Culture Greyhound

Facebook Groups Give Rise to Social Nicheworking

In Which We Eagerly Await Aaron Sorkin’s Friend Request

Tech Industry Vs. RIAA Radio Biz

The Ten Most Glaring Lies In The Social Network

The Social Network – The Real Story

Whatever Happened to Alternative Nation? Part 1 – 1990

How the Left Alienated Millions of Americans

Every Song That Apple Has Ever Used for Advertising

The Scary Staleness of Truth Telling by Marty Kaplan

John Lennon At 70!

The Human Behind ICP Fans Against Juggalos Speaks

Bill Maher – New Rule: Rich People Who Complain About Being Vilified Should Be Vilified

Will the Verizon iPhone Ever Exist?

Social Media – Easier Than You Think

Apparently, the Village Voice is relevant again.  This article has plenty of recent highlights from their always-improving writing staff…..

Including this one, an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon that is the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Today, Consequence of Sound released their Top 100 Albums of All Time list, and it’s pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. Take a gander.

Finally, Pitchfork had a pretty cool article on the new trend in indie album covers – amateur retro photography.  Think the latest from Vampire Weekend and Crystal Castles.

Seven Years As a Freelance Writer Or How to Make Vitamin Soup

-Is this my future?

Austin: Live Music Capital of Cover Songs?

-Sure, we’ve all walked 6th Street and heard the live bar bands playing Journey endlessly, but the Spazmatics have taken it to a whole new, marketable, and sad level.  A great diatribe on the way bands ruin the great name of Austin.

Your Guide to the 11th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos

-Read and weep.

What’s It Like to Sing With Green Day?

-Surreal.

How Sports and Indie Rock Finally Fell In Love

-Inevitable.

It’s a few weeks old, but by no means is it irrelevant – the New York Times recently published a lengthy article regarding the ongoing debate and progression concerning what we forever leave in cyberspace and what will ultimately be deleted forever.  Keeping information around may be damaging to some, but informative for others.

On almost a weekly basis nowadays, we hear about someone who has been fired or denied a job or promotion because of their “online activities.”  Whether this be bad-mouthing their company or boss, complaining about being bored at work, or posting pictures of themselves at a keg party, the consequences of what we post and type are more serious than ever before, and the young and old are starting to care a lot about it.

Jeffrey Rosen’s piece is very informative, very well-written, and very long, so I would set aside a good half-hour to read the whole thing.  But read it – at some point in time, this subject will affect all of us.

Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman (2009, Scribner)

I was first introduced to Chuck Klosterman through SPIN magazine back in junior high, and I have bought and read every single non-fiction work he has written.  His irreverent, humorous writing links philosophy and pop culture in a unique way.  And while his latest may not be his OVERALL best (Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs is hard to beat), Eating the Dinosaur is classic Klosterman at his best.

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Quick post before going out tonight, last week’s overnight trip home messed up my blog-writing schedule, trying to keep this thing updated as much as possible.

A new feature on the AV Club’s site delves deep into the riches (and utter garbage) that is the compilation series NOW! That’s What I Call Music.

Check out the first post, which describes in detail (on a track-by-track analysis) of the first bestselling album in the series, probably the most pop-sporadic of any of the albums – it covered a larger time period of hits than the albums that were to follow.  I mean, where else are you going to find an album that features songs from Radiohead, Backstreet Boys, and Aqua on the same disc?

After that little read (and additional YouTube nostalgia trip) how could you not want to come back for more?  I know I’ll return – this is some fine, funny writing about one of my favorite things to read and write about – the pop of the past.

http://www.avclub.com/articles/introduction,38249/