Just added my Clipse CMJ cover story interview to my clips(e) page! At the time I found the whole set up of the interview — one listen to the album, in a studio, at a session for just Pusha T, Malice, and me.
clipse for cmj
Just added my Clipse CMJ cover story interview to my clips(e) page! At the time I found the whole set up of the interview — one listen to the album, in a studio, at a session for just Pusha T, Malice, and me.
Pope Francis, some jokes, and a YT of him slapping away delusional touchy fan
If you love Catholic core and ritual and opulence and online gambling and 🙏 GOD 🙏, this is your Shark Week
Between Conclave, The Two Popes, The Young Pope, and the 2022 wave of far-left and far-right edgelords roleplaying TradCath, the 2024 and current TikTok Catholic Core aesthetic trend seems, er, trendy, but maybe already peaked last year. Or 2018. Still, if you love Catholic imagery and ritual and opulence, this is your Shark Week.
I (for some reason) looked for Pope Francis Tik Toks but mostly found those looks, from fine lace head coverings and all-white cotton cottagecore purity, gothic Catholic witchcore spilling into The Craft / Cruel Intentions dark academia, and Y2K sacrosancta with dark lip liner, Mary cameo rings, thrifted crucifixes above the bed, even some Madonna-ish 80s soft-focus fallen angel vibes wearing layered rosaries, massive bows in messy curls, low-cut communion-eque dresses and captions like "feeling like a virgin rn, might convert." I found a TikTok of all the holy water one Catholic Core influencer keeps at home. I don't have any Holy Water at home. This is how social media sells the want, not the product.
Then I got to the young hot Catholic priest fan edits set to hardstyle techno. First one ended with a illustration of Christ Jesus with a Biblically accurate sharp jawline. That's weird, right? What's the end goal here?
But let's think this through? Did you know priests are sometimes fully ordained at 24? Or that men don't have to be a Cardinals or even priests at all to be elected... just any baptized Catholic male with massive charm and self-belief.* And humility, too (got ya).
I probably have something a sliver less trivial and wordy to say about post-covid loneliness, the desire for ritual, community, tradition, parasocialism and donating for attention, horseshoe theory, or the sheer volume of Catholic architecture, art, fashion and relics to discover, if you just like aesthetics.
A Gen Z person already wrote the piece on Pope Francis' death, and his return to Catholic faith inspired by Pope Francis. This was for Esquire! Gen Z may actually, really, be joining the Catholic church. We'll see (the data is unclear). He also argues for all of us, lapsed, faithful, indifferent Catholics, atheists, aesthetes or ascetes (in this economy) to all avoid the discourse this week, the meaning jokes and politics and, I'm sure, the online betting pools on Stake.**
All of the above aside, I did feel a shift, a sadness and appreciation for a man who could have locked himself away but dedicated himself to the poor, migrants, refugees, climate change, social justice. He met with Trump and criticized him right on Twitter (thats why Trump wrote such a weak tribute – so jealous.) Francis apologized to victims of church abuse and then the church's silence, he met with displaced indigenous people to ask for their forgiveness. He held an audience with Jimmy Fallon and laughed at his non-jokes, maybe as some kind of goofy self flagellation?
So yeah.. loss, sadness, worry. A woman interviewed early this morning outside St. Peter's (on CNN maybe) said "He left us..." or maybe, "He abandoned us..." but that's judgy wasn't like he wanted to. As I said on LinkedIn, the death of the Pope makes every once Catholic feel off... genuinely, hurt, surprised, a bit lost, fatherless?
We got lucky – the last one was awful AND a quitter. This one clearly should've been rested on Easter but still greeted visitors and blessed crowds, drove around the plaza in that car, met with JD Vance, which he should've gotten out of last minute. Pope Francis seemed so very human, esp for the vessel of God's message on earth. He had Pope jokes and a fav football team and hard liquor. Did you see his line of merch for his US tour? Kpop stans said it was better than favs and he gave away photocards, for free!
