Mark Maynard | 2006 | January

and you thought devolution didn’t exist

By Mark | January 29, 2006

There seems to be some debate on the internet as to whether or not we, the fans of the band DEVO, should be supporting their most recent attempt to build their brand and monetize the material in their library. Personally, I think it’s great, but I can see how some die-hard fans might find a partnership with Disney a bit distasteful, especially as it entails having enthusiastic, photogenic young performers covering the band’s classics (without even the slightest hint of irony). They’re calling the new Disneyfied incarnation of the band DEV2.0. (Thanks to Boing Boing for the tip.)

I get the whole Trojan horse idea, and think it’s brilliant, but, even if this weren’t just a clever delivery mechanism to sneak their music into the ear holes of a new generation, and it were just an attempt to make some more money, I don’t think that I’d care. DEVO has somehow positioned themselves, at least in my mind, to be beyond criticism. If the Ramones had sold the rights for one of their songs to be used in an ad for Target, and then followed that up by joining with Disney to hire some attractive blonde kids to cover their tunes, I’d have made it my life’s mission to hunt each and every member of the band down and make them pay for what they’d done. With DEVO, though, it just makes me smile. They could be President Bush’s official house-band and it would make me smile. I’d just be thinking, “How fucking brilliant is that?”

Here’s the explanation of DEV2.0 posted at Club DEVO:

DEV2.0 is a strange, Corporate-Feudal experiment that attempts to bring the original DEVO music sensibility to children in the 5 to 8 year old demographic range.

The band is composed of 5 talented kids ranging in age from 10 to 12 years old. They are able to play and sing. DEVO produced the music for them and Gerald Casale directed all of the videos for the DVD which was funded by Buena Vista Records, a division of the Disney Company.

For my money, I like what these fifth graders in Minnesota did better… At least they wore their energy domes when they played. (In case you couldn’t tell a difference, the top photo is of the cast of Disney’s DEV2.0, and the second photo is from the fifth-grade student talent show in Minnesota.)

And it doesn’t really fit here, but my absolute favorite DEVO sellout product is the single action figure with the five, plastic snap-on heads.

Posted in Art and Culture | 8 Comments

are you ready for some zombies?

By Mark | January 28, 2006

Given my fear of large crowds and of the private security forces they seem to attract, I doubt I’ll be going, but I wanted to help spread the word that zombies will be attacking Superbowl festivities in downtown Detroit this Friday evening… I think it’s a great idea, and I’ve been exchanging notes with the guy organizing it for a while, but I’m just too much of a chicken when it comes to exploring new places (especially those full of wealthy, drunken football fans) in makeup and dripping blood.

At least when our zombie crew attacked Ann Arbor, I knew the terrain. I had our escape routes planned out, and had a series of safe-houses lined up. I wouldn’t have a chance in Hell if some overeager Detroit rent-a-cop with a taser decided to take me down… I know it’s probably irrational, but, like most of you probably know by now, I have OCD and that’s what I do. I worry about irrational things… With all that said, I really do hope that some of you decide to head out and join our zombie friends as they take in Winterfest. (If you do go, send me pictures.)

If any event called for zombies, it’s the Superbowl. From the manic acquisition of “limited edition collectibles” to the over-the-top, flag-waving pageantry, there’s no single event in America that better predicts the final destination of our glassy-eyed “Consumerism Gone Wild” lifestyle. While the thousands of reporters visiting Detroit next week probably won’t be talking about the fact that most tickets cost more than the average Detroiter makes in a month, maybe they’ll write something about the army of the walking dead that materialized from nowhere. And maybe, just maybe, some young television producer will take the time to try to figure it all out. (They might even begin poking around and discover that, behind all the beautiful advertising, the buildings are falling apart.)

One more thing, for those of you who do go out, please keep in mind that a lot of very powerful people feel as though this is Detroit’s big chance to recreate it’s perception in the national consciousness, and they may not take disruptions lightly, regardless of how well-intentioned and harmless they might be. So, my advice would be to travel with a lot of photographers, and stay in a tight pack.

Best of luck, my cold, grey friends.

