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My Backlash against Backlash

Enough already. Please. I’m tired of all the Backlash. Remember when fads just faded into oblivion and two years later someone would unearth something and say, “hey remember how dumb this was?” Let’s go back to that.

Lately I’ve been seeing so many articles online about the Backlash against… Today it was Ken Levine’s backlash against famous rich people using Kickstarter. While I agree, it’s kind of a cheap move, it’s going to fade away. Do we really need to rally the troops and a sufficient amount of outrage to drum up a backlash against it?

I feel like too many bad ideas, shitty trends, fads, etc. aren’t allowed to vanish like they once were. This new desire to stage a protest, to drum up an emotional response does nothing but allow them to continue to be seen. It’s like trying to kill weeds by watering them.

I suggest that we should save our ire for things that really matter like Syria. For the latest trend in bad parenting that appeared on Good Morning America, ignore it. It’s worth no more than a snide, mocking bit of snark. Don’t get outraged, turn into a sarcastic asshole and mock it away.

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Daredevil Done Right

When one thinks of superhero movies, the first thought should be how movie studios constantly screw them up. They go for star power, they change plot details and origins, they meddle instead of staying true to the source material that proved so popular in the first place. One of the worst made movies based on a comic book was Daredevil. It fell so flat and lacked so much that it’s become one of the prime examples of how bad an adaptation can be (along with the later Batman movies directed by Joel Schumacher).

Apparently writer/director Joe Carnahan has been trying to get the Fox studios to make an adaptation of Daredevil that is gritty and full of 1970s crime-ridden New York City. He put together this absolutely beautiful sizzle reel that could have been.

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The Creative Process

This is a great short talk by Kathleen Edwards on her creative process and the places where her songs come from. It’s really honest and open. For me it serves as a good reminder that an artist who doesn’t put something at stake in their creation isn’t going to ultimately be successful.

I’ve been lucky enough to see her play twice in small venues and her shows are powerful because she’s really sharing a bit of herself. This is totally worth 10 minutes.

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The Umbrella Man

I love this quick video from the New York Times. It reminds us how stupid and random things can be. Louie Steven Witt, the Umbrella Man himself said while testifying to Congress: “I think if the Guinness Book of World Records had a category for people who were at the wrong place at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing, I would be No. 1 in that position, without even a close runner-up.”

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Leaving Posterous

This blog is moving, not out of choice but out of necessity. Posterous, the service I was using was acquired by Twitter and is shutting down. A lot of people would say that we shouldn’t be surprised. Posterous was a free service after all, what do they owe the user? I’d like to make an argument that they owe their users quite a lot.

When I started using Posterous it was a relatively new unknown entity. I liked the ease of posting via e-mail and the clean layouts. It made blogging really easy. Over time the blog I set up there (this one) became my primary blog. I’m sure there were (many) other users just like me. So, in essence, the users built the service and made it attractive to Twitter. The content these users generated made Twitter WANT to buy Posterous. Users created the value.

So they sell to Twitter and the new owners decide to change direction. I can even understand that. I may not like it, but good for them, they made a little coin and are moving on to their next project. The problem I have is that they didn’t take the time to contact us and let us know what was happening, how we could pull our content out. Nothing. They posted a tweet that is easily missed and essentially told us that we’re on our own.

This is why consumers get upset by brands, even the ones they use for free. We’re taken for granted. Never thanked for our business or loyalty. A little bit of customer service in the guise of a mass e-mail with the news and some tips for next steps would have been better than the nothing we got.

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Recent Listening: Nashville Skyline

It’s amazing the amount of happiness and joy that jumps off Bob Dylan’s record Nashville Skyline. So the songs aren’t all about happy topics, but the musicians love playing them anyway. Apparently Dylan and his studio band (which included Charlie Daniels) would just start playing and follow each other. Not too much in the way of rehearsal or preparation. It all makes for great music, even if it is different than almost everything else Dylan does. Hell, even Johnny Cash makes an appearance. So does Kris Kristofferson who was working at Columbia Recording as a janitor. He helped the drummer hold the bongos and cowbells that are the lead drum track on Lay Lady Lay. 

Lay Lady Lay is the biggest hit, the song most people would know. I think I Threw it All Away might be my favorite from the record. On vinyl it sounds so much more alive than on CD or MP3. I know that’s common to a lot of acoustic albums, but it seems even more true here.

While all you see is Dylan mugging it up for the camera on the front cover, on the back is a picture of the Nashville skyline and a poem by Johnny Cash. You won’t get that on MP3.

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