How much news in your newspaper?

[Tom Hendricks]

Here are two experiments to determine how much news. Not only is there no coverage of zines, but not much of any news. Here is my weekly e-mail club message on newspapers. Support indie media.

I've always wanted to take our Dallas daily and see how much of it is hard news. Thankfully someone else has done it for me. Clay Shirky reports on his findings for his hometown paper. Then UTNE does the same experiment. They include photos of the results. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Clay Shirky
http://www.shirky.com/weblog/2009/10/rescuing-the-reporters/

Utne - with pictures:
http://www.utne.com/Media/What-Is-a-Newspaper-For-Really-5405.aspx


Tom Hendricks
(editor of the 17 year old zine Musea)

[Emma Jane Falconer]

So your criteria for a good radio station is that they play your band? Good luck with that one ...

[Tom Hendricks]

Emma,
First of all I'm against ALL bands - I'm not in a band now. I'm opposed to bands.
I wouldn't want anyone to play my band, because I don't have a band and am against them
as generic and bland and music for ads, more than anything new or anything exciting.
For me I'd like to see a moratorium on
all electric guitar, bass, drums - band music for a year or two. It would force people to play something
new. For me it is hard to understand why musicians want to fit in to what their father's music was.

Next I think radio should open up to new music even if the message is tough and against bands.
Who wants all the music on all radio to have a safe , and bland message and never make waves? How can radio and media that refuses to cover new music and new music ideas, be fair media? It can't.
Then too the music I suggest, is an open door to other ideas of changes in all the arts.
Most want the old ways. You are welcome to them. But for those few who want something new and exciting in the arts - it's time for an art revolution.

Emma Jane Falconer said:

So your criteria for a good radio station is that they play your band? Good luck with that one ...

[Emma Jane Falconer]

I think you must have an odd definition of the word band.

Tom Hendricks said:

Emma,
First of all I'm against ALL bands - I'm not in a band now. I'm opposed to bands.
I wouldn't want anyone to play my band, because I don't have a band and am against them
as generic and bland and music for ads, more than anything new or anything exciting.
For me I'd like to see a moratorium on
all electric guitar, bass, drums - band music for a year or two. It would force people to play something
new. For me it is hard to understand why musicians want to fit in to what their father's music was.

Next I think radio should open up to new music even if the message is tough and against bands.
Who wants all the music on all radio to have a safe , and bland message and never make waves? How can radio and media that refuses to cover new music and new music ideas, be fair media? It can't.
Then too the music I suggest, is an open door to other ideas of changes in all the arts.
Most want the old ways. You are welcome to them. But for those few who want something new and exciting in the arts - it's time for an art revolution.

Emma Jane Falconer said:

So your criteria for a good radio station is that they play your band? Good luck with that one ...

[Tom Hendricks]

Back to basics post-bands music is against overproduced, puffed up music.
It is purposely simple, and honest - something that rock isn't anymore.

[Tom Hendricks]

Don't think so. Rock and popular music has become everything it started out rebelling against.

But I will say this. I am surprised at how conservative most of the zinesters here are. Many of you are strongly for the status quo in every way. And many of you go further and do everything you can to support and defend the old way of doing thing - even to the point of going out of your way to stubbornly defend the conservative status quo, from anyone trying anything new. I expect that from conservatives, but find it strange here.

But you should know something - that being so conservative is stagnation. It blocks growth. It keeps things safe and generic. It opposes anybody with new ideas. It rewards those who play it safe, who don't make waves, and who support what fits in. It ruins the arts and the media.

Adam Icarus said:

You defined band music earlier as the standard guitar, bass, and drums formula. Fine, even though that's a odd definition. You can pan the entirety of "band music", calling it dishonest and overproduced, but that statement is rather... hypocritical?

On at least one of your tracks, you employed multiple takes for vocals and layered them, or played with it in post using garageband or some shit. Who are you to say what counts as "overproduced" when you're utilizing editing as well? Where's the line between overproduction and "just right"?

