scenester tracking

Tracking the cultural affections of scenesters has been an interest of mine for as long as I can remember. Boyhood trips to the nearby record shop were driven observational interests. Sure I'd buy stuff, but what I really wanted was to figure out what people were into. This was much easier in the early 80's. The record shop guys didn't change the decorations or the sounds very often. The radio station didn't add new artists. The initial shock and awe that was my first 8 hours in front of MTV, though traumatic, had a strengthening effect. My first post-MTV trip to the record store would be a revelatory experience. The record clerks that I had held in high esteem, lording over the marantz and perched on their raised checkout counter, were totally confounded by my new requests. On its face it seemed like disinterest or condescension, but looking back I think they knew they were vulnerable. "Who the fuck is U2? What's it called, Boy? We don't sell shit like that. REO Speedwagon"Good Trouble" - that's a killer release. Cultural trends and tastes move with unimaginable velocity today. "Fifteen minutes" may have seemed fleeting in 1968, but those numbers practically constitute a movement when you consider the cultural attention span and high-speed acquisition of knowledge of today.
"I'm losing my edge to the Internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group.." james murphy

millers

she's a friend that i haven't seen since high-school, and we're getting reacquainted tonight. i've made myself scarce in this relationship for a long time. i was a a two-faced teenager. too self-conscious to be seen with her in the halls. a sophisticate can't stoop that low. i might even slander her when i had the chance. she's was an easy target after all. i knew her well enough to score points with a joke or two at her expense when in the proper company. you get the picture. social climbing can make the best of us act with treachery.

i was way off (again). my weakness has robbed me of the enjoyment that comes from an easy and affordable friendship. i didn't call upon this old friend, or so much as look her way, for at least a decade, and yet tonight we're hanging together by the moonlight and it's just lovely stuff. my old man had many capabilities. one thing he could do beyond anyone that i've known was enjoy beer. he possessed enlightened taste. a chemist always considers the recipe. that he could toggle betweeen imports and lo-fi domestics troubled me for many years. didn't he know? couldn't he discern the differences? what kind of man was he? well this evening i understand the man a little better. thanks to my time with this old friend.

*millers - a friend from high school used to say, "let's get millers". this would drive me crazy. why did he use plural? it's miller beer not millers beer. it's 2am in ohio tonight and my cooler is empty. sorry i judged you Dave.

nostalgia - web2.0 style

imagine trying to describe this to yourself 15-20 years ago. the modern day record swap.
http://www.strangereaction.com/

exhibit a: why this genre has so much promise

The Shining vs. the original

taking a cue from my bro matt

i've done this many times over the years and i'm happy to admit it. glad to know ya fella!
this is a place for me to post my shit so i can look back at my dumbass someday and laugh, or wince, with the rest of you.