21 Musical Moments To Die For

On Medialoper: 21 Musical Moments To Die For

The is the fifth in a series. The first one had 25, the second one had 24, the third one had 23, the fourth one had 22.

Also: there is a slight — but not total - Christmas theme going on with this one. More of an arc, really. And a couple of mini-arcs, too!

Medialoper’s 2008 Ducking The Shoe Awards

On Medialoper: Medialoper’s 2008 Ducking The Shoe Awards

“Ducking the Shoe” is a phrase coined by Daniel Fienberg a couple of days ago on Twitter to mean “escaping even the most minor of punishments for extended errors or misdeeds.”

So in the spirit of George W. Bush’s ninja-like ability to duck a shoe thrown at him from point blank range, the following people and things spent 2008 getting away with shit that they really should have been busted on.

Whatever Happened To . . . Television Without Pity?

On Medialoper: Whatever Happened To . . . Television Without Pity?

Nobody has actually bothered to defend it. I’ve received more comments from people defending From The Jam and Spiral Frog than I have from people defending the new Television Without Pity.

That’s just sad. People loved the old TWoP. Or hated it. But if they hated it; they hated it for what it was — a website with an angle and an attitude. Now, it’s got none of that, so people just tolerate it. Or ignore it. And maybe that’s what Bravo / NBC / Universal want: a site that people just visit, but don’t have any real affection or hatred for.

How The Music Industry Garnered Record Profits in 2008

On Medialoper: How The Music Garnered Record Profits in 2008

How have they done it? According to Frederick Stamphammer, the RIAA’s Vice-President of Digitization — and the man seen by most insiders as the key figure behind the transformation of the music industry into a virtual profit machine — it was by seizing the opportunity afforded by the internet nearly 10 years ago.

How to Save Pushing Daisies

On Medialoper: How to Save Pushing Daisies

Here’s the idea: guest star Crispin Glover invents a Time Machine — disguised as an easter egg in an iPhone App called “Easter Egg” — that allows Emerson, Olive, Chuck and the Piemaker to go around in history and solve the mysterious or controversial deaths of famous people: JFK, Kurt Cobain, Howard Hughes, Harry Houdini.

Noel Murray Talks To Medialoper About Popless

On Medialoper: Noel Murray Talks To Medialoper About Popless

As someone who has been reading and (very) (occasionally) writing rockcrit for a long time, this was a new spin on solving the age-old problem of criticism in general: can I trust this person’s opinion? Popless turned out to be a internet-age combination of blog-based introspection and old-school critical judgments, and if I didn’t know where my tastes and his intersected previously, I sure as hell do now.

The Lies of The Hold Steady and Drive-by Truckers

On Medialoper: The Lies of The Hold Steady and Drive-by Truckers

It’s a lie. It’s all a lie. Rock & Roll does not mean well. It’s mean, and it’s dirty and it’s nasty and it lies lies lies. It lied to me when I was younger, and led me in the wrong direction so many times and in so many ways. Saved by rock & roll? Hell, my life was almost ruined by rock & roll! Almost. But not quite. And yet, it comes right back with its lies. Rock & roll lies to everyone, including middle-aged men. Especially middle-aged men who have their best life ever right now. Get thee gone, Satan!

J.J Abrams Star Trek Footage Presentation

On Screen Junkies: J.J Abrams Star Trek Footage Presentation

What to do? Reboot! Reimagine! Reengage! Not another series: too much work to power up a series only to find out that noone cares. Better to risk it on a film. And bring in somebody whose very name would excite the die-hards and intrigue everybody else. Say hello to J.J. Abrams, whose involvement with Lost, Mission Impossible and, yes, Felicity, meant that he might have the right combination of sci-fi acumen, action chops and storytelling smarts to revive Star Trek. Or kill it forever.

Please Wait For Infinity While Your Page Loads

On Medialoper: Please Wait For Infinity While Your Page Loads

My question is simple: when did this happen? When did a rotating circle become UI shorthand for “your request is very important to us, please wait?”

