The letter.

********

Ryan-

Look, I clearly have a different opinion on mainstream pop than the two readers whose letters you published today do, but you have to understand where they're coming from. Pitchfork suddenly getting all dewy-eyed about radio pop is a bit like Michael Jackson starting a kids' summer camp: he might have the best of intentions, and it might turn out very well for all involved, but we're all going to be way suspicious at first, and somebody's going to ask for an explanation beyond "I just want to, OK?" Because, let's be honest, no matter what you, Ryan, have felt in your heart of hearts lo these many years, Pitchfork's public face is very, very anti-pop; I won't bore you with pointless "gotcha!" exegesis, but suffice to say I recall "it sounds like something on the radio" being the extent of the negative critical assessment more than once.

I believe you that you genuinely like this music--Matt LeMay told me as much a few weeks back, and I'm disinclined to ascribe conspiracy theories to generally honest music-jocks. And I like all this music too. Those are all great fucking songs on there, although I'd probably pick a different Eminem song. But that's part A of the problem: if you take out 5 of the songs (Punjabi MC, "Ignition," Nas, Beyonce, JT), this is a list that could have been made anytime in the last few years by the people whose critical opinion I respect about this kind of music--i.e., not Pitchfork. (No offense.) So while I would be loathe to criticize someone for being out-of-the-loop, musically (cause eek, I hate it when people do that), this does feel a little...cribbed. Which is fine, and not to say you don't genuinely like the songs (that LPTJ list got me to like "Ignition" too), but it does feel a little weird, a little phase-y, and a little like it needs to be more explicitly explained. I mean, I'm with you--Missy is about a billion times better than Krautrock in every possible way--but again, the Michael Jackson thing, if you see what I'm getting at.

The part B part is about this new (-ly public) attitude's relation to the rest of Pitchfork and its harem of critics, and this is the real head-scratcher. Because I don't think you'd argue with me that calling something "mainstream" was, indeed, quite the neutron bomb in PF's arsenal previous to this, something I and not a few other people were unhappy about. And so this needs to be addressed in a way other than with the confusing intro verbiage, viz. "fuck, days like this practically make bullshit Busta/Mariah joints hit like Mary J & Method Man." (About which: hey, I thought "we're not feeling much of a need to discriminate"?) So what gives? Is WATW going to be its own separate little enclave, or are y'all going to--rightly--start appreciating good music that does, also, get played on the radio, even if it's on an album? More importantly, are yo going to stop taking sidewise swipes at radio pop in the context of reviews? Is that going to stop being the ultimate deal-breaker, opinion-wise? Because that would suuuuure be nice. (It would also be nice--and this would be my tradeoff--if you, um, reevaluated your Andrew WK dis, but I'm not holding my breath.)

At any rate, good luck converting the indie kids. I know how hard it can be convincing them that you might as well sincerely appreciate now the music you're going to ironically appreciate in 20 years anyway, and how difficult it can be to make the point that booty-shaking music is just as valuable as sad songs to drink to. Have at it.
posted by Mike B. at 11:20 AM 0 comments

Some reasonably astute Pitchfork readers have similar, yet different, reactions to the We Are the World inauguration than I did. I'm willing to admit at this point that I was being a bit grumpy-puss yesterday, but I'm still pretty firm in my basic belief. I'll write a letter that'll hopefully clarify that.

Incidentally, they did not publish my fairly intelligent, articulate Xiu Xiu letter. To which I must say: ahem.

posted by Mike B. at 10:32 AM 0 comments

Monday, August 04, 2003

Weird fact of the day: the AMG page on John Mellencamp sends me to a Beat Happening album. Cos they're both...um...music?

On the other hand, "Red Head Walking" is pretty much the only Beat Happening song I like.

posted by Mike B. at 3:23 PM 0 comments

Daily Kos makes some good points about the whole "gay high school" thing--an idea which sounds stupid at first, but:

The program was supported , in large measure, by NYU. The two founders, Hetrick and Martin, had taught there and got space from the university for their program, because there was a desperate need for it.

