Author Archives: robert duffy

Common has written up ten ways to save hip hop. I’m always worried when I hear things like “Band Z is saving rock!” or “Rock is dead!” or “They’re reinvented genre X.” Always a bold statement, almost always off target. Common’s list, though, is really good. Here’s a highlight:

Make Your Music Look Like Your Life
“For one, we all didn’t grow up in the ghetto. And even if you did, there’s more to ghetto life than just violence and sex and getting money — there’s a lot of beauty in the community aspect of it. That needs to be reflected in the music. Most people I know from the ghetto don’t want to glorify ghetto life — ain’t nobody happy to have to sell dope, and most people don’t wanna talk about killing people and violence. As my father used to say, ‘Even gangster dudes go to church.’ ” (full story)

I don’t own any of Common’s music. Maybe I should.

As first tipped by donewaiting.com forum regular Frisby, Flaming Lips have announced more tourdates.

And yes, Columbus OH is on. Oh happy day!

Over on donewaiting.com’s United Kingdom Kolumn, England Made Me, Steve talks about Idlewild and the extras found on their DVD single. It’s a good read, so please upgrade your grey matter here.

It hurt me in the heart when I found out Linkin Park was doing a tour with both Limp Bizkit and Metallica. We’re talking a very hurtful punch.

But today I read that they’re doing a smaller tour that fan club members will be able to get in for free. And maybe meet the band afterward.

The LP Underground tour, named after the group’s fan club, is tailored to members of that organization. Card holders not only get first crack at tickets for the tour (via the club’s official Web site), but admission to the shows is free to current LP Underground members, who will also have the chance to meet the band after each performance. (full story)

Very cool.

I feel an obsession bomb coming on.

It’s happened a few times before, and when it happens, boy is it ugly. Close friends and enemies beware: it’s about to happen again, I know it.

Examples of past obsession bombs: Buying every single Magnetic Fields release within a week; Buying every single They Might Be Giants album within 2 weeks;
seeing Star Wars Episode 1 twelve stupid times in the theatre; seeing Trainspotting 4 times in the theater in one day.

Where will the next obsession bomb drop?

MANCHESTER, UK.

See, last Sunday me and my sweetheart rented 24 Hour Party People, a film about Tony Wilson and the Manchester music scene (which includes Joy Division,
Happy Mondays, New Order, etc.).

While I’m not going to obsess over the music itself, I do think I’m going to obsess over the city, over Factory Records, the Hacienda, over Tony Wilson. It’s too late.

Don’t try and stop me. The bomb has been loaded.

Right now, my world of reference is just this film. If I were to believe the film, and for right now I will, Tony Wilson was in the center of this entire scene,
putting together record label collectives, promoting indie music in mainstream spaces. Making things happen.

I want to know every single bit of information about Wilson and this scene. I want to memorize timelines, shout out lyrics to songs I dont even like with all my heart, and maybe, just maybe, buy a Smiths album.

Recommendations on what I should read or what I should listen to should be posted here.

Fuel my obsession bomb, everyone, because you can’t turn it around.

Start your education here.

Over on donewaiting.com’s Atomic Ned, Chip said that if he could only listen to one band for the rest of his life it would be Idlewild.

I’m curious to read your choices. Stone Temple Pilots? Led Zeppelin? The Used? Please, post it up here.

One band, rest of your life. Heavens to betsy!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs are one of my favorite new bands, and I’m happy to report that they’ve announced tourdates and have also signed with Interscope Records.

My goal is to hit that Cleveland show. (Usual Suspects plan your calendars accordingly)

The New York Post picked up the CMJ controversy today. Here’s my favorite quote:

“To underhandedly rig the charts for company gain, it’s kind of outrageous, especially when the crux of your business is supposed to be legitimate data collection,” said one music industry source. “It will inherently hurt their credibility with the major labels.” (full story)

Naughty naughty!

CMJ (College Music Journal) is the company that college stations report their playlists to, similar to what a bigger, commercial station does with Billboard.

Well, according to this article, it seems that CMJ has some pretty shoddy systems, replacing lesser known artists on their charts with a compilation that CMJ puts out itself, Certain Damage.

Obviously there’d been some mistake; CMJ had somehow replaced a local disc with something that might be mistaken for a mid-’80s hardcore compilation. But Hetzner recognized the interloper immediately, and he was pissed. Certain Damage is a commercial sampler that bands and their labels pay CMJ up to $3,000 to be on. To the majority of college music programmers, the comp is a throwaway. “They are pretty much worthless compilations,” Hetzner says. “CMJ doesn’t go, ‘Oh, I love this record, let’s arrange to put their tunes on our compilation!’ No, it’s record companies approaching and paying to put their songs on the compilations. As long as you have money, you can get your shit on CMJ.” Having the record on KALX’s published playlist was not only incorrect, it was embarrassing. (full story)

That would be like if they didnt have the accurate data for the new Eminem record that was hitting #1, they’d replace the chart with “Billboard’s Greatest Hits Volume Six.”

Side note: Back in 1998 I interviewed for a job at CMJ. They never called me back, even though I sent a thank you card.