This is a rant, so if you’re not in the mood, just skip it. Won’t hurt my feelings.
I got pissed off by something that happened on the NCS Facebook page yesterday. That’s pretty rare. The fact that I’m still pissed off is even more rare (I’m old enough to have figured out that although giving in to my temper occasionally has its uses, most of the time it accomplishes nothing good). So, dumbass that I am, I’ve stewed about it, trying to understand why.
In a nutshell, I wrote a post yesterday about a re-recorded song by Deprecated. Like just about everything I write here, I was excited about it. Like everything we post here, I added a status on our Facebook page about the post for people who follow us there. In my FB status, I asked the rhetorical question whether people would like to hear some brutal death metal performed by Derek Boyer and Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation, Matt Sotelo of Decrepit Birth, AJ Magaña (ex- Disgorge (USA), and drummer Torrey Moores, and then I added, “I’m going to assume you said yes”.
Someone who shall remain nameless put this comment on the status: “I really really don’t like suffocation or decrepit birth. I’ll pass.” I suppressed the desire to respond with some snarky retort, and simply wrote, “I guess I made an erroneous assumption. :)” To which the original commenter wrote: “It happens when you’re trying to promote something. c:”
And that’s what pissed me off. Maybe I’m misinterpreting that crack (I guess “c:” is some variant of a smiley face), but it seemed like he was insinuating that I had some ulterior motive for writing about Deprecation, something other than the simple fact that I was excited about the revival of that band and about the new recording, as if I was whoring myself for the band or the record label based on some kind of deal, like a PR agent.
I should know better than to be affected by someone exercising his god-given right to be cynical and ignorant on the internet. Maybe it’s because that kind of horseshit is so rare on this site and on our FB page, but it still got under my skin. So I thought about it, more than it deserved (it really deserved no thought at all).
I mean, I’ve said it before, but maybe I need to say it again for the cynical and the ignorant in the audience: The only reason any of us here devote our time to this blog is because we love metal. It’s not a job, no one pays us to do it, we don’t take money from anyone for anything, and we’re not beholden to anyone. We write about what we like, to support bands we think are good and to help other people discover something they may like as much as we do, not because we feel obligated to.
Yes, there are perks that go along with this — it’s fun to get to know musicians and other fans, and it’s cool to get access to releases before they become public — because like any other fans, we’re impatient, and getting to hear something that we’re curious or excited about sooner rather than later is a plus. But that hardly makes any of us “promoters”.
We have our share of flaws, and inevitably we’re going to praise something that someone else thinks is awful. But the one thing I guarantee you we have is integrity — we’re being honest about what we feel, even when someone else thinks our taste is for shit. My biggest regret is that we don’t have the time to write about everything that deserves to be written about — because THIS ISN’T A FUCKIN’ JOB — but I know damn well that all of us are doing what we believe in.
It’s a shame that the scene is such that some fans apparently assume or suspect that people who write about metal for a reasonably popular site must have some kind of hidden agenda or some kind of side business that they’re trying to pump up without anyone knowing about it. I guess that may happen, but it doesn’t happen here.
End of rant.
P.S. That somewhat nausea-inducing cat image at the top of the post has nothing to do with anything. It just puts me in a better mood. No one paid me to put it there.
55 Responses to “PISSED”
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You sure about that cat picture? You’ve been “promoting” the feline agenda for years. They’ve got their claws in you deep.
They have formidable mind control powers. Just stare at that image for about an hour and you’ll understand.
Great post, I now even more appreciate the time and dedication all of you guys are putting into this blog, keep up the great attitude, cheers
Don’t let it get you down, man. There are assholes everywhere, there’s even one on my ass now. All we can do is try to wipe the shit off of them and carry on.
I offer this to brighten you up. http://youtu.be/PKffm2uI4dk
I lose my shit every time I see that video. Thank you. Also, you should see about having that asshole surgically removed.
You mean filled in!
Internet’s gonna be the internet. If it makes you feel any better, I slightly lost my shit yesterday over a review of the new iwrestledabearonce. I like ’em, but I know they’re pretty divisive. I imagine people hate them for the same reason I have a hard time with Steel Panther–you have to buy into their particular brand of shtick, and if you don’t, it’ll be a real turn off.
