How out of touch is Magnet?

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As if all the Malkmus worship wasn't enough to keep me from buying another issue, their latest issue features Robyn Hitchcock on the cover and calls itself the "ECCENTRICS AND DREAMERS" ISSUE - Despite the fact that this is an obvious attempt to cash in on the recent fascination with 'outsider art' (ref Chusid, Jandek on Corwood, etc), the list of featured artists is a joke. Guided by fuckin Voices? I mean, shit, I'm a fan, but they're about as eccentric as a construction crew. Queens of the Stone Age? Mojo freakin' Nixon?
And no mention of Robert Wyatt at all?? You die now.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Sunday, 7 March 2004 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, given the sheer amount of product he's spat out over the years there is something a little eccentric about Robert Pollard, but I see your point. Still, this is Magnet -- they have to find a reason to mention GBV like every other issue.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Sunday, 7 March 2004 02:13 (twenty-two years ago)

"Guided by fuckin Voices? I mean, shit, I'm a fan, but they're about as eccentric as a construction crew."

Did your fourth grade teacher write and record hundreds of oddball styled 60s rock songs on tape too? Fourth grade teachers are all a bunch of four tracking loons.

The interview with Hitchcock and the article on Roky Erickson were both pretty good.

I serously doubt that Magnet could cash in on anything. They pretty much cover the same kind of things every issue.

― earlnash, Sunday, 7 March 2004 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

so out of touch that they have to have columns with names like AVANT RAP and FREE JAZZ to pay lip service to hip hop and jazz (eep, even trad shit). i mean, if you're an mc that thom yorke doesn't listen to or an old jazz fart that thurston moore isn't championing at the moment, the magazine don't wanna see your black ass

― angel duster, Sunday, 7 March 2004 03:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Fred Mills = worst music writer in America. And they publish Andrew Earles. That's just wrong.

― adam (adam), Sunday, 7 March 2004 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Guided by fuckin Voices? I mean, shit, I'm a fan, but they're about as eccentric as a construction crew.

I think to Magnet's core readership, a construction crew IS eccentric

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Sunday, 7 March 2004 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

So out of touch, their idea of cashing in 2003-style was a cover of - no, not the White Stripes (still) nor The Strokes (still) - but (damn, what was his name?) Pete Yorn. Only recently did they finally get around to putting Radiohead on their cover. Their obliviousness is so entrenched, I find it kind of endearing.

― Curt (cgould), Sunday, 7 March 2004 04:06 (twenty-two years ago)

And I wish them well chasing that Jandek money train.

― Curt (cgould), Sunday, 7 March 2004 04:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Primary problem with Magnet - location, location, location. The (philly based) mag skims writers from the two weeklies and ignores everything but the artists put on at Clear Channel venues (TLA) around town. Neverminds R5 (local new rock/punk promoter) stuff, not to mention the flourishing hip hop scene there. There's a big problem with the establishment - Philly indie intelligensia - not supporting new music and burying its head in the sand of ringer tees and off-kilter guitar solos. It's actually embarassing for me to read the mag.

― jackdark, Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:02 (twenty-two years ago)

To play ~~corniee yndie fuxxor~~ devil's advocate:

How is Magnet's "out of touch"-ness anymore so out of touch than, say, XLR8R's or Vice's or, once upon a time, Careless Talk Costs Lives's "out of touch"-ness with other genres of music? Does Magnet owe readers well written reviews of Basement Jaxx or Dizzee Rascal?

(all of the above is meant to be rhetorical. I don't expect you guys to expect such reviews in Magnet, but I do wonder how convenient "out of touch" is as an insult, when it's a far more subjective term than most immediately think)

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"out of touch" is the straw man of insults, really. (or would be if that actually makes any sense, which I hope it does.) Magnet doesn't speak to me too much but my main beef with it is when they cover *particular* things in realms they wouldn't otherwise touch, e.g. putting DJ Shadow and Moby in their decade-list but no other dance music or hip-hop (or even instrumental hip-hop or trip-hop or whatever). then they're just tokenist, which everyone is to some degree.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Some of the stuff on the cd's that come with the mag are fun to laugh at. that's a positive. actually that's the first time i heard NYC by Interpol was on one of those cd's. I'll never forget that day or where i was. Pete Yorn. HAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAA!!!! If my brother were one of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry i would at LEAST make him buy me a song. At one of the Towers in Philly they were selling his first album for 7.99 then it went down to 99 cents with a purchase and then it was FREE with a purchase and months and months later they still had a display up for it with like 3000 copies that just sat there. People wouldn't take it for FREE!! That cover story was hilarious. Magnet can be really funny to read. sometimes i really need an A.D. Amarosi/Joey Sweeney fix, ya know?

