Saturday, July 17, 2004

LET THEM EAT STUFF

Max Dropout thinks that Franz Ferdinand are 3 generation Talking Heads hacks and hates pretty much everything else in popular culture, including yours truely... yet he continues to read and post on this site. Perhaps you share in Max's hatred of all things popculture (which sort of seems very Buddyhead to me) and would enjoy his online zine Let Them Eat Lead. He's invited all the hoes who read this blog over.

I like things too much (according to him, my taste is ignorant) to read his zine, but some people seem to like it.

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey sarah
this really cool band from melbourne australia are playing this tuesday 27thjuly at the mercury lounge at 7.30pm. their song *shake it* was in new york minute. word.

Anonymous said...

oops that was me guru hehe

Ultragrrrl said...

the cassanovas?

Anonymous said...

my wife doesn't know who eddie money is.

owl

Anonymous said...

max dropout is a pretentious resentful idiot.

Tankboy said...

Dunno this Dropout cat but Buddyhead usually gets me laughing so hard I almost pee my pants. They hate pretty much everything I like but I could care less becasue those cats are so caustic it's funny.

Anonymous said...

Actually, he only reads yer blog when I link him to certain posts I find particularly hilarious.

I read it. Thanks for the laughs,
Ms. Jackie Oh No

Anonymous said...

Sarah, have multiple orgasms hearing Franz Ferdinand covering non-other than... "Mis-shapes" over this blogga http://copycommaright.blogspot.com/

Flora

Anonymous said...

When Max lived in New York, I once saw him at a SECRET MACHINES show and afterwards he ran up to the stage, kissed their asses for about an hour and probably frightened them with his overzealous approach. I wonder if he feels that they are now the vacuous cock suckers he feels everyone else in New York City is. Max? Care to respond? And if the answer is you still are in love with them, how can you defend this notion?

Signed,
A curious admirer

Anonymous said...

Max-- What are you talking about? Spin was dreck over a decade ago. I know becaue I'm a geezer and remember it for what it was. In fact, I spent a lot of ink trashing it when I was published (that was in the days before the Internet when we used, y'know, paper and not everyone had a magazine to trash other magazines). Years later, I became close friends with one of its founders (who left years before Sarah could read, which was only a couple of years ago). I made no secret of my dislike of the magazine. It was pretentious. It was annoying. It was.... Well, I'd insult it more but I can see how you liked it.

Anyways, in terms of being edgey, this current batch of Spin writers are it. They're what the magazine was supposed to be. There are people who take pop music too seriously (yes, Max, ALL rock = pop when compared to real music that requires talent and work like, say, classical). Get over it. Pop music is fashion. You like the music you like because of what it says about yourself more than about what it sounds like. It's like a new shirt or a hat. You're screaming out, "Look at me! Look at me! I'm a serious music dude, man!". Lighten up, dude. And stop thinking some American magazine is going to ruin music. The world's too big.

Anonymous said...

people LIKE "let the meat lead"

Anonymous said...

max spends his days writing essays on blogs. he's cool.

Anonymous said...

hahaha. nerd-out max... nerd-out...
-r

Anonymous said...

max, you enjoy criticizing, but where's your album? sure, you don't have to like franz ferdinand, but no one wants to listen to you when you can't produce anything noteworthy of your own. credit must be given to franz ferdinand for producing an album which has gained critical acclaim from everyone from sarah to spin to pitchfork to myself. why not enjoy an album (e.g. franz ferdinand) because it sounds good? sure, some music is good to analyze, but franz ferdinand aren't taking themselves seriously. it's just fun music. over-analyzing certain music and/or bands is just a waste of time.

Anonymous said...

Wow, this is hilarious, and for so many reasons I barely know where to begin. I’ve never really understood this whole ‘blog’ fad. I mean honestly, what sort of a conceited, shallow person truly believes that they are so intriguing and interesting that anyone else (friend or otherwise) would give two fucks about what they have to say, EVERY SINGLE DAY? And what’s more, what sort of pathetic loser feels the urge to subject themself to such pointless, boring and useless crap?

Shock (!), horror (!), there is a way to maintain relationships with people: it’s called human contact, people. Hell, even a phone call is more sophisticated than this shit. Okay, so I’ve managed to establish the notion that you’re all a bunch of miserable fucks who don’t seem to have much of a life outside of this. Fair enough, each to their own, and all that, I can deal with it.

But what I don’t understand is how you can post all of this on the internet and then criticise people for posting their opinions if they don’t mimic your own. If you are so offended by Max’s comments, why not display a mere hint of maturity with the situation and deal with him directly and privately instead of splashing it all over a PUBLIC (yes, this is the internet, remember) forum?