But that said, the review was positive, and a commenter unleashed a rant about how they suck and they’re everything that’s wrong with America, and concluded with the line: “It’s bands like this that people should just step up and say ‘enough is enough.'” Besides the busted up sentence structure, I got super-peeved over someone using language better suited to inciting a revolution against a despot to talk about a band they don’t like. Are we supposed to be storming the Bastille to stop music we hate?
But that’s how they get ya. Next thing you know, you’re up at 3 am arguing with idiots about Jenny McCarthy’s anti-vaccination campaign.
I can’t believe there are people who disagree with Jenny McCarthy’s anti-vaccination campaign. She is one of the great thinkers of our time. Did you know that Melissa McCarthy is her cousin? I just found that out.
http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com
I hadn’t seen those numbers before. I’ve got some close friends with an autistic child who lived through that wave of anti-vaccine hysteria when it first started and then wised up. It was like a form of mental cruelty.
I saw it. Seems like your standard “I’m so cool, I’m going to tell you I don’t like this” comment, mixed with a subsequent helping of condescension.
Not surprised it pissed you off.
I saw that comment yesterday, decided to just ignored it since I don’t care about useless non-constructive comment of this kind. Why should I care if anybody feels the need to tell the rest of the world they don’t like band X?
Not sure if the guy had ulterior motives, maybe next time you should just delete the Facebook comment, that will certainly give you joy and you won’t spend all this time being mad about some john doe on the internet.
Anyone who has been following NCS for more than a week knows that you’re not doing this with a hidden agenda, it’s pretty obvious you’re doing this for the love of music, if someone thinks otherwise, tell him to fuck off and die.
Keep up the great job!
A lot of the crappy comments we get (on the facebook page, or on here – not that we get all that many to be honest) seem to be from people who’ve read one article and jumped to a million conclusions about our “motives”, without any real knowledge of the site or how we operate.
And I’m pretty certain even a cursory glance back through our previous reviews and such would at least give someone new a sense of how things work here!
That would require actually reading what you’re opining about. Who has the time for that?
That part of the brain working to find motives and/or conspiracies in everything simply does not seem to exist in mine.
Yeah I guess one of the downsides of the increasing number of FB followers is that there’s a good chance there’s some douchebags in there – pure statistics.
The good thing is, NCS seems to have managed something almost unheard of in internet world – a little grouping of like-minded individuals who don’t fill up cyberspace with bickering and shit, and just come to enjoy some tunes.
Just remember kids: http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/8/1/815919.1131742469560.internet_arguing.jpg
Here, here listen to some Falls of Rauros, that’ll soothe you http://replenishrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-light-that-dwells-in-rotten-wood
(Which I may or may not be promoting)
Aw yeah! Did this just come out?
Must be a vinyl re-release or something..the album came out in 2011
Yeah, it was released on vinyl by Replenish. But it is lovely music, and you can’t have enough of that.
good post, and you have every right to vent. it took me a very long time get over the urge to post angry replies to some of the idiotic comments i see on the internet. i still find myself occasionally having to hit “backspace” on the first few words of a hastily typed reply after i realize some troll has almost got the better of me.
love the cat graphic, i might have to make that desktop on my work computer 🙂
If you make the cat graphic your desktop, then you have to spend time just sitting motionlessly and staring at it, to complete the effect it will have on your co-workers. Maybe while repeatedly cocking and un-cocking a revolver.
my co-workers already think i’m a freak because of all the band flyers i have plastered all over my cubicle, the cat will just be the icing on the cake
Maybe if you started purring it would put heir minds at ease.
i’ll give it a test run at our next department meeting 🙂
The cat graphic as my work desktop? Done. Great idea.
I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you need psychiatric treatment.
Just to play devils advocate, an argument could be made that you are promoting music…albeit music that you like and want to share, as opposed to being a corporate hand-puppet whose payed to push something.
Admittedly, he WAS probably just being a dick. After all, this is the internet
SurgicalBrute is right. Although that commenter should probably read the two keyboard warrior interviews you did and find out that you have said before that NCS only promotes music it digs.
I suppose he could have meant “promoted” in the sense you mean — sharing something you like just because you like it. But in context, I doubt it.