Posted in Art and Culture | 3 Comments

ypsilanti’s corner brewery

By Mark | January 28, 2006

Matt and Rene Greff, the husband and wife behind the Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, have just been granted a building permit to begin rehabbing the vacant Motor Wheel facility on Norris Streeet, which is going to serve as home for their newest endeavor — an Ypsilanti microbrewery. As I understand it, the hope is to have it up and running in advance of The Michigan Brewers Guild summer beer festival, which is going to be held the afternoon of Saturday, July 22, in Ypsilanti (just a few blocks from the brewery site). For those who want to keep track of their progress, Matt and Rene have just launched a Corner Brewery blog… And, if you like what they’re planning and want to be more involved, I’m told they still have space left in their Groundbreakers Club. (That link launches a PDF.) In the interest of full disclosure I should tell you that Linette and I know the Greff’s, wholeheartedly support this endeavor, and have even contributed a bit of our own hard-earned money toward seeing their vision realized. We feel as though this is a good thing for the local community, and we look forward to hoisting many a pint there with friends. (From a purely selfish point of view, I’m looking forward to finally having a local bar with free wi-fi.)

Posted in Ypsilanti | 7 Comments

on chris penn, pork soup and the douglas skinner’s offer to help

By Mark | January 26, 2006

I was going to write about the untimely death of Chris Penn, the politics of pork soup and the shamelessness of Rick Santorum tonight (I had an idea as to how I could work them all together), but instead I’ve been sucked into a financial black hole from which there seems t be no escape. (It’s funny what can happen when a bank teller inadvertently transfers your funds into the wrong account… Funny probably isn’t the right word though… unless, of course, the people making decisions about your future based on your credit scores find the bouncing of mortgage checks to be hilarious.)

One thing I did want to mention, however, before jumping back into the morass of financial fuckedupednesss, is that Doug Skinner has indicated that he would be willing to address your questions again, in the upcoming issue of Crimewave. So, if you have questions for the talented Mr. Skinner, please send them in. No question is too foolish, no problem too hard… Here’s one to get the ball rolling: “How would you go about getting even with a bank employee that had just cost you hundreds of dollars and several hours of your life?”

Posted in Art and Culture | 11 Comments

priorities: a stained dress trumps a trampled constitution

By Mark | January 25, 2006

I linked to it in last night’s poorly-researched and much-criticized post, but I wanted to share a clip with you from this Media Matters piece comparing the coverage of Clinton’s blowjob to the coverage of Bush’s illegal wiretapping. It’s a long clip, but I think it’s worth reading:

News organizations devote little attention to NSA spying story

On January 22, the day after The Washington Post first broke the Lewinsky story, the paper ran the following stories:

1. “FBI Taped Aide’s Allegations; Seeking Cooperation, Bureau Confronted Ex-White House Intern,” a 2,663-word front-page article by Peter Baker and Susan Schmidt

2. “Clinton Scoop So Hot It Melted; Newsweek Editors Held Off On Scandal Story,” a 1,098-word Howard Kurtz article about reporting of the matter, on the front page of the Style section

3. “FBI Taped Aide’s Allegations; Clinton Denies Affair, Says He ‘Did Not Urge Anyone’ to Lie,” a 1,474-word front-page article by John Harris, with contributions by Terry Neal

4. “Clinton Tie to Va. Woman Led to Probe’s Latest Angle,” a 605-word article about Kathleen Willey by R.H. Melton

5. “Kindred Spirits’ Pentagon Bond; White House Exiles Shared Lively Chat, Confidences,” a 1,620-word front-page article by Dana Priest and Rene Sanchez with contributions by Ceci Connolly, Judith Havemann, Susan Glasser and David Segal

6. “Jordan: Power Broker And ‘FOB’ Without Peer; Lawyer Is Now Key Figure in Starr Probe,” a 782-word article by Thomas Edsall, with contributions by staff researcher Ben White

7. “THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS; President Imperiled as Never Before,” a 933-word article by Dan Balz, with contributions by Helen Dewar

8. “Affairs of State,” an 833-word column by Mary McGrory

9. “THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS; Allegations Against Clinton Could Lead to Impeachment, Prosecution,” a 1,042-word article by Ruth Marcus

10. “The Allegations,” a 420-word editorial

11. “The Reliable Source,” a regular multipart feature of the Style section that dedicated 374 words to the Clinton investigation by Ann Gerhart and Annie Groer.