22 Musical Moments To Die For

On Medialoper: 22 Musical Moments To Die For

Featuring moments from:
The Clash, Replacements, Banarama, Aerosmith, My Bloody Valentine, Otis Redding, Secret Machines, Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Dan Bern, Bob Dylan, XTC, The La's, Brian Eno, Nirvana, Rolling Stones,& Bob Marley

Next Year on FOX: The Joe The Plumber Reality Series

On Medialoper: Next Year on FOX: The Joe The Plumber Reality Series

In Praise of Asynchronous Voting

On Medialoper: In Praise of Asynchronous Voting

In the end, Election Day will become more of a deadline than anything else, and no spoilers please! Those who have always thought that it was special, and that exercising their franchise on Election Day is part of what makes this country great will still have it. And more power to them! They feel that the ritual is part of what makes it special, but I just don’t have that kind of time.

Who Will Get Joe Strummer's Vote?

On Medialoper: Who Will Get Joe Strummer's Vote?

It has been like this forever. In fact, I’m not actually sure that I can remember a time before this campaign started. Way back in March 2007, (over a year and a half before Entertainment Weekly said the same thing on their cover) I asked if this campaign was going to be the best reality TV show ever, and I think that it has ended up that way.

One small problem: I hate reality TV.

Deadwood Fans, Here's Your Conclusion: Screw You!

On Medialoper: Deadwood Fans, Here's Your Conclusion: Screw You!

Oh, and I only get to see this if I pay $180 for the full series set — despite the fact that I’ve already paid at least $100 for HBO during the initial runs and at least $180 total for the individual season box sets after that.

Will NBC & DirecTV's "Friday Night Lights" Experiment Work?

On Medialoper: Will NBC & DirecTV's "Friday Night Lights" Experiment Work?

It really seemed like there was no way that it was going to come back, and those of us who had fallen in love with it were going to lose something unique in TV history: a show that took a hard, smart look at small-town America and the institutions that that were important to it — including, of course, high-school football.

23 Musical Moments to Die For

On Medialoper: 23 Musical Moments to Die For

Husker Du
The White Stripes
The Who
The Church
James Brown
Mekons
Boston
Bangles
Sonic Youth
Jesus and Mary Chain
Ambulance LTD
Hole
Bash & Pop
Robyn Hitchcock
Beach Boys
The Brains
Los Campesinos
The Chant
Neil Young
Wilco
The Byrds
Camper Van Beethoven
Cheap Trick

From The Jam Should Go Back To Where They Came From

On Medialoper: From The Jam Should Go Back To Where They Came From

I think that it comes down to this: since the real The Jam isn’t performing, it’s fine for a tribute band to go out there and play those songs. Yay! However, it ain’t so good for that same tribute band to be competing against the real band in terms of selling product.

Alas, Poor David

On Medialoper: Alas, Poor David

And I just sit and wonder — selfishly, of course — what does it mean that I was so attracted to his art when that art wasn’t even enough to sustain his own perception of his life?

The Mess of The Rolling Stones Back Catalog

On Medialoper: The Mess of The Rolling Stones Back Catalog

That’s because they’ve recorded and released — and re-released — dozens and dozens of amazing, colossal singles, even from their weakest records. So clearly, the pushing of individual songs onto the public has always been part of how the Stones have been marketed. Is it any wonder that — after four decades of this strategy — the marketplace responds by downloading individual songs?

24 Musical Moments to Die For

On Medialoper: 24 Musical Moments to Die For.

