Someone was just asking me about this, so I’m publishing this amusing exchange I had on the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Newspaper Division list serv about one year ago, when the division was debating changing its name to something a bit more digital friendly,…
Because my Tumblr has mainly focused on music so far, here’s a great video I saw on the Atlantic today. Here’s the accompanying story where the artists describe why they did it. I recognized almost every song. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Sir Elton and Billy Joel were on the list at least twice each.
Sharing this with my online journalism class today. Thanks Rob!
When Vadim Lavrusik left Mashable and joined Facebook, social journalists who know him rejoiced. Suddenly, the biggest social network had a face and a real-life friend for the media. Lavrusik is very responsive to requests, questions and concerns from online journalists, especially in a very…
Straight from Wieden & Kennedy (yes, we know you did Old Spice guys), this is a great use of Twitter in the real world. To take part, users simply tweet the hashtag #humantwitter, then their tweets were shown on TV through people holding up signs.
Apparently it wasn’t done for…
Maybe this is because Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch is less than 30 minutes away in Pomeroy and I’m going through a fingerstyle guitar phase, but the song that leapt out at me this week was a Jefferson Airplane classic “She has funny cars.”
It’s hard to call the song from Surrealistic Pillow a deep cut because it’s on the band’s greatest hits album, but I love it for its jangly guitars, syncopated vocals, and tight harmonies. I love how the chorus and the verses almost sound like different songs but mesh so well.
If all you know of Jefferson Airplane is “Somebody to Love” or, even worse, “We Built this City,” check this out.
I’ve embedded a YouTube video this time just for kicks.
If you haven’t seen this, you must. NOW! It’s on Hulu. This show is high art compared to Jackass, especially when a classy dude who doesn’t mind making fun of himself is center stage. I wonder what how in the heck they convinced QuestLove to do this.
Thanks to 101.3 The Bounce in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the photo.
I didn’t get to cut the grass today. Too many children’s activities. In fact, I’m writing this from the Athens County Library while one son plays 
Pokemon with the Anime Club and the other is putting on a puppet show. The plot has something to do with a boa constrictor trying to eat Zuckerman’s famous pig. I don’t think Charlotte’s Web is going to save him.
An unheralded / underrated album didn’t reach my ears this week, so I’ll dive into the vault I know best. If you ever liked an Elton John song, especially if its one from his recent oeuvre (I’m talking Leather Jackets on, not just Lion King or Aida), you owe it to yourself to grab one of his earlier discs from iTunes. I think more are $9.99 or less.
To start, I recommend Honky Chateau. I know most people will tell you Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and it’s hard to argue against them. It’s a classic. It probably has more hits than any of Elton’s other albums.
But Honky Chateau fits best in this blog post. There’s just one megahit on it (Rocketman) and one that’s well known, but not of of John’s best (Honky Cat). The real gems, however, are the deep cuts. “Slave”, “Salvation”, “Hercules”, and “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself (or the State of Teenage Blues)” show John’s true artistry, and represent some of Bernie Taupin’s best lyrics. I’m not sure where I got it but my version has two versions of Slave. I prefer the fast one.
My all time favorite has to be “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”. It’s not John’s best music. The verses and chorus almost don’t seem to go together. Taupin’s lyrics are deep and a bit incomprehensible. But the whole is greater than sum of the parts.
He even wrote a sequel that appears on Reg Strikes Back, but I don’t remember that one resonating with me as much.
BTW, Eltonography is a fantastic resource for those who want to dive deep in John’s catalog.
EDITOR’S NOTE: ULMF stands for “underrated lawn mowing favorites.” It’s my weird attempt at categorizing these posts.
The best part of mowing just about three acres of lawn on our expansive Southeastern Ohio compound - having two hours to just zone out and listen to my iPod. Usually, I’ll select an entire CD I haven’t heard in a while and just put it on repeat. In the first pass, I’ll usually find a deep cut I really like that I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about. What better way to use my Tumblr than to start a conversation?
Each Saturday for the rest of the summer, I’ll present a little-played track from a well-known album for your consideration. I’m not an uber music geek, so I doubt I’ll find anything no one’s ever heard of before, but I’m hoping it’s fun. If nothing else, this will give me a chance to record the conversations I have with myself.
In my mind, this is an underrated effort, and Sober shows why. You wouldn’t expect a sweet American Idol winner singing about three months of sobriety, but she does with power and conviction. The song itself builds to a satisfying crescendo after starting quietly. Give it a listen, and tell me what you think.
In fact, give the entire CD another try, just skip the last three songs (Yeah, Can I Have a Kiss, and Irvine). The vapid titles of the first two tell you all you need to know. The last one just goes on forever.
I know I’m a bit late to this game, but I just watched Mark Cuban’s comments to CNN about controlling bloggers’ access to the Mavericks locker room. As much as I hate it, I agree with some of what he’s saying. I also hate so-called journalists who report rumors, don’t verify information, and write to the search engines.
What I disagree vehemently with, however, is it seems his definition of credibility seems securely attached with the media organization to which a reporter belongs. I have made it my research goal to come up with a better credibility definition for the Internet age, and thankfully, the organization for which you work is just one, potentially even minor facet.
Connection to the audience is far more important, and as a sports blog fan, I can say bloggers connect much better with their audience than most legacy media journalists. The legacy media sports reporters with the most credibility are usually those who connect with their audiences somehow. One of the better examples I think is John Buccigross, a long-time ESPN anchor who could have rested on that laurel for all the credibility he needed. Instead, he has written a hockey blog for the last five years at least, in which he shares personal reflections, musical suggestions, and even family photos.
That’s something I’ll trust much more than an information dictator like Cuban, and you don’t know how much it pains me to say that. I’ve enjoyed Cuban’s blog for almost as long as I’ve read Buccis.
Here’s the interview if you want to watch it.
Batman and Spiderman!? In the same movie!? Sign me up!
A rather, loose, reinterpretation of the Batman origin, as found in a Chinese dollar store.