I followed him on Twitter, which is corny but sometimes you need some hope and encouragement between all the racial slurs and Elon posts. I don't know if we'll get another Pope like him, that's where the worry comes from... can we get another one that you could just like, be a sometime fan of, sometimes, casually, without following or believing he's a messenger of God's own tweets.
One hilarious and bizarre part of Catholicism is that the priests you like, or at least don't find scary, are nice old guys with kind eyes. trapped underneath highly covetable, frightening, stuffy, very on trend layers of opulent Catholic core. The church is comfortingly, reliably, anachronistically what it will always be. But I hope we get another Pope like the last one.
I have no idea why this brought me back to a blog I haven't updated in almost a decade. But maybe I'll do more? My last post was on Battlestar Galactica what am I? Please let me know if this is interesting as a read or if you made it this far!
Also here's the Pope handling a delulu fan like a absolute icon. I might make a YT short with it later. Is there anything more relatable than telling someone to back the fuck up?
*I would return to the church if they elected a 24 year old from like, Connecticut, to be the infallible word of God on earth. Very unlikely, but it's a "screw it, we go full send" time for elected leaders. If the kid's old enough to run the federal government into the ground, he's old enough to guide 1.5 billion (not literal esp compared to him) children.
Also, could I even have unwavering belief in a 24 year old Florida Pope with official decrees and hot takes on Twitter, but all from God? What if he also just returned to the church because he's Gen Z and liked Pope Francis and wants IRL community and organizations to volunteer with? I don't think I could get with a just converted pope with less experience than I, and I speak for all Catholics over 24 I bet.
I'm biased and still stuck on this debate... but Papacy is the perfect millennial career pivot. Jesus didn't start his ministry until age 30, the Prophet Muhammad was just over 40 when he received his first revelation from God. Young and passionate, and worked a real job first. And didn't live with their parents, I think. Our Pope should follow in their footsteps if he wants to speak for God.
** (Heretics should also stop talking shit about Catholics this week, for once. You are unhinged in your replies to that Mark Wahlberg prayer app ad. Literally – first reply was whining about how Catholics won't shut up about being Catholic. It's Mark Wahlberg pitching prayer, with some ranks or gamification, we know we need to work on ourselves. But remove the stake from your eye, so mad for what?)
I've been watching a lot of Battlestar Galactica. And soon...
I'v been watching a lot of Battlestar Galactica. And soon after I started watching I started thinking I really like the dude who plays Felix Gaeta. Then I started thinking. It would be awesome to meet him. Later: “I bet I could meet him at like, some
I'v been watching a lot of Battlestar Galactica. And soon after I started watching I started thinking I really like the dude who plays Felix Gaeta. Then I started thinking. It would be awesome to meet him. Later: “I bet I could meet him at like, some sort of event. Next thing I know I'm looking up sci-fi conventions featuring Galactica panels and photo sessions. So that's how it starts, I guess, and it ends with me posing with a pissed off Alessandro Juliani in front of a speckled blue backdrop.
Selected Entries From My Pitchfork Half-Decade Ballot
Albums 5. Wild Beasts: Present Tense 6. EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints 8. WU LYF: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain 12. Ciara: Ciara 16. Swans: The Seer 19. Sharon Van Etten: Tramp 25. Pusha T: My Name Is My Name 26. Marnie Stern: Marnie Stern 33. Childish Gambino: Camp
Albums
5. Wild Beasts: Present Tense
6. EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints
8. WU LYF: Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
12. Ciara: Ciara
16. Swans: The Seer
19. Sharon Van Etten: Tramp
25. Pusha T: My Name Is My Name
26. Marnie Stern: Marnie Stern
33. Childish Gambino: Camp
37. Maria Minerva: Will Happiness Find Me?
43. Schoolboy Q: Habits & Contradictions
Tracks
1. Beyoncé: “Halo”
17. Beyoncé: “Countdown”
32. Beyoncé: “Drunk in Love”
38. Beyoncé: “Blow”
43. Man Man: “Head On”
I wrote about “Ride” and “212” for Pitchfork’s tracks list.
