Journalists, Not Bloggers: Journalism Is Not a Solitary Act

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Brian LaRue

imagesFrom time to time, usually while hamfistedly trying to finish off one home repair or another, I think, Look at me, a writer. I shoulda learned a trade. But recently, I realized… I actually did. There’s this idea that journalism is just a job, but in reality, it’s a trade, even though journalists think of it only too rarely as such, and it’s less common for The Management to share that viewpoint. Unfortunately, when The Management thinks of journalism as just a job, rather than a trade, it risks producing a weaker and more amateurish finished product, and heading up a staff that never reaches its full potential.

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This Summer’s Contest of Hipness: The 2013 Bushwick Games

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Brian LaRue
VDtall

The Bushwick area of Brooklyn, NY, has been producing quality VD since at least 18_8.

Who says Brooklyn hipsters are lazy? Why, they engage in feats of strength and endurance as a matter of course. Finally the hardiest, quickest and most adroit among them will be recognized for their years of training this summer, competing in the contests of their lives at the inaugural 2013 Bushwick Games.

Participants will engage in competitive events including but not limited to:

The Amp-Roll. Each contestant rolls an amp, mounted on casters or a dolly, along a four-block route. Winners will be determined by a combination of speed and their ability to avoid damaging their equipment (demerits will be issued for nicks, lost wheels, etc.). Categories include: the 1×12, the 4×10, the half stack, and the refrigerator-sized bass rig.

The Gear Climb. Contestants ascend four flights of stairs in a warehouse, laden with amps, guitars, keyboards, drums, and drum hardware. In a word, it’s basically a pack mule-style competition. Whoever makes it all the way to the top with the heaviest load, without stopping, wins. Continue reading →

Posted in Arts and Culture, Old Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Little About Why I Never Made Eagle Scout

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Brian LaRue

Eagle_Scout_BadgeToday, following a nationwide vote of 1,400 Scout leaders, the Boy Scouts of America decided to open up Scouting to boys who happened to be gay. In a way, this is a bit of news I’d been waiting to hear for more than 15 years.

Sometime during my sophomore year of high school, achieving the Eagle Scout rank became an extremely realistic expectation. I’d earned all of the required merit badges, and more. I’d already served as my troop’s Senior Patrol Leader (the highest-ranking youth position in any Boy Scout troop, and a democratically elected one), and I was a member of the Order of the Arrow (which is kind of like a cross between an Honor Society for Scouts and a particularly wholesome fraternity). All I needed to do to become an Eagle was to plan and lead my fellow Scouts in a suitably ambitious service project, and to pass a Board of Review (in which a Scout in line for advancement to any rank is grilled by a panel of adult troop leaders and parents, in order to assure he has the strength of character to deserve that higher rank). Neither task was anything to cough at, but for all intents and purposes, the growing pains were over, and all I needed to do to make Eagle was exercise a few familiar muscles a little harder.

Unfortunately, this was the mid-’90s, and another story was unfolding on the national stage for the BSA. Continue reading →

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Happy Valentine’s Day. Have a Mope-Rock Maxi Single!

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Brian LaRue

4010888632-1Hey, it’s Valentine’s Day! When I was in my early 20s, I preferred to observe Valentine’s Day by listening to all of my Black Flag records in chronological order. Nowadays, I feel much more comfortable with my circumstances, and I’d prefer to just think of the holiday as the weekday it typically is. But this year is different, and not just because I finally broke down and joined a Popular Online Dating Service. No! I play bass with the band Dialogue from a Silent Film, and we released a three-song digital single this morning, just for Valentine’s Day. It’s called “You Don’t Love Me Yet,” a phrase most likely plucked from the title of a Jonathan Lethem novel, if I know Dialogue lead singer/guitarist Daniel Kasshu. We went into the studio with audio engineer Jim Bentley (at his place, The Fort, in Bushwick) two weeks ago, and came out with the rawest, most rocking record Dialogue has ever made. Daniel stuck around and recorded a third song alone in the studio with Jim. Recommended if you like gnarly post-punk rhythms, throbbing shoegaze guitars, F-bombs and songs about insomnia, dissatisfaction, isolation and writer’s block. Play it loud. One more warning: There’s some cursing, especially on “3,000 Miles.” Listen to it here.

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