Pitiless Television

Interesting article on Bravo TV acquiring Television Without Pity.

The whole bit about "oh, the moderators only clamp down on off-topic posts and bad grammar" is perhaps a bit naive. Perhaps really naive. In my personal experience, the mods are human, under a lot of pressure, and aren't immune to personal likes and dislikes. Some people get cut a lot of slack, some don't.

And as for the S/M dynamic, being an adult and relatively sure of myself, I found that less than "charming". I also resent really nice, smart people being portrayed as whiners in this article because they started alternate sites. I've met some amazing people there who I still keep in touch with, and I enjoy posting occasionally, but it hasn't been the TWoP I practically lived on for a couple of years in, well, at least a couple of years.

But for setting the standard for a high-volume, original site with a really creative identity, they have been unsurpassed. There's a reason they are so popular. And why I still check in about once a week.

Cleaning out the Cobwebs

Sometimes you need to clear your head of the avant woodwind abstractions, the laments of the wanna-be Viking , Ibiza dance anthems and, yes, even the Scorpions.

Lately I've been drawn to music that's cleaner and more minimal, like modern furniture for the mind - all the electronica stuff I intellectually appreciated when my buddy Jason from Detroit would tape it for me in the mid-90s, but now I'm starting to really dig.

I'd been listening to this one Techno/house station on Pandora.com, and this instrumental disc had been showing up in heavy rotation. I loved it because it was clean, simple, and often very witty and melodic. So, I bit the bullet and bought it.





Kind of like Pell Mell but more minimal and no guitars. That gently twisted feel...

New Career Path

All I need is the right five-note synth riff, a one-word name, ProTools to boost my lack of talent, empowering lyrics that sound like they're penned by a 15 year old girl, and Ibiza will be mine! And then the dancefloors of the world. And maybe DJ AM level fame? DJ PMS. I like the sound of that. As long as I can avoid gastric bypass surgery and keep the skanky starlets at bay, it'll be all good as the kids say.

Can you tell I've been listening to the Hi-NRG station a lot on Pandora.com lately? I've also been trying to fine-tune my Scorpions-based radio station, but it keeps trying to sneak in these dumbass emo bands with really long names and even longer song titles.

Speaking of internet radios, give WFMU some of your moneys - they're fundraising. Fortunately, apart from Todd-o-Phonic Todd (love the music he plays, can't take the yelling!), their pitches are reasonably low-key, and they are pulling great stuff out of the vaults. They have drawings for great on-air premiums too (boo, I mailed mine in).