As far as I can see, Max has brought a lot of attention to this site which you would not have had otherwise. Are you getting a hard-on with the thought of all those people reading your worthless remarks? Good, then you should be thanking him.

PS. The Casanova’s are a God-awful embarrassment to this country, and if you have any respect or appreciation for decent taste I can recommend a bunch of other Aussie bands that do us proud down here, instead of the Spinal Tap antics the Casanova’s never exceed.

Anonymous said...

WESTERN FRONT AM DESTROY POPULAR MUSIC. WESTERN FRONT AM CRUSH INTERPOL.

Anonymous said...

This is anti-music: http://www.angelfire.com/indie/mccyrus/02_Bonn_to_Warsaw23207.mp3

Anonymous said...

"max, you enjoy criticizing, but where's your album? sure, you don't have to like franz ferdinand, but no one wants to listen to you when you can't produce anything noteworthy of your own."

This is so weak. You can't have an opinion of something unless you've done it yourself? If I see a shitty movie, I can't say it's shitty because I haven't made a movie myself? That's not my fucking job. My job is to figure out whether or not I think it's any good. Where's your record? Where's Ultragrrl's record? Most of the people that have been dumping all this praise on FF don't have albums of their own, and I'd be willing to bet that the majority of the people that write for SPIN don't play an instrument or have a band.

It seems like Max is being criticized both for thinking too much, and not thinking enough. So which is it? Make up your minds.

Anonymous said...

max is a self-righteous culturally frigid asshat who is apparently bitter that a 23 year old(?) petite jewish girl is enjoying more success than he is.

sucks to be washed up, doesnt it?

-Arazu

Anonymous said...

This is funny. I think you have inspired me to start a blog. Although I do not agree with the notion that one must be actively producing in the medium they are criticizing to earn the right to criticize. The only critical comment I have is that I, PERSONALLY, find your recounts of your NYC evenings boring and a bit vapid (- and not because you stopped drinking or started drinking, or whatever.) There are just TOO many like you roaming (mostly drunkenly) around NYC these days; cookie-cutter hip 80's girls thinking they are 'sassy' or something - but really just blanding out personal style and the local music scene with scary swiftness. That's a fact, but my opinion of your blog is only simply an opinion, and one that only came to fruition in response to something you created. Whenever you put yourself out there you will find both fans and critics, obviously.
I am not however, going to stick around making insulting comments on your writing time and time again, because that is just rude. I am going with the 'if you don't like it leave,' approach because, like I said, you have inspired me to create a blog with a bit more substance that includes (hopefully) maybe a tiny bit of wit and warmth. Which is my cup of tea as your writing style is, in turn yours, where it has a place and a fan base.
So adieu...hopefully I'll be able to practice what I preach in an upcoming blog manifesto.
-My 1st and Last Time.

Anonymous said...

Where's the link to your weblog then so we can go there and critique it? hmmmm?

Anonymous said...

"It seems like Max is being criticized both for thinking too much, and not thinking enough."

"For thinking too much stupid shit, perhaps?"


OOOH, BURN!!1 Except not really.

Anonymous said...

people are strange

Ultragrrrl said...

I really appreciate's everyone's kind words! Thanks!

As for why i put up that posting re: max... Max and I have corresponded breifly in the past. He's had a life that I would never want for myself or for anyone i care about, but that doesn't make me want to be apologetic for the one I had/lead if that means that I'm just all around into pretty much everything. Yes, my inability to discriminate things based on taste might seem to be a bad thing, but that's just me. that's just who i am. i enjoy things. i'm really a super happy person, and I think that's fair. Just because I like things that lots of other people dont like, or rarely, vice versa, doesn't make me a bad person or "dangerous" as Max states (i hate to break it to him, but there are certainly more dangerous things in life than my love of interpol) -- it just makes me me. And that's that! Yes, blogs are narcassistic. Yes, blogs are self-serving. But for me, this blog is pretty much just for me to keep track of what the fuck i'm doing in my life since i have a shitty memory (and it was intended originally for my family to read so they could keep up with me since we're all very busy and friday nights dinner just dont cover it sometimes). Needless to say, i've never said that my life is significant or NOT vapid. It's very vapid. I think this is sort of what i'm trying to show in a way. Yes, it might seem glamourous for me to live in nyc going out everynight and dancing with friends working at a great magazine with people i like and admire, but you know, there's the downside, which is that everynight is pretty much the same. Oh Well. I enjoy it!