That’s a total of 11 articles, written by or using contributions from at least 20 reporters, and comprising 11,844 words dedicated to allegations that the president lied about a consensual relationship.
The New York Times gave the story similar treatment:

1. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE: THE WHITE HOUSE RESPONSE; In Interviews, President Denies Affair With Intern,” a 1,067-word article by James Bennet

2. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE: THE FRIENDS; Friendship of 2 Women Slowly Led to the Crisis,” a 1,881-word front-page article by Jill Abramson and Don Van Natta

3. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE: THE OVERVIEW; SUBPOENAS SENT AS CLINTON DENIES REPORTS OF AN AFFAIR WITH AIDE AT WHITE HOUSE,” a 2,202-word front-page article by Francis X. Clines and Jeff Gerth

4. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE; Independent Counsel Cites Deceit Pattern,” a 419-word article by Sephen Labaton

5. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE: THE CONFIDANT; In Fair Weather and Foul, a Friend to Clinton,” a 563-word article by Richard Berke

6. “THE PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE; Excerpts From Statements by White House and President on Accusations,” a 1,465-word article

7. “A Crisis From Petty Sources,” a 755-word editorial

8. “Essay; Presume Innocence,” a 692-word column by William Safire

That’s a total of eight articles, written by at least eight reporters, comprising 9,044 words.

Now, here’s what the Post did on December 17 — the day after the initial disclosure of the Bush administration’s use of the National Security Agency (NSA) to conduct domestic surveillance that has been widely described as an illegal trampling of the Constitution:

1. “On Hill, Anger and Calls for Hearings Greet News of Stateside Surveillance,” a 1,372-word front-page article by Dan Eggen and Charles Lane, with contributions from Carol D. Leonnig, Barton Gellman, and R. Jeffrey Smith, and researcher Julie Tate

2. “Renewal of Patriot Act Is Blocked in Senate,” a 1,073-front-page article dealing tangentially with the NSA matter, by Charles Babington

3. “At the Times, a Scoop Deferred,” a 782-word article by Paul Farhi

That’s all. Three articles, eight reporters, 3,227 words — and that’s generously including the USA Patriot Act article in the tally.

And from the Times, which had broken the NSA story the day before:

1. “SENATORS THWART BUSH BID TO RENEW LAW ON TERRORISM,” a 1,875-word front-page article by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Eric Lichtblau, with contributions from James Risen

2. “Behind Power, One Principle,” a 1,201-word front-page article by Scott Shane

That’s it for the Times: two articles, four reporters, 3,076 words.

All told, on January 22, 1998, the Times and the Post ran 19 articles (five on the front page) dealing with the Clinton investigation, totaling more than 20,000 words and reflecting the words of at least 28 reporters — plus the editorial boards of both newspapers.

In contrast, on December 17, the Times and the Post combined to run five articles about the NSA spying operation, involving 12 reporters and consisting of 6,303 words…

I don’t know that it’s a completely fair comparison, but, at least on the face of it, this appears to be absolutely indefensible… I would write and ask the WaPo’s Ombudsman what’s up, but I understand that her new policy is not to reply.

Just one last question – When did journalism in America officially die? What’s written on the chart? What was the exact moment when everyone around the table looked at one another over their surgical masks and someone said, “He’s not coming back, Hawkheye – let’s call this one”?… Was it the attention given to the documents in Fawn Hall’s panties? The OJ trial? The premier of the tabloid news program “A Current Affair”? I know that in this post-Fatty Arbuckle world if ours, sex and murder has always led the news cycle, but when was it that we made the decision to assign more resources to the coverage of runaway brides and second-rate blowjobs than to national security and the Bill of Rights?

Posted in Media | 1 Comment