When I started this blog over three years ago, I had no ambition beyond cataloguing my thoughts about music whenever I had any. As far as readership was concerened, I liked the idea of people stumbling across it by accident. I hoped this blog would function as a good piece of graffiti, if it served any function at all.
This blog intentionally waded into the public arena one time, when I posted a link to my thoughts on Allison Weiss in the comments section of a Flagpole article about her new album. That was the last time I did that.
The subject of my identity comes up a lot--in the comments section, the e-mails I receive, real-life conversations that get reported back to me. I've always liked the idea of remaining anonymous. Initially, because I wanted to be free to write what I wanted to without it having a negative impact on the people around me (you see, I play a very minor role in a minor band around town, and I'd hate for them to catch shit simply because I have opinions about music). Futhermore, we are so quick in the culture these days to dismiss opinions we don't like by assigning a motive to the person giving the opinon. The whole, 'Well you're just saying that because you're a liberal/conservative, woman/man, old/young, straight/gay, etc.' school of debate. I didn't want to give people the luxury of rationalizing away my ideas based on my identity.
As more people have discovered this blog, it's become harder and harder for me to remain anonymous. To be honest, I've never gone to great lengths to cover my tracks. That would just be dishonest. And to the four people I know of who were able to 'crack the code,' I am honestly flattered you would take the time to try and figure out who I am. And you're welcome to mention this blog the next time we're having a conversation.
I have no intention of 'outing myself' at the moment. But I wanted to let people know that I'm probably going to posting here even less frequently than before. See, because of this blog, I've been offered a writing/editing position at an infinitely more prestigious website. And my identity at that website is far from anonymous. It also, at the insistence of the editor, links back to this blog. So there you go.
Thanks to everyone for reading, writing, and caring. To any of the artists I've offended along the way, I assure you that no one has ever stopped liking a band beause of something I've written. If I were that powerful, you'd better believe I'd write a lot more often. Irreverence is a good & healthy thing. And remember, always try and take your music more seriously than you take yourself.
Cheers,
The Ghost of The Ghost of Paul Morley
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
A Note to the Readers
I know it's been a long time since I posted, and I appreciate the e-mails, etc. Truth is, there haven't been a lot of music-related thoughts bursting around my brain lately. My silence has NOTHING to do with any negative comments, etc. I appreciate that people have different opinions. It's music, not geometry proofs. And I think I've shown that I'm perfectly happy to have a conversation/debate with someone, both in the comment section as well as through e-mails.
But I have been really busy lately. The band I play in has been recording an album. I have a book (e-book, technically) coming out in the next month or two, so I've been working on that as well as the book that was already in progress. I started playing in a second band. There's been sickness, vacation, holidays, snow. I live in a house that's over a hundred years old. If I had known this was going to be the coldest winter in recorded Athens history, I probably would have found another place to live.
Cold air shoots up from my hardwood floors, making sitting at a desk for long periods of time extremely uncomfortable. If I run the computer, the space heater in the bathroom, and any other appliance at the same time, it blows a fuse more often than not (today it blew because I was running the printer).
Anyway, you get the idea. We're moving in April. Here's some random Athens stuff I've noticed since the last time I wrote...
The cover of the new Modern Skirts album looks like... well, whatever the opposite of phallic might be. Sapphic? Vulvul? Yonic? Vag-tastic? Haven't heard it yet, but I noticed the download code is on the outside of the album. So I guess there's always that option.
Witches have an album out. I've been on the fence about them for a while now, but I'm really looking forward to hearing the album when I get a chance.
Have continued to enjoy seeing the bands I usually enjoy seeing. Haven't been getting out enough to see new stuff though. But I did catch Androcles & the Lion (totally by accident) and I thought they were very very good at what they did. If you're a fan of sincere, heartfelt, guitar-based Wilco pop/rock, you should probably check it out.
Have wondered if Athens Music Junkie has ever considered changing its name to Athens Music Cheerleader. I'm this close to hiding it from my facebook feed. I hate to be a cynic, but anyone who takes the grammy awards seriously (in terms of winning & losing) needs to take a long hard look in the music critic mirror.
Attended a couple of the Hacks shows at Caledonia. When I was 13-14 years old, I remember thinking that blowjobs, or pornography, or rape, or describing something really bad as 'like getting fucked in the ass' were all inherently funny. It's a shame that Caledonia has an age limit, because I'm sure Luke Fields' theory that black women are better at giving head than white women, a theory formed by watching copious amounts of pornography on the internet, would have played a whole lot better to an audience of middle-schoolers. Such is life.