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean, it's ok to dislike/criticize Magnet because of it's choice of musical coverage and the way they design it and parade it, etc -- just as you would any other magazine. But "out of touch" seems a tad too hypocritical a phrase to use.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:28 (twenty-two years ago)

they have always been big amerindie heads. that's just their thing.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean if you want to know what bob mould is up to or paul westerberg that's where you go.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:31 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon man, I need my Ron Sexsmith fix.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought Pete Yorn sucked and everything, but I didn't realize he had nepotism on his side. I also thought people liked that kind of music. (x-post) Like something I might hear at the coffee megachain or something.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

hey, i read the big takeover occasionally for my moldy oldie fix. to each his own and all that.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:34 (twenty-two years ago)

magnet is kind of a roots rock mag for the SST generation.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:36 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe i'm wrong. is their audience college kids? but why would college kids want to read about bob mould?

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I am a college kid. I'd read about Bob Mould if the magazine was laying around. You'd have a hell of a time getting me to buy it though.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I think their audience is college kids 1986 - 1993.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:41 (twenty-two years ago)

you know, the ones that now all work in ad agencies hiring cool bands to submit song licensing for Verizon Wireless or Dodge or whatever.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, didja catch my memo?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I was going to say college kids from the early 90s, but I figured someone would do it better.

Us kids these days just read the internet. And Fader of course.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

I was a college kid 1994-98 and I was all over Mould/Westerberg (but not Magnet, not for any aesthetic reason, just cuz I wasn't).

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:46 (twenty-two years ago)

And yeah, as insults go "out of touch"/"irrelevant" are pretty lame; fuck that, artists don't like DIE the second they turn 25. If they've got a new album out, they're as relevant as anyone else.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Mojo magazine is, like, so out of touch..! they never put a band on their cover from after 1976!! That's so Devo!

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

*high-five*

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

How exactly did Pete Yorn get on the cover of Magnet in the first place? That would be like Britney Spears on the cover of RIP or something.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

How does Pete Yorn get any attention from anyone, anywhere? (Aside from the answer Scott Seward alludes to above.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Should I give a shit about Pete Yorn?

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah but its not like the CD ads in Tower have to worry about "cred." I think the Magnet cover is this guy's highest accomplishment (though I should have seen it coming when MTV Video Hall Of Famer Tom Petty got on the cover because they mistook unpopularity for a lack of compromise).

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

did anyone even know that pete yorn has a record label with one of the dudes from the wallflowers? that's some scary shit.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

"Remainder Records = the home of the cutouts."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Mojo magazine is, like, so out of touch..! they never put a band on their cover from after 1976!! That's so Devo!

Not true, here's a band from 1978....
http://www.popcultmag.com/images/uploads/mojo.jpg

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, they really mislabelled the J. Geils Band there.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

If you squint really hard, it looks like Sha Na Na.. both words and band.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

My friendly record store neighbor said that the Pete Yorn Magnet cover resulted in an unprecedented rate of newsstand copies returned unsold. The core readership evidently recoiled in horror at his utter un-Pollardness.

― Curt (cgould), Sunday, 7 March 2004 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Does eveyone on ILM hate Mojo? I haven't bought it in awhile, but i think they do a good job with their little niche. great pictures too. I was bummed when the Collections mag didn't work out for them. I loved it cuz i iz a nerd.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 7 March 2004 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Shame about Pete Yorn. All those connections and he still sucks. Nice hair, though.

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Sunday, 7 March 2004 23:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought the Roky Erickson article was hilarious because it so nakedly displayed Magnet's biases. They mentioned that there's a book of Roky's lyrics out there, and they mentioned that he recently got brand new teeth, but they conspicuously skipped mentioning the guy who put the book out and paid for the teeth out of his own pocket—Henry Rollins.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 7 March 2004 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I mourn Collections, too. I think the problem was too little differentiation from Mojo itself.

― Curt (cgould), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Scott, I don't think anyone here hates Mojo at all. Where did you get that impression? (asking earnestly)

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno where i got that impression. i guess i don't remember anyone saying anything good about Mojo, and i do seem to recall some general negative stuff in the past on some threads. probably having to do with rockism or whatever.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 8 March 2004 00:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I remeber Elvis Telecom has said some positive things about Mojo here. Actually, I think those are the only things anyone here has said about Mojo. (maybe I'm thinking of a different forum though?)

