Dave Tompkins

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

From reading a few threads it seems that there's quite a few ILMers in agreement that this guy is the real deal, he writes like a Steinski track dontcha think, his criticism comes off as pure freestyle, cut and pasting as many references as he sees fit.

so how happy was I (and hopefully you) to hear he's got a book coming out. here's the link...

http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2002-11-06/music2.html

Also, are there any other msuic writers you know of that simulate the music they love with their style of writing?

― nebbesh (nebbesh), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

would think that Kodwo Eshun thinks (mayhaps) that he did smth like that in More Brilliant Than The Sun

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 00:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Don Allred is one of my very favorite writers,but all his stuff sounds like Don Allred music. His Dixie Chicks article in the Village Voice was the greatest thing that I have read in a long time,but it didn't sound like the Dixie Chicks. Other pieces of his have come closer to approximating the sound of the artist he is writing about.Mark Sinker's Bangs opus was something else that I enjoyed greatly recently but it didn't sound like a Lester Bangs album. It might have sounded like a Meltzer album but I have never heard any of his music.Sinker's Xenakis piece however did sound somewhat like a Xenakis track because it travelled far and wide and led to an unfamiliar road that merited further exploration

― Scott Seward, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 01:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Fat Lace magazine (semninal UK based US focused hiphop rag together by pro-Hiphopo journos on the fly,,so so sussed and burned out and dead by issue 5 or some flaf.) did, and then Get Retarded Magazine' GR crew tried to imitate sometimes (see the Brand Nubain feature in ISSUE 3... in fact check out all of issue 3.... anyway the only reason I bring the GR Fucks is 'coz I used to roll wit' them and like Steve Austin or some guy, we're now dead. good times. chic

― Nik (Nik), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 01:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave Tompkins/David Thomson - whenever I think of my favourite writers I get an attack of the DTs. Similar really; both I suspect are unreformed romantics at heart (no bad thing), but their journeys are always arresting. The Tompkins piece on Phrenology in t'V Voice is quite awesome.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 8 January 2003 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

i love tompkins so much sometimes when i read his stuff i think he's the only thing keeping me alive

'biters in the city' (and indeed all fantasy 3) is absolutely incredible

― zemko (bob), Wednesday, 8 January 2003 12:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Dave Tompkins is the cherry in your Shirley Temple, the pink snow on your Sno-ball. And his book will put you out like Robitussin. The chapter on Paul C, by itself, is well worth $39.99. Or $399.99.

― Sasha Frere-Jones, Thursday, 9 January 2003 05:14 (twenty-two years ago)

And his book will put you out like Robitussin.

I like the spirit of this comparison, but a good piece of musical writing surely fires you up rather than puts you to sleep! :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 9 January 2003 06:31 (twenty-two years ago)

two weeks pass...

just a thought ... is the the paul c chapter the one that was in big daddy magazine? cos them i can keep that $39.99!! haha er not really

― zemko (bob), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

The only thing in print worth reading.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

think he's great... one of the jewels in the voice and the wire's crowns and get far less props than he should. however, as for the only thing in print worth reading... there's a few good writers left!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Well I read him and I don't even like Hip Hop that much

― Dadaismus (Dada), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

In UK, Dave, I'll probably give you Chris Roberts, Dave Tompkins, Philip Sherburne.

There are a lot more in US (thanks, probably solely) to the Voice (SFJ et al.)

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

(That's a strong 'probably' on recent Chris Roberts).

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:55 (twenty-two years ago)

america sucks, don't bother with us

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 26 April 2003 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait, I thought it was us that sucked.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

now i'm all conflicted

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 26 April 2003 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Hating is for weekdays. Today, we love.

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Saturday, 26 April 2003 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

in UK, Dave, I'll probably give you Chris Roberts, Dave Tompkins, Philip Sherburne

i actually don't think we've got many people to shout about in the uk, as i live here but only ever really write in the us solely down to the lack of outlets and my old buddy sherburne is in san francisco, so that's one off your list!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, I meant people who write in print for a UK magazine (and so I'm able to actually hold. it. in. my. hands.) and so Philip still counts (for the Wire, surely). And SFJ has probably been in the Wire too, but not regularly.

Ian Penman has been 'sacked' from Ucunt but he's also in the Wire, so too SR (except the Ucunt, bit).

I don't think there's anyone worth a mention in CTCL.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I am loving. Sorry if I came off all negative.

DT makes me "pop off in my pantaloons".

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't really say anything about ctcl as i may well end up doing something for them as time goes on. nah, i just thought you thought phil was here, that's all. i was so shocked about the penman/ucunt farrago... best writer in there, along with simon... just ridiculous, i mean what can have been going thru their heads? you know why that happened? as i don't... and yes, on the subject of dave tompkins again, he's still great!

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

(I write for CTCL).

Well, I e-mailed Ian (after his blog leaked) and he said these magazines all SAY they want Bangs style writing and pay obesiance to the bloated *idea* of the man but when you actually deliver 3000 word rants on Costello, well... (paraphrase).

