Well, Idolator proves useful for something... besides cheap shots at some of our faves. Last time we checked, the Prorsum line was the decidedly unchavvy part of the House of Burberry, and it's probably not wise to get us started on our collective love of the high hat and the disco octave...
I mean really, we know the Gawker editorial voice is as snarky as they come, and really love their insouciant attitude -- but we can't help but think that this schtick is kinda sorta falling flat over at Idolator. I mean, prefacing something with 'this is a cheap shot but we're linking to it anyway ... ISN'T IT STILL FUNNY?' is kind of sophomoric and annoying. But whatevs, they have a nice color scheme at least. And their wee little manifesto is, well, kind of spot-on -- I mean, we never miss a chance to take a cheap shot at over-educated rich, white boy tastemakers and the 10 billion press releases we get every day.
Maybe we just need to give them some time to settle into the preppie kids' table in the Blog-o-teria and the leeway to iron out the kinks in their strange, scattershot editorial voice. We're perfectly satisfied not to get in a lather about such weighty subjects as My Chemical Romance, The New Nirvana? and Who The Hell Cares About mp3 Blogs Anyway? I mean, it's not like we're gonna apply for comment privledges anyway.
So, yeah, like I was saying at the top of the entry -- it's not all bad, really -- thanks to this entry, I was directed to the Killed by Death Records blog, which is chock-full of mp3s ripped from vintage punk, mod, and power pop 7-inches. Wow.
I mean really, we know the Gawker editorial voice is as snarky as they come, and really love their insouciant attitude -- but we can't help but think that this schtick is kinda sorta falling flat over at Idolator. I mean, prefacing something with 'this is a cheap shot but we're linking to it anyway ... ISN'T IT STILL FUNNY?' is kind of sophomoric and annoying. But whatevs, they have a nice color scheme at least. And their wee little manifesto is, well, kind of spot-on -- I mean, we never miss a chance to take a cheap shot at over-educated rich, white boy tastemakers and the 10 billion press releases we get every day.
Maybe we just need to give them some time to settle into the preppie kids' table in the Blog-o-teria and the leeway to iron out the kinks in their strange, scattershot editorial voice. We're perfectly satisfied not to get in a lather about such weighty subjects as My Chemical Romance, The New Nirvana? and Who The Hell Cares About mp3 Blogs Anyway? I mean, it's not like we're gonna apply for comment privledges anyway.
So, yeah, like I was saying at the top of the entry -- it's not all bad, really -- thanks to this entry, I was directed to the Killed by Death Records blog, which is chock-full of mp3s ripped from vintage punk, mod, and power pop 7-inches. Wow.
posted by candy hotpants at 11:35:00 AM
12 Comments:
of course, by merely indicting idolator for being nasty, we've given them what they want, which is attention. the culture of high-profile blogging is oddly reminiscent of the culture of abuse: any attention is better than no attention. making an ass of yourself yields spectacle yields buzz, and suddenly you're the most popular kid evar! me? i'm quite enjoying continuing to sit at the nerd table in the blogotorium, which is invariably between the hesher table and the stage. there's a student council something-or-other sharing the venue with the ballot box for homecoming queen (i vote for paul banks) and i think there are a few people from the SXSW blogger brunch up there in their bus seat letter jackets. we've--any of us--clearly never gotten over high school, have we?
Idolator isn't mean enough. Even Gawker isn't. For example, the worst blog doesn't look like the one they made up, it looks like some blogs they could name. Even better, they could find the worst moments on some very good blogs - like fluxblog recently calling Beyonce the best songwriter of her generation (if so, that generation's fucked) or every fourth overwritten post by said the gramophone or most any day at Gorilla vs Bear - does that guy like everything?
Only William Bowers' blog, Puritan Blister, succeeds every day, because he doens't write a word.
And they're not funny. Why not push certain bands to please, please be the next nirvana, so that we can be done with them after the inevitable suicide? Live by example, chem romance, dammit.
Love that Killed By Death site. Saves me from having to burn all those vinyl versions I have clogging my shelves.
