Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland. Image from Nielson Barnard, Getty Images. I'm not sure where to start on this, so I'm just going to make it up as I go along. The image of Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst in their heyday didn't really do the band or the man justice, that Durst was just … Continue reading On Limp Bizkit and Fred Durst
On the Deftones
Deftones, from left to right: Abe Cunningham, Fred Sablan, Chino Moreno, Frank Delgado, and Stephen Carpenter. Image from LiveNation. I was probably twelve years old and discovering music on my own when I found the Deftones in 1999. They were featured on the Matrix soundtrack, which I was listening to on CD. The track was … Continue reading On the Deftones
Falling
Staind, from left to right: Mike Mushok, Jon Wysocki, Aaron Lewis, and Johnny April. Image from MusicRadar. "Not to feel exasperated, or defeated or despondent because your days aren't packed with wise and moral actions. But to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human -- however imperfectly -- and fully … Continue reading Falling
The Filter Bubble
The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You by Eli Pariser Penguin (16 April 2012) Amazon The Filter Bubble explores how personalisation algorithms shape what information we see online. All the major tech companies do this -- Google, Facebook, Amazon. Author Eli Pariser argues that while personalisation can make user experiences more convenient, … Continue reading The Filter Bubble
Remember the Name
Fort Minor logo, image from Machine Shop Recordings. "There are some people who are so focused on becoming famous or becoming rich. And of course a very small percentage succeed at accomplishing that, and if that's the motivation it would seem to me at least that they wouldn't actually enjoy the process of creating the … Continue reading Remember the Name
Twisted Transistor
Korn's Jonathan Davis and rapper Snoop Dogg on the set of "Twisted Transistor." Photo by John Shearer. "I give my mind the liberty to follow the first wise or foolish idea that presents itself." -Robert Greene "Twisted Transistor" was the lead single from Korn's seventh studio album, See You on the Other Side. Produced by … Continue reading Twisted Transistor
Ten Thousand Fists
The cover of Ten Thousand Fists, by Greg Capullo. "Judgements, value judgments concerning life, for or against, can in the last resort never be true: they possess value only as symptoms, they come into consideration only as symptoms - in themselves such judgements are stupidities." -Nietzsche Ten Thousand Fists is the third studio album by … Continue reading Ten Thousand Fists
Helix
Photo by Line 6. I got a Line 6 Helix recently, something I swore I would never do. It's lighter, cheaper and far less maintenance than a tube amp, so of course I would. If I were a touring musician, I'd probably get the Rack version. The generations of musicians that are just finding their … Continue reading Helix
The Net Delusion
The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom by Evgeny Morozov Public Affairs (13 January 2011) Amazon The Net Delusion is a critical and provocative book that challenges the widespread optimism about the internet's ability to promote freedom and democracy throughout the world. Written by Belarusian scholar and commentator Evgeny Morozov, the text argues … Continue reading The Net Delusion
Public Opinion
Public Opinion by Walter Lippmann Wilder Publications (4 September 2022) Amazon First published in 1922, Public Opinion is a foundational work in media studies, politics, and sociology. Walter Lippmann examines how public opinion is formed and manipulated in democratic societies, with a particular focus on mass media and modern institutions. It has been praised as … Continue reading Public Opinion