― donut bitch (donut), Monday, 8 March 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought that issue. The yearend roundup was pretty, um, white. Evan Dando made their top 20 albums for some reason.

― Sym (shmuel), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 05:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i think dj martian may have cast some aspersions.

― g--ff (gcannon), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 05:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I remeber Elvis Telecom has said some positive things about Mojo here. Actually, I think those are the only things anyone here has said about Mojo.

Mojo is great for straight-up history and collector stuff - gawd I can't think of anyone that would write a full article on Patto or Van Der Graaf Generator, but their reviews get pretty dire. Bottom line: read it for the articles.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 07:55 (twenty-one years ago)

mojo needs more free cds with it

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 08:03 (twenty-one years ago)

mojo is like the eminent dr. dre; if you hate it, you hate yourself.

― dooke, Tuesday, 9 March 2004 08:13 (twenty-one years ago)

if anyone has the mojo with the freakbeat article innit, can you please scan it for me?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 08:16 (twenty-one years ago)

It's true about the review section. It's pretty boring. I mostly read that section for reissue info. I really have enjoyed some of the cd's they have put out. The drug one, the punk one, the reggae one, the soundtrack one.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 11:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Love Mojo. And they did an "Eccentrics issue" last year that was, I'm guessing, far superior to Magnet's.

― mike a, Tuesday, 9 March 2004 15:14 (twenty-one years ago)

the only time I've bothered to buy Magnet in the past five years was that power pop issue. that was kind of cool.

― Al (sitcom), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

magnet had a shoegazer issue that was pretty good. my wife still subscribes to magnet-she likes getting cd's with her mags-and it's amazing how fast i can get thru an issue. i never really want to read about all these indie bands that they feature. I mean the new ones. They are really boring to read about. The death cab types.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously. If I hear another song with the line "We learned how each other's bodies worked" again, someone's going down in a blaze of Converse

― Donna Brown (Donna Brown), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

How apropos:

Agreed. Actually, I might even agree with the editor of Magnet Magazine, when he said that Pollard had written more great songs than the Beatles, the Stones, and the Who, combined.
-- James Riot (davejcrof...), March 28th, 2003 7:09 PM.

sometimes i really wonder if people who say things like that have actually ever heard any music other than indie rock
-- jess (dubplatestyl...), March 28th, 2003 7:16 PM.

I can't believe someone reads Magnet Magazine. I thought it was just for birds to make nests out of.
-- Alex in SF (clobberthesauru...), March 28th, 2003 7:19 PM.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 07:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I had a subscription to Magnet like six years ago and they still send me renewel shit every six months, which I just throw away. They're nothing if not tenacious.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 07:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Magnet: I thought it shite.

― christhamrin (christhamrin), Wednesday, 10 March 2004 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

From the latest issue, in a column dedicated to bashing bands:

Dizzee Rascal - "Not hip because it's good. Hip because white people are afraid they're missing out on something. Oh, and why hasn't this been panned for sampling almost an entire Billy Squire song?"

Atmosphere - "Back in the Fox Network's docu-tragedy heyday, I missed When Wiggers Discover The Thesaurus. Atmosphere is easily the worst thing to happen to the backpack since the suicide bomber."

Wow, wigger jokes. It's 1997 again.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, they really mislabelled the J. Geils Band there.

this was funny...

If more people sample entire Billy Squier songs, the world would be a better place. Some artists should just put their picture and name on Emotions in Motion and just release the whole thing again! (hmmm...good idea M@tt!, you should do that...thanks M@tt I think I will!)

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Slug is half-black and Magnet is a bunch of fucking morons, half of whom used to write for my newspaper. Guess what? They don't now.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Slug is half-black and Magnet is a bunch of fucking morons, half of whom used to write for my newspaper. Guess what? They don't now.

Please Matos, don't hurt 'em!

Actually the other stupid thing about that statement was the Thesaurus part....I certainly don't think that Slug is a annoyingly or self-consciously wordy rapper either....he doensn't thrown in the $100 words for no reason like lots of indie freestyle type rappers...imo at least...he's fairly direct and plainspoken to these ears.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe someone can do the same for the philly papers? this week i learned disco sucks and "good times" was "unintentionally ironic".