New pieces: rollingstone.com and Pitchfork
I’m writing again! I had a bit of a break because I was employed by publications that didn’t want me doing music writing for other places, which was a bummer. But that’s a common part of full-time staff life. Anyway, I wrote my first little bits for
I’m writing again! I had a bit of a break because I was employed by publications that didn’t want me doing music writing for other places, which was a bummer. But that’s a common part of full-time staff life. Anyway, I wrote my first little bits for rollingstone.com and a new review for Pitchfork — my first review for them in four years. Links over on my clips page.
Maybe I Should Just Put This Post in My Signature Line
I’m steadily getting my Gmail and work email count back down to zero with the help of The Email Game, Saneinbox, and some increasingly intense conditional filters. As I’ve gotten close to zero, I’ve realized a few things that I didn’t realize before I began working
I’m steadily getting my Gmail and work email count back down to zero with the help of The Email Game, Saneinbox, and some increasingly intense conditional filters. As I’ve gotten close to zero, I’ve realized a few things that I didn’t realize before I began working with so many freelance writers and photographers, co-workers, and publicists:
— Every email you answer generates another 1-3 emails: More questions, more thoughts, more “thank you!”s and “got it!”s. I’m guilty of this too, but I blame others for this — everyone else sends “thank you!” emails to finish off a thread, so then I feel like I have to send these emails too. It’s pointless.
— Sometimes, even most of the time, a writer or photographer answers their own question if you give them an hour or two.
— People you don’t want emailing you are only encouraged to email you more when you send them an email telling them you aren’t interested in whatever thing they’re offering you.
And these are all problems, because email makes my day look like this (screenshot from RescueTime):
So, what’s the solution?
Speaking of sexism and writing about music
Speaking of sexism and writing about music. Here about is a comment, probably my favorite of all time, from Gorilla Vs. Bear. When I worked at Pitchfork I saw comments on his posts all the time from anonymous readers saying I had ripped off his posts, when everyone gets the
Speaking of sexism and writing about music. Here about is a comment, probably my favorite of all time, from Gorilla Vs. Bear. When I worked at Pitchfork I saw comments on his posts all the time from anonymous readers saying I had ripped off his posts, when everyone gets the same press releases, and if a post was reblogging someone else’s MP3 find or whatever, we would link back to that post. It was the early days of Pitchfork’s MP3 blog trial, it was a work in progress, but I always tried to attribute work.
I saw lots of comments like this one on Gorilla Vs. Bear before I started full-time at Pitchfork and long after I left, but I never quite saw any like this, comments that accused the writer of having gotten their job by sleeping with the boss during their internship.
I had never interned for Pitchfork. I wrote a trial news post for them when they still had open calls on their site, because I was desperate to get out of Arizona and write about music. They hired me to write news (for free!) while I still lived there, and so I would go out to my car during my lunch breaks from my job and do interviews in my car. The air conditioning would be too loud while I was trying to interview musicians, so I would turn it off and just ask questions. By the time Pitchfork had hired me full time, I had worked at CMJ as a news editor, I had written pieces for Pitchfork, Nylon, the Village Voice, Paste and Blender. I was (and still am) inexperienced, but I was proud of my work because 90% came from cold pitching — sending clips to editors I had never met or talked to and hoping they would hire me only because they liked my writing. And I did get asked to write for places. So when I started seeing comments like this, it really hurt to have all my work reduced to “you slept with your boss.” I had written about music since I did zines in middle school, I had been on the school newspaper staff since I was in forth grade, I had done interviews in 100+ degree cars, had moved to New York with a suitcase and worked full-time at a music publication for less than $19,000 a year; I had, during that year in NYC, spent my lunch hours laying out clips and mailing them in manila envelopes to editors in the city, and written and interviewed people all hours of the day and night because I didn’t have money to go out or own TV anyway. But whatever, I was just some girl who slept with her boss.
