-Verse internet TV receiver) was a black and gray bird about the size of a robin.
First off, birds kinda freak me out. I had a king fisher dive-bomb my head when I was about 7 or 8, and the image has stuck with me (turns out birds are one of the top fears in the U.S., so I'm actually pretty normal). Second off, I have a cat, Daisy, who thinks she's pretty tough shit, even though she's an indoor cat with no front claws. She immediately cornered the bird, then chased it to the top of the couch, which eventually caused the bird to fly into the dining room.
Once in the dining room, Daisy had the bird cornered near a window. Good work, cat! Now, if only I can get the window open and somehow shoo the bird through it... I figured as long as Daisy kept guard of the bird long enough for me to maneuver around behind it for prime shoo-ing position, I could get the bird outside without harming it.
Do you think that cat stood her post? Nope. After a couple moments of watching the bird in full-on crouch mode, Daisy eventually flopped over on her side, and just lazily eyed the bird from about two feet away. Then, when the bird stopped twittering, Daisy actually got up and walked away.
What's wrong with this cat? Here she has real, live prey in her presence, and instead of her hunter instincts coming out in full force (you'd think she'd be at least stoked to have a toy that moved on its own, as opposed to all her little toy mice that are stuffed with catnip), she got bored/distracted by some other noise, and headed upstairs. Lame!
Luckily, this bird apparently didn't want to be in my house anymore than I wanted it there, and it hopped up on the open window sill on its own volition, and I was able to shoo it out with a newspaper. No thanks to my ADD-addled cat, of course.
Okay, so that wasn't a Wilco song title. But referencing a Cohen Brothers film is acceptable for my blog titles, too.
Anyway, after a super-productive week (so far), I am sort of stuck in a rut today. These things happen in the publishing world, and there's only so much budgeting and planning and databasing you can do ahead of time to stay busy while you're in a creative slump.
So.
Even though this video is totally old and totally not culturally relevant at this second, it's still one of the funniest YouTube videos. So, enjoy today's "walk down memory lane" YouTube entry.
Here's hoping it sparks something so I can finish writing this deck I'm working on...
Judging by the humidity, summer has arrived in Cleveland. Yay! In addition to all the great things I love about summer (flip-flops, freshly mowed lawns, grilling out, boating, ice cream, A/C, margaritas on the patio), summer is truly the best concert season. It's harder to drag myself to shows in the winter because it's so freaking cold, and this spring I didn't go to a whole lot of shows because after two weeks on the (incredibly awesome) AP Tour, I was a little showed-out.
However, it's time to shift into show-going mode now that June is officially settled in. I will never, ever claim I go to more shows than Scott (that would be a blatant lie), but I do go to more shows than Tim (truth). Jason probably has an edge over me, as well, though that's a closer race. Anyway, I've got a very basic outline of some of the shows I want to see this summer. I'm gonna leave it up to you, our fair readers, to chime in on who I need to check out. I've got plenty of blank dates to schedule...
Shows I have planned/would like to see: JUNE Nada Surf Death Cab For Cutie Via Audio The Cure (uh, duh!) Maps & Atlases/mewithoutYou Dr. Manhattan/Damiera
JULY The Rosewood Thieves Type O Negative Coldplay (um, so what?) Big D And The Kids Table/Less Than Jake Alakline Trio/The Fashion/American Steel The Alternate Routes Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin The Cab/the Hush Sound/the Morning Light All Time Low/Hit The Lights Torche Warped Tour The Hold Steady/the Loved Ones !!! Valient Thorr The Honorary Title Foo Fighters
AUGUST Radiohead (already have my tix!!) The Weakerthans Dr. Dog Portugal. The Man We Are Scientists KT Tunstall (again: so what? don't judge me) Cute Is What We Aim For/Ace Enders/Danger Radio/Powerspace Nine Inch Nails/Does It Offend You, Yeah? Paramore/Phantom Planet (and hopefully Jack's Mannequin)
So, I'm back from L.A., and it was pretty great. Aside from the fact that I developed a nasty cold right before I left and that I never made it to an In-N-Out Burger (hey, gives me a reason to go back), I think it was a pretty successful trip.
Book Expo America itself was pretty impressive. Taking up two huge buildings in the Los Angels Convention Center/Staples Center complex, it definitely took me two days to see everything. I decided to spend one day on each building, and literally walked up and down each aisle, checking out all the publishers/vendors/sellers/gadget peddlers, looking for anything and everything that would be a good fit for AP: Music, art, graphic novels, pop culture, kitsch, anime, how-tos. I never really had a doubt before (I've spent many hours in bookstores, so I know), but if you were wondering, yes--there is a book for ev.er.y.thing.
It was neat getting to see previews of titles coming out this winter, and checking out trends in both subject matter and cover design. There were all sorts of panels and autograph sessions too, which inevitably meant there were certain celebrities on hand at various times. We're talking Slash. Michael Moore. Ted Turner. Stan Lee. Kirk Cameron.
Did I see any of them? Nope. In keeping with my impeccable timing, I didn't see any of them. Not one. I was always in the wrong building on the wrong day or the wrong wing at the wrong hour. But don't worry; I did see one famous face (and then spent the next 8 minutes hoping for a glimpse of Zack Morris). Check it out:
Aside from bookin' it up in L.A., I also got to have lunch with our lovely Style editor, Carrie; dinner with David (who you probably met if you came to the AP Tent at last year's Warped Tour--he was the dude working in there who wasn't from AP); and dinner with Matt (who you saw playing drums in the Matches if you came to the AP Tour) and his lovely girlfriend Erin.
The weather was fabulous, I never got lost or stuck in traffic, my flights were smooth (and non-stop!!) and I got a little bit of a tan on my driving arm. All in all, a productive weekend.
