Sufjan Stevens - Superman Stunt

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How many people think this DC comics was a PR stunt to sell records

― gk, Friday, 15 July 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

I do.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 15 July 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

I just think it was stupid.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 15 July 2005 20:04 (twenty years ago)

I demand justice.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Friday, 15 July 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

I demand satisfaction.

― shut up, Friday, 15 July 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

I demand Sufferin' Stevens drinks a big cup of shut the fuck up!

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Friday, 15 July 2005 20:32 (twenty years ago)

oh, please. this incident only got press in places in the independent music media, like pitchfork and message boards and things, places that had a good amount of coverage on sufjan stevens already...

a TRUE stunt would be singing a t.rex cover with elton john on live8 to ge publicity

― Johann (johann), Friday, 15 July 2005 21:36 (twenty years ago)

they MUST have known this would cause a stir. Nobody in any art department is stupid enough to let a Superman image go through without once thinking "hmm, this may cause copyright problems..." While it may not have garnered mainstream attention, it does give press outlets a hook, an intro, an easy issue to hang any kind of story on. It struck me as profoundly stupid and obvious.

― Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, 15 July 2005 21:39 (twenty years ago)

is the cd going to be released with or without the superman?

― jeremiah (jeremiah), Saturday, 16 July 2005 00:18 (twenty years ago)

they MUST have known this would cause a stir. Nobody in any art department

Asthmatic Kitty is an indie label owned and run by Sufjan and two people in his family - there's no art or (obviously) legal department.

It looks like the rereleased CD will just have Superman taken off the cover. A friend of mine actually got a promo where someone inked over the Superman with a Sharpie ...

― save the robot (save the robot), Saturday, 16 July 2005 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Also:

While it may not have garnered mainstream attention, it does give press outlets a hook, an intro, an easy issue to hang any kind of story on. It struck me as profoundly stupid and obvious.

Talk about hooks - I'd rather hear people talk about the Superman cover than read yet another review that starts, "Sufjan Stevens says he'll make an album for every state. He just may do it!" and ends, "I can't wait to hear what he does to the next state!"

― save the robot (save the robot), Saturday, 16 July 2005 02:09 (twenty years ago)

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/images/lois-and-clark/LoisAndClark-dvd1.jpg

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Saturday, 16 July 2005 02:24 (twenty years ago)

this album is really boring. the cover is ugly.

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Saturday, 16 July 2005 02:26 (twenty years ago)

I bought a copy with the Supermand cover in Madison last weekend. B Side records on State had it for like $14 or so, while the Exclusive Company a block up the street had a $36 price tag pasted over the original, normal-priced tag. I regret not buying the other copies at B Side and selling them to the Exclusive Company.

― joygoat (joygoat), Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:05 (twenty years ago)

Why doesn't he play surf guitar? Talk about misleading!

xpost

SURFIN STEVENS IS THE NEW POG / MAGIC THE GATHERING.

― Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (ex machina), Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

SUFJAN STEVENS BACKLASH

EYE OPENING

He already released his joke album years ago. You know, Enjoy Yr Rabbit.

― enjoy bell woods, Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

Wesley Willis is better and still from Illinoize.

― Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (ex machina), Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:26 (twenty years ago)

Uh, is anyone better than Wesley Willis? Be fair.

― enjoy bell woods, Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:35 (twenty years ago)

How can you hate a dead, mentally handicapped black american artistic genius, you insincere indie douche? HERE'S A BAG OF SHUT THE FUCK UP.

― Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (ex machina), Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:43 (twenty years ago)

I just said that nobody is better than Wesley Willis, so comparing Sufjan to The Man is ridiculous.

― enjoy bell woods, Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:52 (twenty years ago)

No you said is anyone better than Wesley Willis. Learn one (1) logic.

― Jon, remind me again why you haven't drowned in your own vomit (ex machina), Saturday, 16 July 2005 04:54 (twenty years ago)

okay.

― enjoy bell woods, Saturday, 16 July 2005 05:42 (twenty years ago)

I am the kind of person who answers "Should I X or Y" with "yes".

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Saturday, 16 July 2005 05:47 (twenty years ago)

No you said is anyone better than Wesley Willis. Learn one (1) logic.

nam cixelsyd a ry

― Jamey Lewis (Jameys Burning), Saturday, 16 July 2005 15:48 (twenty years ago)

they MUST have known this would cause a stir

i know the guy and know people who know the guy -- he's not that cynical. seriously. he doesn't think in terms of 'legal implication' &etc. he's super-green on the "industry" aspect of things.

― PeopleFunnyBoy (PeopleFunnyBoy), Saturday, 16 July 2005 15:51 (twenty years ago)

they had about 20 copies of the superman cover on display in fopp today and there are about 20 branches of fopp so i'd guess there were several thousand of them in that chain alone. so... not very rare actually.

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 16 July 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

(that was the smallest branch of fopp i think)

― jed_ (jed), Saturday, 16 July 2005 16:21 (twenty years ago)

I just bought this album today, with Superman on the cover. What's the story?

― gear (gear), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:09 (twenty years ago)

superman lives!

― scott seward (scott seward), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:10 (twenty years ago)

: o

― gear (gear), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

yeah superman is on the one in my record shop too

― gem (trisk), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:16 (twenty years ago)

the one pictured on amazon.com has no superman, so I guess maybe subsequent printings will be without the man of steel.

― gear (gear), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:25 (twenty years ago)

They ultimately decided that it was okay to sell the original copies instead of recalling the whole thing. But yes, subsequent printings will have the image removed.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 29 July 2005 00:30 (twenty years ago)

You know what would be a better publicity stunt? Make an album that's not boring.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 29 July 2005 02:18 (twenty years ago)

aw. i really like this album.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 29 July 2005 02:19 (twenty years ago)

I kind of liked the last album, but when he made the same album again and stamped "Illinois" where it used to say "Michigan" I got fed up.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 29 July 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

But I feel bad for mocking it now because you like it and you said "aw."

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 29 July 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

haha sorry! though you make a good point about michigan.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 29 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

SURFIN' STEVENS MOTHERFUCKERZZZZ!

I still like this album.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Friday, 29 July 2005 03:02 (twenty years ago)

This album is the first indie-ish thing that I've heard and enjoyed in a while. Me likey.

― darin (darin), Friday, 29 July 2005 15:41 (twenty years ago)

Wonder Woman just beat the snot out of Superman and then KILLED A MAN!
Fuck Superman and the horse he rode in on.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

I love this record, I hope he makes another 48 exackly the same.

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:13 (twenty years ago)

it seems to me the songs on Illinois that sound the same as the ones on Michigan start off like that but end up somewhere reasonably different - regardless, it's a pretty great album. the arrangements are immaculate. The cover art still sucks.

― lemin (lemin), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:14 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I was joking because I think "sounds the same as the last one" is usually a lame criticism. I really think he's doing something nobody else is at the moment.

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

And I don't understand all of the hate for the cover art! It's like some cheesy wall mural you'd see in a small town - exactly what it should be, IMHO.

― darin (darin), Friday, 29 July 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

I like the way ever'thing folds down to uxceptance, Bless you. This is yr acceptings.

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Sunday, 31 July 2005 22:58 (twenty years ago)

AHEM SPOILERS HUK!!!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 1 August 2005 02:17 (twenty years ago)

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