By the way, if you can find me one angry post about a male Pitchfork reviewer that implies that they slept with their boss to get their job, I would LOVE to see it. I mean, you could send me 100 angry take-downs of Pitchfork writers, but I doubt any of them take that route.
I’ve got a lot more examples, so maybe I’ll dig them up and share them. But I’ll end this with a comment on an ABC Amplified interview I did with Donald Glover.
He did not! The human race is over.
[via Tumblr]
TheInterviewr - A Web App for Recording Interviews
Now that I’m a full-time editor again I haven’t interviewed anyone in about a year, so I haven’t kept up with new apps and tools for interviewing and transcribing. Actually, that first part isn’t 100% true. I just interviewed my friends Chris and Courtney about their
Now that I’m a full-time editor again I haven’t interviewed anyone in about a year, so I haven’t kept up with new apps and tools for interviewing and transcribing. Actually, that first part isn’t 100% true. I just interviewed my friends Chris and Courtney about their upcoming wedding. For that in-person interview I used Dictamus on my iPhone, which automatically sends the file to Dropbox. Once it’s in Dropbox, Wappwolf automatically converts it to MP3. It’s awesome!
I also just recommended theinterviewr.com to someone because of its clean interface. It’s a website that lets you schedule interviews, place calls, and store your audio. According to a recent blog post, they’re going to add low-cost transcription services, too. (EDIT: Looks like they added it, it starts at $1/minute for a 10-day turnaround, which is average for online transcription, but you can definitely find someone on craigslist for cheaper). That could potentially make it an all-in-one solution to interviewing and transcribing.
Since I haven’t been doing many phone interviews, I haven’t used the site, but I tried scheduling a call in advance to test it out anyway. You just fill out a screen on the site that asks for the interview day and time, and your number and the number of your interview subject. I don’t think the program automatically called me, like I expected it to. Or, if it did, maybe I didn’t pick up. I do that — or don’t do that — a lot. Later that night I tried simply adding in the info and placing the call, which worked perfectly. The call quality both on the call and on the recording was clear, not amazing, but definitely better than Skype. There was little delay. And when I ended my call the audio was there, ready to download or play in the browser immediately.
The interface is simple: a calendar for scheduling, a simple address book for keeping call contacts, and, on the interview screen, a place to keep notes both before and during the call. The log is actually really clean and nice:
There are just two major problems.
— No volume meter. I talked about why I need a volume meter before. Basically, when you aren’t using a physical tape recorder, when you can’t see the button pressed and the tape spinning, that digital meter becomes the most comforting thing in the world. You want visual confirmation that your recorder is, in fact, recording.
— No way to record without placing the call yourself. Most writers and journalists place their own calls, of course, so this isn’t an issue. But many entertainment journalists have to rely on publicists connecting the calls, so they usually call you. This won’t work for those calls.
And there’s one minor problem: cost. TheInterviewr charges .20 cents per interview, .10 per interview if you buy a $12 one-year membership. They start you off with a $5 credit, though, so it’s easy enough to try.
One possible worth-it situation is if you are interviewing someone overseas. Though I haven’t tried it, you could, hypothetically, get a cheaper call by routing it through TheInterviewr’s service, so their US-based number calls you, while they connect you to the overseas number. Again, haven’t tried it, but it could work. According to their FAQ, international numbers are fine, and their calls come from a 206 number.
Update: The Interviewr’s Roger sent me a few clarifications. Here’s his email:
I happened across the post you made on the site, and just thought I’d point out a couple things..
1) cost.. The price is per call, which when you look at most phone system, those are per-minute usually. And our per-call price is the same international. Obviously, we can’t operate a call system like this for free, so we have to charge somewhere. What we do charge is actually well-below industry standard though, where some places would charge 12-20 dollars a month, not 12 a year. And the feedback has been positive from our other users.
