Luddite Love -- In Praise of Paper
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Hello Fellow Moggers! I know we are all lovers of the digital age: The pixel and the screen. The Blog and the Space and Book and all the virtual places we like to congregate. But I also know that we are appreciators of old school technology as well. It's been a busy summer for me and I haven't had a lot of time to spend online. In my chillaxin' moments -- sitting on the porch, sipping a beverage, absorbing the breeze -- the last thing on my agenda is staring at a glowing, electronic rectangle. In these space-time moments, I've really been appreciating the few -- the brave! the proud! the few! -- folks who are still publishing printed music magazines. I know it's been an extremely tough year for all of them, and that we've lost a number of our best and beloved.
I just wanted to make some space here to give some love and shout outs to our favorite mags still putting it down on paper for us. For me, I'm a big supporter of:
Paste Magazine -- Dear God! These guys had to do a Fund Drive to make it through the summer, but they did it. If you haven't bought a copy of Paste lately, do it now. Or visit their website and, as Cool Hand Luke said: Kick a buck! These guys deserve it. They've been holding up their end of the indie scene for a good long time. Let's keep 'em in business.
Under the Radar -- Ditto! And more. These guys have been staunch and intrepid supporters of indie music, movies, media for some time and probably helped your indie band sell some CDs or downloads. And given burgeoning writers a couple of inches to start their reviewer career. Good on ya, UTR.
Goldmine Magazine -- If you are a collector, you know Goldmine. Bless them for giving space to obscure box sets, reissues and covering what "vintage" artists are doing now -- with sincerity. Always interesting reviews and features, usually by sage, experienced and knowledgeable writers. Incredible value for the cover price. You'll always walk away with a golden nugget after reading an issue.
Now, all of these pubs, of course, have their corresponding websites -- and it's good to check them out and peruse what they have to offer there -- but, ya can't take yr laptop to the beach. And you don't want sand in the keyboard anyway, do ya now?
I know I could list a bunch more, but I'd like us all to have a lovefest and list our favs. I'd love to hear what's sitting in your reading pile. While you are looking, enjoy a listen to the dreamy and dulcet tones of the neo-psychedelic, beachy groovy-ness of Papercuts tune "Future Primitive". A fitting sentiment to the endurance of paper pulp in the 3rd Millennium.
Cheers! How's your summer going?
Comments (8)
You're right about Goldmine, though I know it mostly by a copy of the 1300-page tome Goldmine Standard Catalog Of American Records 1950-1975, 2nd Edition that a non-collector friend handed off to me, and which I use all the time to check out the existence or date of a record. Other paper includes growing stacks of mail order bulletins from Roots & Rhythm and Collectors' Choice Music, none of which I've had time to order from in years.
Paper - even more enduring than Tom Jones! The Word is my particular favourite. Fortunately, the UK seems more paper-friendly than the US. The summer, though, sucks. Every day has rain showers and some days it just rains. But you know what John Lennon said about that....
Did someone say luddite..I resemble that remark.
Other than school it has been OK..Had to escape the cold and rain of NYC and go to Seattle. Saw mogger Nick (dzend..) and his wife and fam out on Whidbey Island. Listening to OV Wright, The Whatnauts, Gentle Giant, HAIR,Charlie Whitehead..and everything else.
Paper-wise, I like Wax Poetics..
Cody lives! Now I know to resemble future remarks.
Jonh, you endear me by mentioning Lennon's classic insert from "I Am the Walrus," and, as a learned Briton, would know if he had lifted it from traditional lore or had invented it out of whole cloth. Which?
Oh that sounds like 100% John Lennon.
Hey Gents! Good to see your smiling virtual faces. Yeah, it seems like lots of Moggers have been on a Mog Holiday / Vacation. Despite the weather. Sorry to hear you Atlantic dwellers are getting soaked this summer. We on the middle coast of the U.S. of A. are experiencing drought. Weird times, indeed.
Well, you know what Freddie Mercury said...
Do the fandango?
You heart what Jonh said: This summer sucks big time, but the last one was even worse .. haha. Thankfully I had my share of sun in Italy and will return there again soonish.
I has been ages, that I read a paper music magazine, but that's true for magazines in general except Time Out. I tried to get hold of Wax Poetics, but my record dealer told me that I would have to drive into London got get hold of it. Damn the small cities that surround the big smoke.
And when I'm in London, the big newsdealers are usually closed cause it's night ;) - bad times for music magazines.