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I am a Los Angeles-based twentysomething. I have a profession, and I have a secret life in music, and this blog isn't about any of that. I like Blogger because I can't read what you're thinking.

I Approve Of These Links

- A Blog Supreme
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- Losanjealous
- Piano Jazz


Wednesday, November 11   >>

HEY, GUYS WHO HAVE BEEN IMPATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE NEW CALL OF DUTY GAME TO THE POINT OF HAVING YOUR PRE-ORDER PICKED UP ON MIDNIGHT OF ITS RELEASE DATE

...Guess what I'm doing?

GETTIN' MAH DICK SUCKED. Have fun with your stupid soldier game.

----

To add to my incredibly impressive video game library, my PS2 collection has been upgraded to 4 titles. That's right, folks, if you're lucky enough to both be in my company and in my home, you will have the chance to play Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero III and my newly purchased Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Guitar Hero: World Tour has the song "Schism" by Tool, which is seriously the greatest song to play on any of these guitar games. It is so SICK. That bass lane is all sorts of awesome: DIGGIDA-DEE-D-DEE, DIGGIDA-DEE-D-DEE-D-DEE! REPEAT THAT SHIT AND PREPARE TO BE BLOWN BY THE DEMON OF PROGRESSIVE RAWWWWWWWWKKK!

I'm "obtaining" their discog as I speak. There should be a Guitar Hero: Tool edition. Metallica and Aerosmith have one, and they're fucking lame most of the time, which makes me wonder why they even have their own editions.

But Tool. Holy shi-eeeeeeet. They're not thinking straight. They're laughably good.

----

*Ding*

I hate the "ding" of my work e-mail.
Hey Hugo...

i'm working w/ disney hall pr -- are you interested in seeing Brian Wilson do an acoustic show with Inara George's vocal group there? i'll set you up, just a thanks for being a great reporter and for cooperating with us for the last several months. -j
I
JUST
CAME
IN
MY
MOUF.

If I were as good a reporter as she says, I'd have to decline the freebie. BUT I'M NOT THAT GOOD SO, UH, SEE YOU AT BRIAN WILTHON'TH THET, DUDES!!! I jest. Read on.

----

This is the thing about J-school. Not Jew school. No, not Jap school. I'm talking journalism school.

In every class, they tell you the same thing: Be interesting. Be on deadline. Don't accept gifts. And don't lie. That's supposedly the key to being a great reporter.

Well, I've certainly done three of those four extremely well. I never turn in a piece late and I've never lied on a single article I've ever written, and, let's face it, I'm the most interesting guy you'll likely ever know or pseudo-know.

I saw Good Night and Good Luck early in my J-school career, so honesty was always in the back of my mind, even on stories about the new campus cafeteria or rising gas prices. MURROW WOULD WANT IT THAT WAY.

But this free gift thing is, like, incredibly hard to get away from. Aside from it being impossible, no one in J-school every says that denying a drink or tickets can sometimes jeopardize your relationships with PR companies and anyone else who takes it in the ass for clients. They also don't tell you how big of douchebags PR people are. They will kiss your ass until all that's left is your skeleton, and sometimes you literally have to accept their shit in order for them to shut up and stop bothering you. I swear to fucking god, it's really that hairy.

And it buffs your ego. Sometimes way too much. If you're a news dude in any sort (I cover music news), you're probably used to the 100+ emails a day about new music, free tickets, CD submissions and showcase events catered to your liking. Without it, there's no news, so unless you're accepting free shit only for favorable writing, then don't worry about it. You're not doing anything wrong until you're compromising your honesty and the integrity of your publication.

There should seriously be a class on relationships with PR people. Learning it on your own as I have is one of the most complicated things I've ever had to figure out. And I still am.

But I'll think about it after I watch Brian Wilson. He's one of my heroes, you know.