Anyway... back to my point. I put up Max's site because it's obvious that people don't agree with me all the time, so maybe they'll like what Max has to offer since he seems to believe that he's better than me. Maybe he is. Maybe he's not. I could care less. But most importantly, maybe by me stating that he's the anti-me, maybe there's something in that that might ring a bell with a reader and turn them onto something -- which my blog seems to have become, an outlet for me to get people turned onto things.

Anonymous said...

oh yes sarah it's the casanovas...the singer is pretty hot haha. if u go see them...tell them guru says hi!

oh yeah and ur blog has definitely turned me onto good music..stellastarr*, franz, the killers. i heard them here first. thanks xx

Anonymous said...

Ultra- I was impressed by your mature response to Max, well done shows that you are the bigger person.

There is such a thing of liking all different sorts of things/people and for some reason that is not understood. I love Paris Hilton but I also love Howard Dean, I love teen movies like Mean Girls, but I also love Lost in Translation and Trainspotting ect. I love listening to Ashlee Simpson (and will be first in line to get her album) but I also LOVE David Bowie. I love all fashion magazines and I also read the New York Times.... There is a possibility to like what can be considered "junk" as well as the non junk... It's all a prefrence in personality and it should be celebrated.

thanks again Sarah,

xoxo
jane (the 15 year old in Los Angeles)

cody said...

i think everyone here is right. at the very least, everyone is right in the sense of speaking for themselves. you see, kids, people are different. we all think and feel differently, we all have our own opinions and beliefs. god bless america and save the queen and all that. but my point is that those ceratin people (who shall remain nameless) who see fit to come here for laughs at the expense of sarah or some of the others should maybe step back and realize that they are not necessarily so much better off... why, i would go so far as to wager that their attempts at hyper intellectualism can be just as hilarious to certain people as those they seek to mock are to them. that doesn't mean one camp is better, just that we are all different. once you realize that, that you aren't inherently right and "they" aren't inherently wrong, you might not feel the need to come to a place like this and write essays about a thing like that. because in the end, it's the circle of life, i suppose. it's, like, i once saw this picture of a snake swallowing its tail...

hope that helps.

michael said...

Longest, useless thread ever.
Move on Max.

Raised By Bees said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

What was the point of this entry anyway? Seems like a vengeful tactic, I notice some of the pro-Max responses have disappeared, hm... I could care less about your tales of partying with assorted boldface. It's obnoxious and your blog feeds your vanity. There's no shred of music journalism, content, or news of any kind, outside of your hipster new york bubble. Take a page from http://blog.largeheartedboy.com/, that's an example of a good, well-informed blog. http://letthemeatlead.com/ is great for the obscure and underground. Max has been suprisingly accurate with respect to trend predictions. As someone who's shoved down our throats constantly, you ought to be more responsible and less flippant in your position and of course, welcome any criticism you receive.

Ultragrrrl said...

i haven't removed a single comment in this thread. it's possible the authors themselves have. and by the way, i should repeat, this isn't a music journalism blog. this is a personal blog. i don't owe anything to anyone at all apart from what i believe in.

Anonymous said...

Where did your "This is so gay" thread go, hmmmm? Did the queers scare you off?

Anonymous said...

has anyone seen the south park episode where Cartmen joins the SPECIAL OLYMIPICS??? It's really funny...

Ultragrrrl said...

the "this is so gay" or whatever post went to the land of the internet because it was needless. it had nothing to do with anyone's comments on there. actually, fuck that. i dont need to explain myself.

Anonymous said...

i love how anytime someone posts something remotely criticizing sarah she takes it down, only to leave all the praise and rebuttal.

my god, is this blog your only source of love and attention...that which that you are obviously lacking in life?

true dat.

Karen said...

you have got to be kidding me, asshole (above). sarah has more love and recognition and respect and adoration than anyone else i know in new york. she cant go anywhere without a dozen people wanting to hug her and know her and be with her because she is happy and fun and welcoming and positive and just a general good influence on anyone around her.

she loves music more than anything, and people probably come second to that... and she runs this blog to bring music and people together in a conglomerate of ultra-love. she is not trying to dictate anything other than her own tastes and opinions, and this constant need to defend that is frightening.

Anonymous said...

Obviously if you post anything negative, there is an army of duplicate trendy social scenesters that will of course defend her & their lifestyle. I just wonder what's left for these people when they're no longer in their 20's and too tired to party? Come on, anyone who posts pictures of Paris Hilton dancing and how to have Hillary Duff call you is asking to be dismissed as a writer of silly fluff. And incidentally, in your original post "truely" is actually spelled "truly."