Featuring songs by:
Buzzcocks
Bruce Springsteen
Waylon Jennings
Close Lobsters
Arcade Fire
The Kinks
Bettie Serveert
UFO
Tom Verlaine
Superchunk
War
Broken Social Scene
The Individuals
The Beatles
Drive-by Truckers
Guided by Voices
The Jam
New Order
The Miss Alans
The Temptations
Lloyd Cole
The Cat Heads
Yo La Tengo
The Blow Monkeys

A Sneak Preview of the Aaron Sorkin Facebook Movie

On Medialoper: A Sneak Preview of the Aaron Sorkin Facebook Movie

At first blush, Oliver Stone’s film about George W. Bush seems like it will be more sympathetic to the subject than any film that Aaron Sorkin is going to write about the internet.

But as it turns out, that’s wrong. At least according to this sneak preview of the film, which will be called Yourbook.

The High Fan Quality of Battlestar Galactica

On Medialoper: The High Fan Quality of Battlestar Galactica

I’ve got a theory: in a Long Tail universe, it isn’t about the fan quantity as much as it is about the Fan Quality.

By “Fan Quality,” I don’t mean that they are better people — though, obviously Battlestar fans are fully awesome, duh — but rather the intensity that fans possess for a particular piece of content. The more intensity, the higher the Fan Quality.

Microsoft & Seinfeld: A Match Made in the 1990s

On Medialoper: Microsoft & Seinfeld: A Match Made in the 1990s

Look, regardless of what he is pitching, Jerry Seinfeld is a victim of the time and place he helped define. Seinfeld the TV show — which BTW, I still I think is terrifically funny — is probably on somewhere right now. And in fact, it will always be on, and when you see it, you’ll always think 1990s. It’s like The Beatles of TV Shows: nearly ubiquitous, and yet frozen in time as the purest distillation of its time. Jerry Seinfeld is as part of the 1990s as The Beatles are part of the 1960s.

A First Look at YouTube on Tivo

On Medialoper: A First Look at YouTube on Tivo

TV Shows of My Life

On Medialoper: TV Shows of My Life

Essentially, it’s a list of best TV show debuts for every year I’ve been alive.

When researching — Wikipedia, naturally — I determined that the absolute nadir of American television was the 1980s, which is no surprise to anybody who lived through it. On the other hand, there is no doubt that we entered a golden age in 1999, which lasted until the great HBO shows all ended.

How The End of The World Will Be on Twitter

New on Medialoper: How The End of The World Will Be on Twitter

Apparently CERN is going to use Twitter to send out updates about the progress of Large Hadron Collider, the gynormous particle accelerator which lies underground near the border of Switzerland & France. On September 10, they’re going to fire that sucker up and it will give Mankind the Final Key to How It All Began and a Glimpse of the Face of God.

Either that, or suck the entire Earth into an ever-expanding Black Hole that will eventually be the end of existence.

Hey MySpace, Stop Spamming My Friend Updates!

On Medialoper: Hey MySpace, Stop Spamming My Friend Updates!

When I first signed up for MySpace over a year ago (yup, I was late), I thought that it was a stupid idea to have Tom as one of my Friends, so I de-Friended him almost instantly.

So, if Tom’s not my Friend, why am I being told about the music he’s adding to his profile?

Because it’s dirty rotten filthy spam. And MySpace oughta be ashamed.

New Study Reveals Parents Television Council is Totally Into Sex and Violence

On Medialoper: New Study Reveals Parents Television Council is Totally Into Sex and Violence

Given all of the fetishistic categorization going on, I’ve got a theory: the people that make up the Parents Television Council really love watching and dissecting sex and violence. As a matter of fact, they can’t get enough.

How The Bootleg Series 8 Will Lead to More Bob Dylan Piracy

New on Medialoper: How The Bootleg Series 8 Will Lead to More Bob Dylan Piracy

If, at the end of the day, all I want is the music of Bob Dylan on Compact Disc, I have two choices: I can have 27 songs for $18.99, or I can have 39 songs for $129.99 — over $100 dollars more!

How does that make any sense? Sure, there’s a beautiful photobook and all, but I’d look at it once or twice and file it away forever.