And who are you to decide who's being honest or not? As I said, I listened to some of your stuff, and I found it to be no more honest than I find Coldplay to be. You know why? Honesty and beauty are based wholly in opinion. If you don't find any in someone's music because they happen to be using an electric guitar and a drumset, fine. But don't run around saying there's none to be found there for anyone, and don't call your acoustic music "revolutionary" when the guitar and vocals formula is a lot older than the "band" formula.

Electronic music was revolutionary when it came out.
Jazz was revolutionary when it came out.
Hip hop was revolutionary when it came out.

You're a guy with a guitar singing. Welcome to 1300AD.

Tom Hendricks said:

Back to basics post-bands music is against overproduced, puffed up music.
It is purposely simple, and honest - something that rock isn't anymore.

[Tom Hendricks]

>
On at least one of your tracks, you employed multiple takes for vocals and layered them, or played with it in post using garageband or some shit. Who are you to say what counts as "overproduced" when you're utilizing editing as well? Where's the line between overproduction and "just right"?


Here is the truth. This was recorded in a studio by a gold record winning engineer (for True Stories, by David Byrne), named Pam Irwin who over decades, has worked with many of the best names of the business from Ray Charles, and Willie Nelson on. It isn't any amateur garageband work. She is very good at what she does. And I don't like anyone insulting what she does.

[Tom Hendricks]

Check out my url's and the websites.


Adam Icarus said:

Hahaha... I'm conservative? Wow. So, because I don't necessarily like your music and I criticized you for being judgmental and for oversimplifying an entire group of artists, I'm a conservative?

Maybe the honest "bands" out there (I'm using your definition of band, remember) are a fringe group, but they're there. Just because they're not playing what you want them to doesn't make their music any less honest or progressive in it's own way.

But really, I'm curious now. What about your music makes you think it's "revolutionary"?

Tom Hendricks said:

Don't think so. Rock and popular music has become everything it started out rebelling against.

But I will say this. I am surprised at how conservative most of the zinesters here are. Many of you are strongly for the status quo in every way. And many of you go further and do everything you can to support and defend the old way of doing thing - even to the point of going out of your way to stubbornly defend the conservative status quo, from anyone trying anything new. I expect that from conservatives, but find it strange here.

But you should know something - that being so conservative is stagnation. It blocks growth. It keeps things safe and generic. It opposes anybody with new ideas. It rewards those who play it safe, who don't make waves, and who support what fits in. It ruins the arts and the media.

[Tom Hendricks]

No its not.

Adam Icarus said:

Mentioning garageband wasn't meant to be an insult, Tom. I never commented on the quality of the edit, just that it was there. I was saying that you also edit your music, so why the fuck are you getting all "holier than thou" about overproduction? It's hypocritical and it's funny as hell.

Tom Hendricks said:

>
On at least one of your tracks, you employed multiple takes for vocals and layered them, or played with it in post using garageband or some shit. Who are you to say what counts as "overproduced" when you're utilizing editing as well? Where's the line between overproduction and "just right"?


Here is the truth. This was recorded in a studio by a gold record winning engineer (for True Stories, by David Byrne), named Pam Irwin who over decades, has worked with many of the best names of the business from Ray Charles, and Willie Nelson on. It isn't any amateur garageband work. She is very good at what she does. And I don't like anyone insulting what she does.

[Dan 10things]

Tom Hendricks said:

Back to basics post-bands music is against overproduced, puffed up music.
It is purposely simple, and honest - something that rock isn't anymore.

Tom, you act if what you're doing, a dude playing guitar solo, ever went away or is something new. I don't know how it is where you live, but every other person I know plays acoustic guitar like you do. In the Summer we sit around a fire and different people play their songs. It's not new. It's not different. It's probably the most common type of music there is, someone playing their acoustic guitar. It's ridiculous to pretend something so common is unique or part of a new movement. I could care less if you are too old to seek out innovative or fun music that excites you, but your judgmental argument that everything you're doing is fabulous and revolutionary and everything other people are doing is conservative or boring is wearing thin. Maybe instead of closing your eyes to today's independent and underground music and passing judgment on it all, you should consider checking out what's out there... or at least not being so condescending and judgmental about things you haven't really explored.