Hurricane Laura said...

Sarah,

A note of support from a complete stranger. I really enjoy your blog, despite the fact that our lives are quite different and we're into totally different things. I read you because I think it is interesting to get a glimpse into someone else's life. As such, because it is YOUR life, I approach it without judgment, which is what I think others should do. You like what you like, and your enthusiasm should offend no one. I can't understand this person's vitriol over something that seems so inconsequential -- so what if you like music he doesn't like? His level of anger clearly denotes he takes things to a personal level, and I would encourage you to not give him access to your space. What I'm saying is: block his frickin' ass already.

I think you handled it really well, though.

Anonymous said...

Dear Sarah,

You are not alone! MAX DROPOUT HAS VENDETTA'S AGAINST EVERYONE! This is an unedited "piece" from his magazine or whatever the hell it is. I just find it funny how people have been accusing you of being a "musically irresponsible" writer when all this jackass is doing is complaining about people he hates! WHAT A DOUCHEBAG!!!

"LARRY STERN IS A WOMAN"

By Max Dropout



Let me make things abundantly clear: I do not have a leash, but If I had one, I'd wantonly hang myself by it; and while I was strangling to death, I'd make sure I kicked in as many heads as I possibly could.



One of the most popular recent pieces offered commentary and criticism on a local "music" paper, Rank and Revue, providing a scathing perspective against a self important staff and a lack of emphasis on the sub-culture these socialite swine gather to warm their egos by. The article also focused on the staff's preferences and ignorances, which often lead to slags against venues, or the alienation of certain artists who often play the Red River strip. Commonly, those associated with the publication push past doors and bank trays without ever leaving so much as a dime in their wake, all in the name of this sour institution that is of only vague value to the Red River strip. "

Anonymous said...

I apologize for ranting about something here that’s no longer really blog-related, but this kid’s gotta get his head yanked out of his cramped ass:

Dear Braveheart (i.e. Anonymous),
Unless you’re the infamously whiny (and very fired) Larry Stern pathetically defending himself, you’re definitely not fit to post that “example” you uncovered. Could ya tell me why it was written? Probably not. Are you from Austin, TX? Doubt it. And since you’re most likely some jackass wannabe hipster kid who just stumbled upon the site and plucked out the first bit of “evidence” that caught your barely literate eye, I suggest keeping your douchey fingers away from your keyboard, because you’re a fucking moron.

Newsflash! People read LTEL not only for its informative content, but for Max’s creative vitriol. It’s funny. Duh. And if you can’t see the tactical humor, latent or not, accompanying the zine and even this BLOG ATTACK (which of course generated lots of hits for us, thanx), consider yourself the douchebag.

PUNK RAWK AGENDAS 4-LIFE,
Jackie

Ultragrrrl said...

Max once asked why i never posted a link to his site. it was mostly cause i didnt read it for ages and didn't feel like it. but since he continued to post here on my blog, i figured i'd give him a plug (albeit a snarky one) ... since, like i said, people like different things, and might like his site... but that doesn't mean i have to.

Anonymous said...

y'all niggas crazy

Anonymous said...

oh don't listen to all this crap, max
(wait. what i am talking about?!) i'm sure you don't

I LOVE YOU, MAX!

love your site: very funny (w/ substance)

keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Max Dropout i agree, you are one funny guy!

you're the reason i enjoy this site so much! your comments make me laugh out loud (so much). always takes me a while to stop laughing.

i just wanted you to know that you also have fans.

Ultragrrrl said...

Hmm... maybe Max and I should have a he said/she said. I could post my insipid posts and Max can post his response to my retardation. I smell quality reading!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea, Sarah!! The best you've come up with so far.
Looking forward to it!

_jenny

Ultragrrrl said...

Max?

Anonymous said...

Geez, I can see that hard-on you have for Max from here!

Anonymous said...

If you're serious about it, maybe you should send an email his way. In case he doesn't see this.

Sovietpanda said...

I like some of the articles in LTEL, and I like some of Sarah's posts.

Either way, I really, really just don't think that Franz Ferdinand sounds like Talking Heads. They've got a little bit of the bounce, but otherwise I really don't hear it. FF have none of the distinctive bass lines, percussion, or vocal stylings of Talking Heads, and I don't think I've ever heard a Talking Heads song with a super-distinct, cutting riff like "Take Me Out". I think FF sounds more like other bands, but not Talking Heads. Anyone?

Anonymous said...

fucking stop!!