25 Musical Moments To Die For

New on Medialoper: 25 Musical Moments To Die For

For me, “the moment” is the part of the song that fully and utterly engages me; the reason that I keep coming back to it.

I’m not necessarily talking about hooks here, because the purpose of hooks is the draw you into a song. I’m really talking more about traps: the part of a song that that keeps you there.

Every single moment I’ve listed below kills me single every time I hear it.

Paul Westerberg's Weird Experiment

New on Medialoper: Paul Westerberg's Weird Experiment

In reality, while 49:00 is a single file, it consists of several songs. Which means this: Paul Westerberg has figured out how to get people to listen to an actual album all the way through. There’s really no choice, especially since — as I write this — there doesn’t seem to be any actual song titles floating around. It’s all or nothing.

Hey Masses! Don't You Dare Watch "Mad Men"

New on Medialoper: Hey Masses! Don't You Dare Watch "Mad Men"

I’ve always wanted a pop culture world where “I Will Dare” by The Replacements was the first of their many top ten singles. A world where “Sequestered In Memphis” by The Hold Steady is played on radio stations across the country and a world where everybody is into Mad Men, and not American Idol.

My Favorite Album For Every Year I've Been Alive

On Medialoper: My Favorite Album For Every Year I've Been Alive

Most frustrating was a year like 1975, where epochal records like Physical Graffiti or Born to Run — absolute all-time classics which I still love — get edged out when they would have stomped )either the year before or the year prior.

Why Kanye West is Such An Asshole

New on Medialoper: Why Kanye West is Such An Asshole

And it ain’t because he’s a genius. I mean, he may very well be a genius, and the fact that everybody takes it for granted that he is a genius because he says he is a genius makes him — at the very least — a genius at making people think that he’s a genius.

Is Playing Music on the Radio A Form of Piracy?

New on Medialoper: Is Playing Music on the Radio A Form of Piracy?

The reality is that for decades and decades, pop musicians have mythologized their songs being played on the radio. They love it. It’s always a huge deal: a moment where they felt validated or legit. I mean, have you ever heard an artist ever say, even once, “When I first heard my song on the radio, I called my lawyer, and said, ’sue those bastards, they’re ripping me off.’

Why Gene Simmons Hates You

New on Medialoper: Why Gene Simmons Hates You

By killing the music industry, you made Gene Simmons slightly less rich than he otherwise would have been.

What The Music Industry Could Learn From Lil Wayne's Success

New on Medialoper: What The Music Industry Could Learn From Lil Wayne's Success

Because file sharing is promotion.

Like the radio, like iPod ads, like mixtapes and mix CDs and clubs and parties, file sharing is all about the human impulse to say “hey, have you heard this? Because you totally need to hear it right now.”

I Want My Firefox 3.0!!

New on Medialoper: I Want My Firefox 3.0!!

By explicitly asking for the record, they’ve now set off a chain of events that might actually ensure that they don’t get the number of downloads they were originally shooting for.

Perhaps they can instead set the record for the most frustrated web users in a single day.

Katherine Heigl Does Not Want What She Should Not Have Got

New on Medialoper: Katherine Heigl Does Not Want What She Should Not Have Got

This is a woman who is obviously now so full of herself that little bits of her ego drop on the sidewalk as she walks.

How ABC and Disney Spoiled "Wall-E" For The Entire World

New on Medialoper: How ABC and Disney Spoiled "Wall-E" For The Entire World

Is your life going so well that you get to hang out as a Celebrity at the 2008 NBA Finals? So now that we know that Wall-E ends up with a better life than all of the rest of us, why go see the movie?

Why ET Deserves to Be Hoaxed

New Medialoper post: Why ET Deserves to Be Hoaxed

The same story goes on to say that ET had every opportunity to fully source the story prior to airing it, but chose not to. And in fact, it’s entirely possible that they were pretty sure that the story was false even prior to airing it. In essence, they were gambling that a single source that they knew was probably wrong was actually right.