And yes, that was the entirety of his joke. And yes, I'm writing this as someone who thinks that Bill Hicks represents the pinnacle of all stand-up comedy.
So in the spirit of Athens comedy, here's some music-related jokes for you. They're a little on the cruel side, but think of it as a Comedy Central roast-type thing.
What's the difference between Grape Soda and Orange Crush?
Orange Crush has a distributor.
How many managers does it take to get Modern Skirts a record deal?
More than one, apparently.
What did Jeff Tobias say when he went to the U2 concert?
Hey guys, is it cool if I sit in for a bit?
What's the difference between Grape Soda and the White Stripes?
Jack White didn't actually have sex with his sister.
How can you tell when a member of R.E.M. has been at your house?
Athens Music Junkie posts a blog about it.
What's the difference between Dead Confederate and Silverchair?
Fucked if I know.
What's the only thing worse than a copy of the new Whigs album?
Two copies of the new Whigs album.
Why is the cheapest ticket $90 to see Kenny Rogers at the Classic Center?
All that plastic surgery doesn't pay for itself.
Why is the cheapest ticket $65 to see the B-52's at the Classic Center?
Pretty sure we just covered that.
Take care, everyone.
But I have been really busy lately. The band I play in has been recording an album. I have a book (e-book, technically) coming out in the next month or two, so I've been working on that as well as the book that was already in progress. I started playing in a second band. There's been sickness, vacation, holidays, snow. I live in a house that's over a hundred years old. If I had known this was going to be the coldest winter in recorded Athens history, I probably would have found another place to live.
Cold air shoots up from my hardwood floors, making sitting at a desk for long periods of time extremely uncomfortable. If I run the computer, the space heater in the bathroom, and any other appliance at the same time, it blows a fuse more often than not (today it blew because I was running the printer).
Anyway, you get the idea. We're moving in April. Here's some random Athens stuff I've noticed since the last time I wrote...
The cover of the new Modern Skirts album looks like... well, whatever the opposite of phallic might be. Sapphic? Vulvul? Yonic? Vag-tastic? Haven't heard it yet, but I noticed the download code is on the outside of the album. So I guess there's always that option.
Witches have an album out. I've been on the fence about them for a while now, but I'm really looking forward to hearing the album when I get a chance.
Have continued to enjoy seeing the bands I usually enjoy seeing. Haven't been getting out enough to see new stuff though. But I did catch Androcles & the Lion (totally by accident) and I thought they were very very good at what they did. If you're a fan of sincere, heartfelt, guitar-based Wilco pop/rock, you should probably check it out.
Have wondered if Athens Music Junkie has ever considered changing its name to Athens Music Cheerleader. I'm this close to hiding it from my facebook feed. I hate to be a cynic, but anyone who takes the grammy awards seriously (in terms of winning & losing) needs to take a long hard look in the music critic mirror.
Attended a couple of the Hacks shows at Caledonia. When I was 13-14 years old, I remember thinking that blowjobs, or pornography, or rape, or describing something really bad as 'like getting fucked in the ass' were all inherently funny. It's a shame that Caledonia has an age limit, because I'm sure Luke Fields' theory that black women are better at giving head than white women, a theory formed by watching copious amounts of pornography on the internet, would have played a whole lot better to an audience of middle-schoolers. Such is life.
And yes, that was the entirety of his joke. And yes, I'm writing this as someone who thinks that Bill Hicks represents the pinnacle of all stand-up comedy.
So in the spirit of Athens comedy, here's some music-related jokes for you. They're a little on the cruel side, but think of it as a Comedy Central roast-type thing.
What's the difference between Grape Soda and Orange Crush?
Orange Crush has a distributor.
How many managers does it take to get Modern Skirts a record deal?
More than one, apparently.
What did Jeff Tobias say when he went to the U2 concert?
Hey guys, is it cool if I sit in for a bit?
What's the difference between Grape Soda and the White Stripes?
Jack White didn't actually have sex with his sister.
How can you tell when a member of R.E.M. has been at your house?
Athens Music Junkie posts a blog about it.
What's the difference between Dead Confederate and Silverchair?
Fucked if I know.
What's the only thing worse than a copy of the new Whigs album?
Two copies of the new Whigs album.
Why is the cheapest ticket $90 to see Kenny Rogers at the Classic Center?
All that plastic surgery doesn't pay for itself.
Why is the cheapest ticket $65 to see the B-52's at the Classic Center?
Pretty sure we just covered that.
Take care, everyone.
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