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, of course "Good Times" is unintentionally ironic - it's that damn Jimmie Walker.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 22 May 2004 00:58 (twenty-one years ago)

If ILM had it's way, every magazine would just talk about 50 cent and Bark Psychosis every single issue.

― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 22 May 2004 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

As if it's such a ridiculous notion to not have a music magazine supposedly offering "Real Music Alternatives" attempt to pass shitass narrow-minded garbage like "[Dizzie Rascal is h]ip because white people are afraid they're missing out on something." as if this notion's a) somehow funny, b) ironically apt and insightful or c) worth a fuck.

― David R. (popshots75`), Saturday, 22 May 2004 02:26 (twenty-one years ago)

And d) not in the least bit applicable to every band they hype, oh no.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Saturday, 22 May 2004 02:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Dizzee Rascal - "Not hip because it's good. Hip because white people are afraid they're missing out on something. Oh, and why hasn't this been panned for sampling almost an entire Billy Squire song?"

Atmosphere - "Back in the Fox Network's docu-tragedy heyday, I missed When Wiggers Discover The Thesaurus. Atmosphere is easily the worst thing to happen to the backpack since the suicide bomber."

-- miloauckerman, May 22nd, 2004.

The verdict? Magnet are closed-minded fucks. Thread OVER.

― Serya (Z_Ayres), Saturday, 22 May 2004 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I got excited about Magnet after the Shoegazing and Paul Westerberg issues and subscribed for two years. Let's just say I've been disappointed since. Not enough British stuff for one thing. Although the Robyn Hitchcock interview was killer.

I don't care about all the new indie stuff they cover, either, and I think it's hypocritical to put f***ing Tom Petty on the cover considering most of what they champion is new indie stuff. I don't want Petty OR Yorn on my magazine covers, ma'am.

I have a secret love for Mojo. Yes they have their faults, and I agree 8 million Beatles and Dylan articles does get to be a bit much, but even so, I love Mojo overall. And whoever said they needed CD's to go with them I agree but then I've heard the radio station they put up on their site and it's pretty cool.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 07:37 (twenty-one years ago)

they lost me when their paisley underground issue completely and utterly failed to mention Opal. i mean, that's like doing an article on britpop whilst completely failing to mention Pulp

― the surface noise made by people (electricsound), Saturday, 22 May 2004 07:47 (twenty-one years ago)

< /semi- self parody >

― the surface noise made by people (electricsound), Saturday, 22 May 2004 07:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I did an ad for a small LA record label that ran in Magnet. I never saw it though.

― martin m. (mushrush), Saturday, 22 May 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

You mean the ad never appeared?

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I kind of have some secret love for Mojo, too, probably for the same reason most people hate it. It is my favorite airplane magazine, because it IS very repetitive and predictable. I happen to still love most of the artists they over-expose, and I like to every once in a while read an article on such groundbreaking topics as "Pet Sounds was a great album," or "Bob Dylan is a lyrical genius," or "The Stones were so great, man."

And their CDs are, again, not particularly eye-opening, but solid.

― Scott CE (Scott CE), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

They do CD's? Maybe I'm barred from having them being in the U.S.?

Hey I don't mind articles about the best Beatles solo albums!

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Bimble, since I think I live in the same city as you, I don't think the U.S. is the problem. Do you have a subscription? Maybe that's the problem. I just buy single issues when I feel like it (usually when I am going on a trip), and they always come with a CD.

― Scott CE (Scott CE), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, the ones I remember liking were the punk one, the reggae one, the soundtrack one, and the drug one. They were all pretty good. I bought the 4-cd mojo psych box too. crap packaging, good sound, pretty good track listing.

― scott seward (scott seward), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

No I don't have a subscription yet. It only costs like $150 after all and I've had more pressing matters to spend money on. I just buy Mojo every once in awhile at a newstand. Last one I bought was the one with John Lydon on the cover and it was a whole PIL article AND a Chic article and wow!! I also bought the one with New Order on the cover, but I've been planning on going for a subscription soon despite the ridiculous price. But no, when I've bought it or even seen it at newstands I've never seen a CD come with it. Weird.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Last one I bought was the one with John Lydon on the cover and it was a whole PIL article AND a Chic article and wow!!

that was such an amazing issue!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Saturday, 22 May 2004 19:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes that was the one with the list of "best" Beatles solo albums.