Oh, you know. The nerdy kids always have to overanalyze their position in the social hierarchy. Guilty as charged. (;
And yes, this would all be so much more satisfying if someone was REALLY mean. You know, like uh, GerardvsBear.
Gotta say I kind of agree with J Frank here, some of that stuff just needs to be said. There's a reason TGRAW is the only mp3 blog I actually read, and it's that you're not like the blogs that Idolator is targetting. I mean, that Zune stuff? How icky was that? Of course I also sort of internet-know Maura and she seems like a very nice, very cool person.
personally i cannot wait until the new HEY ASSHOLE feature gets going on idolator (sorry no time for html magick):
http://www.idolator.com/tunes/hey-asshole%21/hey-asshole-call-for-entries-194290.php
See, I love Defamer and Gawker so much that I can't accept the comparison as an insult. I'd compare Idolator's tone more to GoFugYourself than, say, PerezHilton. Idolator is still sort of getting its own voice together, I think, but when it comes around, I think it will be a good depot for MP3 blogrolling.
Anyway, you guys are great and I love TRGAW. I never thought you were trying to compete, and that's one of the things I like about you(s).
nope. no competition here. cindy and i are queen and grand duchess of the nerds, respectively. now accepting membership applications for king and archduke of the nerds. hey cindy, we need a treasurer of the nerds...stat.
Yeah, we don't (and never have tried to) compete with big blogs like that at all. We're really quite happy here in our little niche. What niche, that is, I'm not sure -- but we're in it.
Treasurer of the Nerds, huh? I have no idea. Is that like, our Sugar Daddy? BECAUSE I NEED NEW SHOES SOON.
Anyway...
I know of about 10 people who comment regluarly, and we like you all very, very much, and we're very glad you read and contribute. But as far as I can tell, y'all are the only people who do read. The anonymous thousands who visit daily are as inscrutible to me as their IP addresses in the traffic logs!
Anway, yes -- I think Idolator will totally be like all the other aggregator-types, I suppose. A good place to find quality links one might not have found otherwise.
You know, this whole conversation has reminded me just realized how truly insular my blog experience is -- I occasionally swing by PerezHilton or Gawker, but mostly, I stick to the small circle of mp3 blogs I read daily. I mean, I STILL kind of don't understand what Zune is, not at all. But you know, I didn't know I could get free gadgets from this gig. Clearly, I'm missing from some key mailing lists. The kind that send cute products!
My love for Puritan Blister is well-known, I hope -- Mr. Parnell, I agree that Mr. Bowers really has the whole mp3 blog thing nailed. Silence is ... golden. Wait, that's not right...
I must beg your pardon, but my cuckoo eyes are fixated on the shiny gewgaw that is Killed By Death. The Chronics! Pointed Sticks! I caw with pleasure!!!
FiL
i wanted to say- it's hard for me to really dis idolator since i was reading gawker and defamer (and LOVING defamer) before i, technically knew what a "blog" was. so- it's hard for me to dis them unlike, say, pitchfork, who's easy to diss (mastadon, really? do we have to like them?)
also: blogging about other blogs is what blogging is all about.
I think Idolator's a genius idea, and if it leads to more Will Leitch Sucks-esque takedowns (in either direction), I'm all for it.
BLOG DRAMA!
(NB: Maura is a friend of mine, too.)
some very good blogs - like fluxblog
This is the funniest fucking thing I've read on the Internet in months.
i appreciate and think I like Parnell's view but on the flipside GVB does have new music from Dana Falconberry so that's a good thing, stg has posted som elovely stuff over the years (and you've gotta give extra points for longevity esp with so many recent nayblogs (SVC and others)
also I've heard good things about Maura and she was nice to me despite my slam of her site. I can deal with all the snark and mp3 blog put - downs but shed some light on some good music before you rail against the unwashed masses (other mp3 blogs)
if they're going to be a celebrity site fina but that's not what they claim to want to be. But the fact is pure music driven blog sites have a traffic ceiling that is not appealing to major advertisers of the gawker variety
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