2) If you are a subscriber, then you can actually have calls come from any number you want it.
3) We are releasing a browser phone shortly, but will give you volume control via your computer, but not getting into too many details til it’s available. :)
4) Transcriptions, yes, they may be cheaper on Craigslist, but we actually have a team of professionally trained transcriptionists working with us, and our main transcriptionist actually teaches at a transcription school locally. As for the prices, they are actually based on industry standard, and has actually been well received as well as we have already done over two dozen transcriptions since it launched.. FYI, it actually launched a couple weeks early for our 12 dollar a year subscribers, as they also get access to features early.
We’re actually not that new-ish, we’ve been in business for over a year, and have dozens of interviews being conducted every day, sometimes more.
Other factors with us, is we provide top-notch support and answer most tickets within minutes usually to help resolve any issues.
Anyhow, this ended up being longer than planned, I just wanted to point out a few things :)
Drafts is Quicksilver for Your iPhone or iPad
I am still devoted to Quicksilver, even though other, friendlier launchers like Alfred, have overtaken it in the Mac app launcher field. I spend a lot of the time I save using Quicksilver wishing that other applications were as elegant and simple as Quicksilver. Drafts is a newish iPhone app,
I am still devoted to Quicksilver, even though other, friendlier launchers like Alfred, have overtaken it in the Mac app launcher field. I spend a lot of the time I save using Quicksilver wishing that other applications were as elegant and simple as Quicksilver.
Drafts is a newish iPhone app, and it’s the closest thing I’ve found to Quicksilver for Mac, but for your iPad/iPhone. You launch Drafts and it presents you with a clean screen. Type some text, then decide where you want to send it: To a new text message, to a new email ready to be addressed and sent, to Twitter or Facebook to post, to Evernote, to your calendar to create an event, to Omnifocus to create a new task, or to your Dropbox as an appended line to your “Ideas” file. You do have an Ideas File, right? I do, right next my Enemies List in Evernote. Here’s a fuller list of the services you can send text to:
Drafts is especially awesome if you also have Activator (available for jailbroken iPhones), an app that lets you assign all kinds of button combos and gestures to system preferences or app actions. That way you can also set up a single button, shake, or swipe trigger to launch Drafts. Did I mention it also lets you use Markdown?
Edit: Now it looks like Drafts will have email templates to send to ifttt, another favorite of mine.
It seems silly to get excited about a blank screen, but these clean, simple apps are exactly what I get excited about on the iPhone. They get out of your way. Realizing that is what made me realize that Quicksilver was its closest cousin.
Solange, "Losing You"
I’ve been listening to this song and watching the video over and over again to try to figure out what I like about it. Because what I don’t like about it is easy to figure out, one listen in. There’s no chorus to this song. I mean,
I’ve been listening to this song and watching the video over and over again to try to figure out what I like about it. Because what I don’t like about it is easy to figure out, one listen in. There’s no chorus to this song. I mean, there is a “chorus,” but really there’s more the anticipation of a real chorus, and it’s frustrating when you get halfway through and realize that it will never get to the big burst you’ve been waiting for.
But I still like it. The little cry and drum pattern open this song up so well (and set you up for disappointment, too, I guess). Solange Knowles has this sweetness other singers don’t have. Lots of them play coy, pretend they want you to like them. But for whatever reason (probably a lifetime of validation, I’m guessing), they assume you like them. But this video makes me think Solange is making a genuine play to get your approval, that she wants to charm you.
I think that’s where my like actually comes from. I’ve seen other people describe this song’s great “vibe.” The thing is, this song is all “vibe” — all charm and fun and hanging out and awkward dancing and awkward phrasing (“I’m not the one that you should be making your enemy” begs for a red pen) and Instagram washes. All of this is begging, sweetly begging, for one moment of melody and confidence, but it just doesn’t get there. So it relies entirely on moods, feelings, vibes, adjectives. I’ll give it another one: promising.