“I should know better than to be affected by someone exercising his god-given right to be cynical and ignorant on the internet. Maybe it’s because that kind of horseshit is so rare on this site and on our FB page, but it still got under my skin. So I thought about it, more than it deserved (it really deserved no thought at all).”
that is probably it. .And you should expect this sort of stuff often though. And may be ward them off with a single comment, something which is harmless. Then leave it there don’t bother with their replies. Arguing over the internet post by post is really not worth it. Forgive and forget.
That really is my usual attitude about things like this. Maybe it was something I ate.
Last night my 2-year-old daughter was throwing a tantrum, just screaming and screaming and screaming. I picked her up, held her perfectly still on my lap so that she could not move for what seemed like ten minutes (but it was probably a lot less). Finally, she gave up throwing the fit, and quite sadly told me that she wanted “key,” short for “blankey,” and I said, “OK, I’ll get your blankey, thank you for using your words.”
Do you need me to do that for you?
In all seriousness, there are two great reasons you shouldn’t care what this person had to say.
One, this is obviously a person who’s not familiar with the site. It probably showed up in his/her feed because one of his/her friends commented or liked your post. They made an erroneous assumption about your motives, but it’s not because they’re familiar with the site and they formed the wrong opinion about it. That would be irksome, but pure and unadulterated ignorance shouldn’t bother you.
Two, this person does not like Suffocation. Therefore, this person’s opinion is useless.
HA! Reason No 2 has no answer. Also, I feel calmer already just imagining myself in your lap, perfectly still, with a blankey. Maybe it’s because I slept with my own blankey until I was 12.
I was just telling a metal friend of mine this past weekend how NCS maintains a positive face, does not bother with articles about music the writers don’t enjoy, and has been fortunate to receive comments that are largely troll-free and enhance the readers’ knowledge and enjoyment. This is one of the reasons that many of us look forward to reading this metal site daily.
On another note, based on comments you have made over time Islander, I think you and I are of similar age. If you have now learned with age that giving in to your anger all the time is not always beneficial, then you are a wiser man than I am.
I used to have a terrible temper, and it took a helluva long time to learn how to control it. Sometimes I can’t, and I almost always feel awful later, even when I’ve been raging at a total stranger and even when they deserved it. And like I said, the times when it actually turns out to be productive are extremely rare and completely unpredictable.
I guess you could say that you often… lose your head.
I’ll see myself out.
Don’t let the door hit you on the, well, that part of the anatomy where my head is buried most of the time.
I have nothing to add that other respondents haven’t said. But I would like to ask: is the cat in that image wearing a bow-tie?
Yes, I believe it is. That’s a dapper cat. A dapper cat on acid.
That cat makes for a freaky background on my phone.
Note to self: Islander is moody when his pussy is dirty (I’m not sure if I’m talking about your vagina or your pet, or if those are both the same)
My cat died last year. I hope you’re happy now. Also, my pussy is always dirty.
Dirty and Dead pussy. I will update my archives with this information.
There is nothing like condescension to test the limits of your self-control. It’s easy to blow off somebody telling me to die in a fire or get cancer or whatever, but a snide remark with a pretentious emoticon almost always slips right through the gaps in my armor and pierces my spleen.
I haven’t found a remedy for it. Snarky comments are a lot like ticks: They burrow down into the flesh and gnaw at you and can’t simply be shaken off. You have to patiently coax the fuckers out so their heads don’t break off under the skin and fester.
Even when the snark is coming from somebody I know and generally like, I just want to call in a napalm strike to cook them to ashes, force feed the ashes to cockroaches, stomp the cockroaches into paste, put the paste in a doggy doo doo bag, launch the doggy doo doo bag into the sun to vaporize into its constituent atoms, reassemble the atoms into the original jerkass who pissed me off, and then send him a snarky email with a pretentious emoticon to see how he likes it.
Man, I’m even getting worked up over secondhand snark.
Bravo Craig, that was a wonderful rant. Also I agree 100%
Ditto that. Awesome.
Shucks, guys, you just deflated my righteous anger with nice words. So I guess maybe there IS a remedy.
No wonder I like this site so much. A little camaraderie and friendliness works wonders.
Thank you KevinP for the suggestion of our new banner sub-header.
Am I the only one here who enjoys playing Whack-a-troll with morons on the internet?
That cat picture made my brain vibrate.
And it will continue to vibrate until you give him some kibbles.
I’m enjoying the new subtitle for the site, haha!
Thank you. It will now probably be used by the humorless as further evidence that we’re just a bunch of whores.