Why ABC Should Give Up on "Life on Mars"

New Medialoper Post: Why ABC Should Give Up on "Life on Mars"

One of the things that made the original series so interesting was how it was a meditation on how much the world changes in just our lifetime, and how we automatically assume that things now are how they’ve always been, even when we know that’s not possible.

In other words, it wasn’t just about “ha ha, stupid 1972 cops don’t know what DNA is.” It was much deeper than that: Sam Tyler had to learn all about a world that he assumed he knew from heart.

Why Is Prince Being a Creep About That Radiohead Cover?

On Medialoper: Why Is Prince Being a Creep About That Radiohead Cover?

It’s obviously all about c-o-n control with Prince, which is why he’s done all of that batshit crazy stuff like change his name to that symbol and scrawl “slave” on his face. In his mind, it’s very black-and-white: either he controls it, or he doesn’t. The problem is that this is one of those situations where a smarter worldview might not be black-and-white, but rather a shade of, er, purple.

Gods Save The "Save Dollhouse" Campaign

New Medialoper post: Gods Save The "Save Dollhouse" Campaign

It’s also the combination of two very 21st century things: the instant online TV show fanbase, and the “save our show” campaign. What makes this great is that the instant fanbase is worrying publicly about an event that probably won’t happen for another year, at least.

Certain Songs: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble

New on Medialoper: Certain Songs: Creedence Clearwater Revival - Ramble Tamble

Woman Sat Dead in Front of TV for 42 Years

On Medialoper: Woman Sat Dead in Front of TV for 42 Years.

My Latest Problem With Charter Communications

On Medialoper: My Latest Problem With Charter Communications.

Why Neil Young Is Wrong To Go With Blu-Ray Only

On Medialoper: Why Neil Young Is Wrong To Go With Blu-Ray Only.

Rolling Stone Goes to Hell, er, The Hills

On Medialoper: Rolling Stone Goes to Hell, er, The Hills

How EMI Wants to Steal Your Music

On Medialoper: How EMI Wants to Steal Your Music

Solving The Problem of How I Met Your Mother

New post up on Medialoper: Solving The Problem of How I Met Your Mother.

Bravo Sends Television Without Pity To Hell

New post up on Medialoper: Bravo Sends Television Without Pity To Hell. And it's a hell dimension where awful redesigns are the motif.

What Radiohead Started, Others Continue

New post up on Medialoper: What Radiohead Started, Others Continue

The idea that Radiohead started with In Rainbows is beginning to find its expression as new releases from R.E.M, Nine Inch Nails, The Ranconteurs and Elvis Costello all borrow from their playbook.

Why I'm Worried About Television Without Pity

New post up on Medialoper today: Why I'm Worried About Television Without Pity. When all of a websites founders leave at the same time, that can't be good, can it?

Certain Songs: The Clash - Safe European Home

My latest post on Medialoper is called Certain Songs: The Clash - "Safe European Home".

You ever have a song just totally, utterly and instantly change your life? Here's a story about when it happend to me.

Why quarterlife was Such a Bomb

I've got a new post up on Medialoper: Why quarterlife was Such a Bomb.

For Mike Huckabee, Is It More Than A Feeling No More?

New post upon on Medialoper: For Mike Huckabee, Is It More Than A Feeling No More?

It's all about why some songs are bigger than even politics.

ABC Fights the FCC and Cultural Correctness

New post on Medialoper: ABC Fights the FCC and Cultural Correctness.

It gives a little love to ABC for appealing their recent fine and not giving into the Parents Television Council's campaign of Cultural Correctness.

NASA Beams The Wrong Song Into Space

New post up on Medialoper: NASA Beams The Wrong into Space.
Turns out that maybe "Across The Universe" wasn't the best choice after all.

The Weird Case of Qtrax

I have a new post on Medialoper:

The Weird Case of Qtrax, the latest soon-to-be-failure in digital music.