An idea I had for Freaky Trigger while reading about Wimbledon this morning...

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...for the relaunch - it would need 'reader participation' so I'm mentioning it here to see what people think.

What I'd like to run - for fun basically - is a kind of Music Blog Critics Cup - every 'match' readers would see two (anonymised) singles reviews of the same track by two entrants and would vote on which one was better, and the winner would go through to the next round. There'd be one genre per round, so in the first round the entrants might be reviewing hip-hop tracks, in the second dance, then pop etc etc. And eventually there'd be a WINNAH!

The idea would be to get publicity for people's blogs/sites/writing, give readers some good criticism to read, give different angles on the same record (a real strength of blogs) and have a laugh.

Good idea? Bad idea? What does anyone think? Would you join in?

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I think thats pretty cool Mr. Tico. But alas, I am the worlds worse writer so I wouldn't participate. But everyone else should.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah and you could say when you entered whether if you went out in round 1 you'd like your ID revealed or not, to spare any (misplaced) shame...

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:02 (twenty-two years ago)

could be fun, would participate...

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

This is a great idea. Erm, is there good reasons why this great idea won't go the way of 102 Beats/that worst band ever cup?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel Duel

Duel

It does sound like a good idea, T

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmm, it seems like somewhat difficult to make people do it, you'd need to punt the tracks out there unless they both have it. I think its a good idea but like a lot of the good ideas on FT they require some central admin time that we might not have.

Actually when you get back from the big G we should do that meet up about the relaunch. I have a fair bit of free time and am able to throw myself into coding and the like. (Well, maybe not coding... words).

Can we use this as a general call for FT articles?

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Andrew 102 Beats That got finished though! Well aside from the people who disappeared completely.

Actually it was thinking about Duel that got me thinking about this. The problem with Duel is that the first round is good and funny and then the same bands go into the next round and suddenly you've run out of jokes. Whereas here the material would be new each time.

(I have also been thinking about Duel cos I love it too)

Obviously if someone doesn't send in their reviews they'd default their 'match'.

Pete it'll need to be when I get back from Barcelona but yeah we should set a time.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

You did once swear blind to me that you "were never undertaking a project like 102 ever, ever again"...

But theoretically it is an ace idea, even if it'll be pretty easy to tell who is who, anonymous or otherwise.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I also have much love for Duel.

Hey maybe I'll finally get around to that C-90 (C-120 more like) that I've been talking about forever.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Could be fun indeed!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

You FULES!!!! You should be modeling it after Pop Idol, not Wimbledon!

Stealing an idea from slate.com, you could also run a "hackathon" -- something that rewarded those who can write about a new record in the most obnoxiously hackneyed and press release-y way.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

This idea completely rocks.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Blimey Mike there's a thought....

Depends how many entrants we get I suppose.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Mad Libs hack writing, there's a thought.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

BTW, it might be more efficient, less time-consuming and perhaps even more fair to chose as the winner whoever culmulatively recieves the most percentage points over three or five or eight rounds, rather than going through an endless series of elimination rounds.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Or you could have one big group stage and pick the best eight for knockout rounds...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

World Cup kicks Wimbledon and Pop Idol's arse, obviously, but is endlessly fernickity.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Or Big Brother, where the one that gets the least votes gets knocked out in each round...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Or I'm A Sleb..., where the one that gets the least votes gets knocked out in each round...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

B-b-but the people demand blood!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, fuck it, you know what I mean ;)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Awesome idea, I'll vote.

It might be a good idea to allow more words as the rounds progress.

Perhaps we can vote on what get's reviewed too.

Also, for the grand final perhaps the two remaining competitors can have a duel, challenging each other to review particular songs.

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm in; if you need any help on the back end of things, let me know, I'll probably get knocked out in round one anyhow.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Shouldn't this thread be on ILM???

― mei (mei), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

(Tom if you make everyone review individual tracks of of both Poem-Cees albums I will send you cookies)

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Sean (or anyone who has time) some kind of poll code would be fantastic - I hate having always to go through sparklit etc!

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd join in! I know I'd go out in the first round, but that's okay.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:26 (twenty-two years ago)

can we review whatever single we like? I don't want to get some crappy dance single. You know I like crappy rock.

― jel -- (jel), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Hm, by backend I meant more counting and coordinating and such; if you want to automate it fully I don't have the coding skillz unfortunately. Someone else here surely must, though!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Tico, what does the FT site support -- who hosts it, etc? I can easily knock up a perl or php poll code thingummy

― Alan (Alan), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

my only quibble would be of the "trying to compare apples and pears" variety. Faced with a 'church of me style weighty review versus a cozen/clover style i-played-this-to-my-girlfriend-but-she-was-more-interested-in-whose-turn-it-was-to-feed-the-cat prose piece (which we got a bit too much of with 102) judging which is "better" is a bit silly IMHO.

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I disagree. Part of what's being judged is the style of the review; this way we'd get to see whose style reigns supreme.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

fair enough, but i fear the novelty/humorous "style" would always win. lowest common denominator and all that.

― zebedee (zebedee), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Perhaps the novelty stylings from 102 would expand out given more space?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Since the point of FT is that the lowest common denominator is occasionally right, this doesn't bother me too much. Also I think you misunderestimate the appeal of cleverness.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Or it's value. Ahahaha. Ahaha. Oh christ.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

This is a great idea T. I'm in.

(BTW, did FT get megahits on the back of the tATu thing running?)

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Cozen I'm ashamed to say I've not looked at my stats for months - I'm thinking of getting rid of them actually since I think S1t3 M3t3r is responsible for a lot of the k-nasty spam I end up with.

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Re more general FT articles: I have been feeling like writing a piece on Al Green's How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, trying to get at why I think producer Willie Mitchell and drummer Al Jackson and organist Charles Hodges (and his brothers, on guitar and bass!) are big heroes of mine, as well as hitting the easier and more often addressed target of why Al Green is so wonderful. I guess a piece on a tune decades old, in a perhaps niche style, is hardly FT's thing, even if a) I ever actually write it and b) it is any good? I'm not sure how likely either of those things are anyway...

I'd happily vote in your duel game, but wouldn't take part - the humiliation of a 100-0 vote if I were drawn against anyone any good in round one would be too much to bear.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

: (

BUT, actually : ) as I got two jobs today. Both really great, both unexpected. (I wasn't looking.)

― Cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 18:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess a piece on a tune decades old, in a perhaps niche style, is hardly FT's thing

http://www.freakytrigger.co.uk/squires.html

― Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 19:00 (twenty-two years ago)

That link ain't working, for some reason, but I take it you mean that you might consider such a thing. If I ever get around to it and think it might be good, I'll try you.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I will vote dutifully! (Tip for getting my vote: "This song is almost as cool as Nabisco...")

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

No, no, I won't vote "dutifully," I will vote with pleasure and such.

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 24 June 2003 19:58 (twenty-two years ago)

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