George Harrison "All Things Must Pass" RULES.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 22 May 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Sometimes you can get the CD with it, sometimes you can't. I've got the first four of those "Mojo Music Guide" compilations, and they're all pretty solid. Nothing super-unexpected, but lots of stuff I'd never have gotten around to buying otherwise, because it would have necessitated buying whole albums by folks who really only ever had one good song.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Saturday, 22 May 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

You mean the ad never appeared?

No, I'm fairly certain it appeared. I just never picked up the issue it was in to get a look at it in print.

― martin m. (mushrush), Saturday, 22 May 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Something I've noticed - Magnet writers have a tendency to complain about bands being shite interviews. There are two or three instances of it in this one issue, maybe more.

Has it occurred to anyone there that the problem might be shite interviewers?

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Sunday, 23 May 2004 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

jackdark said:

i agree with your final statement there, about how its typical philly to bury its head in the sand. however, if there was a national magazine, like oh, i dont know, MAGNET, who bothered to really stand behind what happens here in this city [and im talking about stuff other than R5*], perhaps the local community would fall in line and start respecting what happens here. i have always felt that philly's piss-poor attitude is what keeps it as a third rate music town.

* and if you want to nitpick, lots of people argue the validity of R5's commitment to philly by the fact that they very, very rarely have local support on their shows.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 23 May 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i have always felt that philly's piss-poor attitude is what keeps it as a third rate music town.

x-post: I know absoultely nothing about the Philadelphia scene, but does the proximity to New York have anything to do with its lack of a scene? Wouldn't anyone with any sense would go to New York rather than bother staying? Just wondering.

― frankE (frankE), Sunday, 23 May 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)

why dont we just ALL move there?

i would like nothing better than see the offices of both philly weeklies razed to the ground.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 23 May 2004 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I kind of liked the movie review sections in both papers when I was up there last weekend.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 23 May 2004 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, yeah, i was just about to revise that: most of the non-music writing is decent to good. their reporting can be excellent, and the movies reviews (especially in the pw) are always entertaining.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 23 May 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

but, yeah. mostly it's just the recieved wisdom indie rockism passed off as music journalism thing that bugs the living shit out of me.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Sunday, 23 May 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the city paper does a good job of supporting/covering the local music scene, which is why i wouldnt want to see it burned to the ground.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Sunday, 23 May 2004 23:22 (twenty-one years ago)

had an interesting conversation last night with an ex-Magnet writer re: Fred Mills' complete insanity and lack of intelligence. Basically confirmed everything I've read on ILM about Magnet's total suckitude (but don't pat yourselves on the back - this ex-writer was a target of the "Outkast voters = tokenists" thread from a few months back).

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 23 May 2004 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Fred Mills is a buffoon. The absolute worst writer. The worst of the worst.

― Broheems (diamond), Sunday, 23 May 2004 23:29 (twenty-one years ago)

from the sounds of my friend, a lot of other people at Magnet's jobs seem to revolve around Fred Mills damage control.

― hstencil (hstencil), Sunday, 23 May 2004 23:30 (twenty-one years ago)

haha "target"

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 24 May 2004 00:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't see how Magnet's location is responsible for any of the mag's flaws. I'm editing here in Philly, and I've discovered, thanks to the wonder of the internet, writers can file copy from as far away as West Chester, maybe even further.

Judging by the current state of music mags, I'd say New York stands out as the worst place to publish. It's a rarefied atmosphere, and you're surrounded entirely by editors, journalists, and publicists. You start to imagine, for instance, that your readers care what Dave Eggers thinks about Kings of Leon.

As for "Wouldn't anyone with any sense would go to New York [sic] rather than bother staying?" of course there's a brain drain. But anybody who can't figure out why "anyone with any sense" would prefer to live in a city that isn't New York really needs to get out more.

― Keith Harris (kharris1128), Monday, 24 May 2004 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I love New York and will probably live there again, but Keith is pretty much right--the backslapping that goes on there (especially among writers) does not necessarily make the best atmosphere to get good work done. The city is very very energizing but it can also make you lazy.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 24 May 2004 03:03 (twenty-one years ago)

You start to imagine, for instance, that your readers care what Dave Eggers thinks about Kings of Leon.

Or else you start to think that people who actually buy records instead of receiving free copies in the mail not only care about Franz Ferdinand but that "lukewarm is as far as anyone has managed to stray from the universal tone of heated adulation in discussing" them.

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Monday, 24 May 2004 03:05 (twenty-one years ago)

lists of names HUAC-style = target in my book, Matos.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 24 May 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

but we've covered that already.

― hstencil (hstencil), Monday, 24 May 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

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