JK Rowling’s books exist largely because she’s a politically fashionable book-industry construct. If Interpol gets people to buy Joy Division records does that make them a good band? Why not just get a huge media blitz behind Joy Division themselves? And people are presuming a lot of high / low art ...

i have had to reread large portions of many of my favorite books to understand them fully am i retarded? or just inattentive? No, the author should have been clearer. But it's the next paragraph that deals with the problem with Harry Potter. And it's exactly kids who shouldn't be reading this. What...

I once read a perfect description of Harry Potter: "They are incredibly sloppily written - the literary form of background noise, not intended to be read for sense, but to facilitate the eye moving across the page as easily as possible. To clarify, it is quite correct that writers should never write...

can you change all instances of 'shellac' to 'pearl jam'?

oh my god this feels exactly like 1992!

I’d like to contribute a yay for bad parenting. The greatest people I know had bad parents. And the worst people I know were “nurtured” beyond all reason. I mean we can’t all be Italian can we?

the Classical wrote:hipsters who bitch about neighborhoods being gentrified

Okay let’s have it. Let’s hear a defense of gentrification that goes beyond the most myopic, monastic, community- spurning self- interest. You’re all thoughtful people, I’m sure you can say something reasonable about this.

Quick! What's the connection between John 'Cougar' Mellancamp and MX 80.

My. Bloody. Fucking. Valentine.

Arab on Radar. Saw them at Michigan Fest 2002. Terrible. There were a few other really bad bands but I remember AoR being especially shitty. Huh, that's fascinating. I saw the tape of that festival and I don't think I've ever witnessed a group of bands playing together where one band's performance ...