And Dave Tompkins!!! Yeah, he is great.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Penman is off the hangnail--has he ever written a book? I luh him.

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:23 (twenty-two years ago)

There is a collection of his stuff, I know, foreworded by *spit spit???* Julie Burchill - I didn't pick it up when I saw it because I was still angry with him for being mad and angry at Paul Morley (ie hated him, now love him) for writing in Ucunt (I now see how CLASSIC this actually is) the first sentence to a BBRecorder review (roughly):

"Released in the week of Luke Haines death in a car crash..."

haha, I was only young then (18?).

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

sasha have you read vital signs?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

x-post

Book's called Vital Signs.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I didn't understand Cozen's post--I don't know what Ucunt is or this feud....

No, Dave--what it is?

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Ucunt = Uncut Magazine, Ian Penman wrote for until he wrote a big-ass Elvis Costello rant.

Penman wrote Vital Signs, foreworded by Julie Burchill, which I didn't buy one time I saw it alive in the bookshop because I'm a dork.

There is no feud.

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I also emailed you the link to the book Sasha. Sheer madness not to have Penman writing for you in my book, whatever he says. But, hey, that's probably why I'm scrabbling round for freelance work and not editing a big magazine...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:40 (twenty-two years ago)

apparently they won't have morley write for them any more either?

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Duh--I should have been able to transpose two letters. Thanks, Cozen.

That book is available from a closeout firm for $2.99 on Amazon--cheers, Dave.

― Sasha Frere-Jones (Sasha Frere-Jones), Saturday, 26 April 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently they won't have morley write for them any more either?

"Released in the week of Luke Haines death in a car crash..."

― Cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 26 April 2003 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

one quick thing: Sherburne actually lives in San Francisco--and posts here sometimes as well. he and Sasha and Tompkins are among my favorites as well.

― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 26 April 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Ian Penman nails Zappa pretty good in his book, as I remember.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 28 April 2003 11:38 (twenty-two years ago)

there's that great line where he talks about the collective noun for zappa recordings - "a smug of zappa albums", just loved that and so, so right, too...

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 April 2003 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

one quick thing: Sherburne actually lives in San Francisco

beat you to it! ;-)

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 April 2003 11:45 (twenty-two years ago)

a bastard of zappa albums.

― Cozen (Cozen), Monday, 28 April 2003 12:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Tomkins is great. Reading his reviews is almost like reading poetry, in that you approach them for the rhythm and subconcious connections. Quick question -- I've rarely if ever heard any of the music he's writing about. To people who keep up w/ that corner of hip-hop, how well does Tompkins nail the sound of the records?

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 28 April 2003 12:10 (twenty-two years ago)

pretty well

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Monday, 28 April 2003 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I am not a Penman expert, but I found Vital Signs disappointing. Too much short, random style mag stuff. I presume the legend must be built on some other things besides what's in there.

― Ben Williams, Monday, 28 April 2003 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

seven years pass...

Just started his book 'How To Wreck A Nice Beach', which relates the story of the Vocoder from it's military origins up through Hip-Hop, digging in on the train home and it seems pretty awesome, I get the same goosebumps when reading about Numbers Stations/Secret Military stuff.

― disastrous sixth series (MaresNest), Tuesday, 17 August 2010 20:57 (fifteen years ago)

Oh, and anyone else read this yet?

― disastrous sixth series (MaresNest), Tuesday, 17 August 2010 20:57 (fifteen years ago)

I agree - great book! And...have a mix:
http://www.chairmanmaonyc.com/2010/08/guess-whos-back.html

― Zooster vs. The Slapp (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 17 August 2010 22:11 (fifteen years ago)

It's on my to get from the library list.

― Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 17 August 2010 22:29 (fifteen years ago)

Thanks JV! Awesome, I was hoping there would be something like this around.

― disastrous sixth series (MaresNest), Wednesday, 18 August 2010 08:26 (fifteen years ago)

two months pass...

Enjoying this so far, but this sentence just blows my mind:

In 1964, the Soviet Union declined the invitation to attend the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, where the theme was "Peace Through Understanding", as the world was still flinching from being taken to DEFCON 2 and the assassinations of Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.

Tompkins was born in North Carolina so getting this wrong is pretty inexcusable, but how did this get past an editor??!?!?

― Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 16 November 2010 21:58 (fourteen years ago)

What's even weirder is Rik Davis later in the book references the actual '68 assassination of King...

― Fig On A Plate Cart (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 17 November 2010 04:18 (fourteen years ago)

eight months pass...

I don't know anything about this dude, and I don't think I've liked anything that's been written about music for a while, but I just read an article this guy wrote for an old issue of Wax Poetics titled Subject Matter of the 80s, an article about playing a Raw Dope Posse cut for T La Rock after his brain injury memory loss shit, and it was the first thing I've thought was writing, about music, in a long time

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 16 August 2011 16:28 (fourteen years ago)

does he post here

― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Tuesday, 16 August 2011 16:47 (fourteen years ago)

one year passes...

Finally reading HTWANB, so dope.

― This Is Not An ILX Username (LaMonte), Sunday, 25 November 2012 18:57 (twelve years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.