Hetrick-Martin does outreach with gay youth and from what I was told, the kids they saw were at the end of their ropes, literally. They were saving kids from suicide, homelessness and sexual assault in their high schools. It wasn't for gay kids, but troubled kids who were gay and headed for the streets or an early grave.

The program is small, 100 kids, out of a high school population of 400,000. If it was merely a school for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered kids, they would have to have in every borough, serving anywhere from 20-40,000 kids at a minimum. Harvey Milk is not for "gay" kids, but troubled kids. Kids who face physical violence in school. Some dismiss it as bullying, but we're talking things as serious as assault with a deadly weapon to rape. Which gay and bisexual kids are far, far less likely to report. Administrators are often indifferent to these attacks. Harvey Milk exists so that these kids can get their consitutionally mandated educations safely.

Most gay kids attend New York's Public Schools with little problem. But for those facing eviction by homophobic parents, violence and sexual assault, there needs to be a place where they can continue to get their educations and become useful members of society.

So yeah--it's not for all gay kids; it's for gay / trannie kids who can't get an education otherwise.

posted by Mike B. at 2:50 PM 0 comments

Uh-oh.

Powell's leaving in 2005, one way or the other.

The big aha moment, though:

Another dark horse is former House speaker Newt Gingrich. The Georgia Republican appears to be openly campaigning for the job, arguing in speeches and in a recent Foreign Policy magazine article that the State Department under Powell has failed to adequately support Bush's policies.

Ohhhhhh. I get it now.

posted by Mike B. at 12:42 PM 0 comments

Someone tell me if I'm being too cynical or not giving them enough of a chance, but seriously Pitchfork, what the fuck? This is "some of the best and/or most innovative pop hits of the past three years"? I mean, yeah, it is, it's just a little suspect, like the Source making a "best of indie" list with, say, the White Stripes, Strokes, and Interpol on it. Does it strike anyone else as vaguely creepy that such a honky-centric website should spew out this list of mainly black artists, or white artists explicitly working in black genres (Eminem, Justin Timberlake, Bubba Sparxx)? Doesn't this just sort of seem like a list of the songs by black people white people have listened to recently? I know that indie kids can be really weird about their relationship with pop, but do they honestly need to be told about "What About Us" or "Shake Ya Ass" or "B.O.B."? Why not some of the deeper Jay-Z or Eminem cuts (I mean, "Without Me"? C'mon!) or some of the lesser-known pop gems? Well, I guess that'll come later.

It's just a bit weird, is all I'm saying. Like, "if there's one tremendous song on an otherwise crap album, should that song not have its moment of glory?" Yeah, I remember saying that.

All you really need to know, though, is in the entry on "Get Ur Freak On":

The track served as a huge wake-up call for me personally, too: unchallengeable proof that radio pop could rival even the most drugged-up Krautrockers in experimentation.

*sigh* We're valuing Missy Elliot by comparing her to Krautrock now?

I'm interested to hear what Matt Perpetua has to say about this, but he's on hiatus at present. On the other hand, that means I'll be posting one entry a day at Fluxblog this week. Go give a look.

(Incidentally, here's where a PF writer first mentioned this new use of WATW to me.)

posted by Mike B. at 10:09 AM 0 comments

Sunday, August 03, 2003

I got lawyer in me
The Rabbit speaks about Paradise Hotel:

At this extraordinary juncture in reality TV's short history, one show stands out among the others. Yes, one show perfectly captures that fleeting pop cultural moment, that rare glimpse at the unearthly underbelly of the American psyche, an amalgamation of sights and sounds that bemuse and bewilder and enfeeble the mind, a moment when time stands still just long enough for you to say, "Sweet Jesus this is bad."

Hilarious article--like Polly in the prime. "You really have to hand it to the producers of this show, though. Instead of calling it 'Drunk Asshole Hotel,' which might have raised a few red flags..."

posted by Mike B. at 5:05 PM 0 comments