MattZ

Certainly there is a difference between using music/art to torture someone else and what you've suggested, which is activities you've engaged in while listening to the music.

Yes, but is your problem that the govt isn't paying licensing fees? Or that the govt is doing it in the first place? I assume it's the latter, not the former. And if it's the latter, I am pointing out that you are starting down a slippery slope.

Yeah i dont hold it against the band, but stuff like this made it impossible for me to love them after Big cypress. I dont mind the behind the stage tix as a concept -- sometimes you just want to be in the building. There was a time in my life when I would've (eg, 12/29/07). Not anymore though. And I can't believe that I sacrificed at the outset by only trying to get 1 ticket, figuring I'd go by myself and snag a random single somewhere. A single behind the stage is all that they had? Mind blowing.

Logged on and refreshed right at 11am for MSG. Selected 1 ticket since I figured that was my best shot. I get through. Wait time is 3 mins. And then it continues to update so that wait time is now 4 mins, 5 mins, 7 mins, 9 mins. Then back down. And I get through. My single ticket is behind the stage. The only single ticket in the entire joint is, apparently, behind the stage. I gave up the ticket. Closed the window. And remembered why this band was so tough to love towards the end, last go-round. It's not their fault, I know. Just my rant for the day. Thanks for listening.

Any album that I love is an essential vinyl purchase. It's as simple as that. If the album is essential, the vinyl is essential.

Gotcha. So you are analogizing it to a restaurant playing music while its patrons eat? And restaurants have to pay royalties to play the music? I hadn't thought of it that way. It's an interesting way of framing the issue, but I don't know if it really holds up in this context. Either way, if this is a FOIA request, it's just a request for information. Will be interesting to see what, if anything, the artists do after this. What about a strip club? You start down a slippery slope when you start to question who/when/how the music gets played.

I didnt look into this at all, but based on a quick glance at what you posted, it looks like a FOIA request. All that means is that they are looking to have information disclosed publicly. That's it. This is about exposing information that is otherwise not being disclosed. There is no way that I can possibly imagine the musicians making any worthwhile argument, legal or otherwise, that would actually dictate how their music is played, when it is played, or how loudly it is played. Fair use is a concept used to defend against copyright infringement. If this music was purchased legally, I

didnt they tease thriller back when they did Quadrophenia? If I remember right, the rumor leading up to that show was that they were going to do Thriller. I think they teased it for a few seconds before I Am The Sea as a fakeout.

Little Room - White Stripes?

Not the Terry Gross interviews Jeff Tweedy thread I was expecting, but I can dig. I like Wilco too.

Back when I was 8, I remember my best friend asking me if I would rather eat shit or drink piss. You know, if I had no choice, and had to pick one. And 25 years later, if the Angels don't pull this out somehow, my life has come full circle.

looking forward to seeing them tomorrow night in nyc. I've never heard of this guy. Listening now. Thanks cryptique. NP: Bleecker and MacDougal.

Fuck the Yankees.

haha yeah I know. I was kidding (mostly). I just had a particularly weird moment this weekend. We were playing with a puzzle in his room and I had Freewheelin' playing on the small boombox in his room, and I was thinking, this is the first time you are listening to Masters of War. I am sure he was thinking that his diaper was dirty or something.

My son is 14 months old. I get to turn him on to EVERYTHING. Fuck yeah.

califone is on Soundcheck at wnyc.org today: http://www.wnyc.org/shows/soundcheck/episodes/2009/10/19/segments/142804

Happy birthday Froggie!

Happy birthday Wendy!

Someone help me figure out if the fact that I totally dig this new album is evidence (proof?) that I am a completely and hopelessly brainwashed Dylan fanboy apologist?

Well, the songs that I've heard aren't as good, the vocals aren't as good, the harmonies aren't as good, and the musicianship isn't as good. But they've tapped into something that gets me in my gut. And it feels a bit like a fraud. But I also can't deny that they've hit a sweet spot that I've got somewhere in me. It's totally bizarre. In a weird way, it reminds me of how a movie can manipulate your emotions by adding a song you love to a poignant scene and then you can't tell if it's your love of the song, or the scene that is so poignant. It's cheating. It's not right.

These guys have brass balls. Unbelievable.

I just discovered this band, and I have to say that it's kind of freaking me out. I can almost picture these guys in a pink house. In a way, I love it, and in a way, it disgusts me. I mean, this is just an unabashed ripoff!! And it's not bad! They got the right vibe, that's for sure.

It didn't.

Well, to be fair, I was referring to conversations about the album with people who had heard it. Maybe it hadn't sunk in yet. Not looking to start a fight. I just found it odd that general consensus seemed to go from "on the fence" to "hyperbole" so quickly. Could be, as you said, that as more people listened to it (when it got released), the cheers drowned out the mehs.

I am being honest when I say that I am not directing this at anyone here, but I have certainly noticed that the chorus of praise for this album has gotten much louder and much more hyperbolic since Pitchfork's 9.0.