Father John Misty Explains His Taylor Swift Lyric

Father John Misty

Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, explained the Taylor Swift lyric from his new song “Total Entertainment Forever” in an interview with Exclaim:

Human civilizations have been entertaining themselves in disgusting ways all through human history — I mean, whether it’s lighting Christians on fire, or whatever. We have to consider that maybe there are ways in which we entertain ourselves now that are equally as disturbing. I think that that’s important — to not assume that everything about the way we live is the direct product of progress.

The fact of the matter is, I don’t want that to happen to Taylor Swift. That is the worst thing I can think of; that is so horrible. But again, this plays into progress, where like, the internet was supposed to be this new democracy, a utopia of information where everyone had a voice and we were all interconnected, and we would experience true democracy — and it turned into pornography, followed only by outrage. The tools represent some kind of technological advancement, but if we can’t act like more than angry ecstasy freaks with the most advanced technology in the world, then how much have we really progressed?

And if you don’t think that this virtual reality thing isn’t going to turn into sex with celebrities, then you’re kidding yourself. That face recognition stuff? I mean, there are people working on it right now. It’s absurd. Someone sitting with this headset on, you know? Oh God, it’s just, how many different ways do human beings need to masturbate?

So on the album there are more than a few songs where I’m saying ‘Is this progress? Like, is this really what progress looks like?’

Future First Artist in History to Have Back-to-Back Number One Albums

Future is the first artist in history to have two different number one albums two weeks in a row:

Future is the first act in the nearly 61-year history of the chart to achieve back-to-back No. 1 debuts in successive weeks. The rapper is also the first artist to succeed himself at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 at all (counting not only debuts) since 1968. He’s additionally the first soloist ever to claim the honor.

In Conversation: David Letterman

David Letterman

David Marchese has a fantastic interview with David Letterman:

It’s still hard. I have trouble operating the phone. That’s the God’s truth. I needed a pair of shoelaces. And I thought, Hell, where do you get shoelaces? And my friend said, there’s a place over off I-84, it’s the Designer Shoe Warehouse. So I go over there, and it’s a building the size of the Pentagon. It’s enormous. If you took somebody from — I don’t know, pick a country where they don’t have Designer Shoe Warehouses — blindfolded them and turned them loose in this place, they would just think, You people are insane. Who needs this many shoes? It’s sinful. It’s one of these places where there’s no employees and every now and then there’s just a scrum of shoe boxes. I’m not finding the damn shoelaces, and finally I think, Maybe it’s one of those items they’ve got at the counter. I go up there and I’m nosing around the counter and, by God, there’s shoelaces. This is after about an hour. So now I’m waiting in line and the woman checking people out says in a big loud voice, “May I help our next shoe lover, please?” I just started to tremble. Nobody else seems to have a problem with going to a store! You don’t want to have painted yourself into some elite position where it’s “Bob, go out and get me some shoelaces.” It makes you feel stupid. Here’s where I’m comfortable: There’s a bait-and-tackle store near my house. They’ve got guys in there, and you can buy live bait, you can buy artificial bait, they’ll put new line on your reel. You can talk to them about rods. They’ll tell you where to go for a largemouth bass. That’s exactly where I want to be.

Passion Pit Frontman Shares Essay About Mental Health

Passion Pit

Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos has shared an essay on Facebook about mental health and horrific blog comments:

So in this tent, I had entered the lion’s den. It was the culmination of all of my childhood pain, but actualized on such an absurdly profound level, in that I was playing a show for a bunch of people I was absolutely certain did not like me, were not looking to be impressed but looking to watch me fail, and were, in fact, the comment section. They were my nightmare. And I was going to perform for them. Smiling.

And then I had, what I later learned, a literal breakdown. In front of the audience. That was not the art. But it was perceived as the art. It was perceived as insane, as melodramatic, as a cry for help. It was beyond a cry for help — that cry had been ignored, had been dismissed, had been mistaken for the antics of a “snowflake.”

‘Star Wars Rebels’ Renewed for Fourth Season

Star Wars Rebels has been renewed for a fourth season:

Star Wars Rebels is set to return for a fourth season, Lucasfilm announced today, premiering later this year on Disney XD. Production is already underway. Marc Buhaj, senior vice president, programming and general manager, Disney XD said, “The team behind Star Wars Rebels delivers epic storytelling that has captivated fans of all ages across the globe. We’re excited to continue sharing the journey of these fan-favorite rebels with our audience in the fall.”

Carjacking Suspect Decides Not to Carjack Pennywise Guitarist in Redondo Beach

Pennywise

Easy Reader News:

As Dragge sat at a stop, the Scion spun into his lane and came to a rest 10 feet away, he said.

A police squad car had apparently tapped the rear end of the Scion, in a maneuver known as a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique). Earlier during the chase, at Herondo Street and Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach police had flattened one of the Scion’s rear tire with a tack strip.

“It looked like he was reaching for the driver side door handle and I thought for a moment he was coming for my truck. But if he was, he changed his mind when we made eye contact,” Dragge said. Dragge described the Scion driver as a small, Hispanic male in his early 20s, with a shaved head. Dragge is 6-foot-5, 300 pounds.

Ford to Remove CD Player in New Car

NPR

Ford will be removing the CD player from their upcoming 2018 EcoSport:

I’m going to pause for a moment and ask you all to fill in the blank. The Ford Motor Company is about to introduce a car that won’t have a – now, if you guessed steering wheel, you’re a bit early. If you guessed CD player, you’ve been paying attention. Ford is making a car without a CD player. Instead, it will let drivers stream music and receive satellite TV signals. NPR’s Sonari Glinton has this appreciation for the car CD player and a glimpse of the future.

Obamas Sign Book Deal With Penguin Random House

Obama

Penguin Random House has signed a book deal with former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama:

The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but publishing industry executives with knowledge of the bidding process said it probably stretched well into eight figures. Robert B. Barnett and Deneen C. Howell of Williams & Connolly represented the Obamas.

Penguin Random House acquired world rights to the books, and worldwide sales could be substantial. No decision has been made yet as to which of the company’s major imprints — which include Random House, Doubleday, Alfred A. Knopf and Crown — will publish the books. Mr. Obama’s previous books were published by Crown, which also published Mrs. Obama’s book “American Grown,” about the White House garden.

Craigslist Is Ugly, Janky, Old School…and Unbeatable

Justin Peters, writing for Backchannel:

Craigslist remains good enough, and that’s a big problem for its competitors. Buying and selling used furniture isn’t something that you do every day, or even every month. It’s a sporadic activity, which means that most people will have limited opportunities to become familiar with AptDeco and its fellow startups. “I think that most people use Craigslist because they don’t think they have another choice,” says Fagiri. “So, ultimately, you know, we provide a better service than Craigslist.” Though that might be true, it also might not be enough.

YouTube TV

YouTube

YouTube has announced their new live TV offering dubbed “YouTube TV”:

Well, we’ve got some good news! We’re bringing the best of the YouTube experience to live TV. To do this, we’ve worked closely with our network and affiliate partners to evolve TV for the way we watch today.

And:

A YouTube TV membership is only $35 a month and there are no commitments—you can cancel anytime.

Interesting.

Max Martin Interview

Max Martin

Max Martin doesn’t do many interviews, so when one shows up, it’s almost always a must read. Jan Gradvall, writing for Di Storytelling:

Three examples of current Top 40-tracks – all three with Max Martin as co-composer. The only driver who doesn’t seem to be listening to Top 40-radio is Max Martin himself.

”No, I rarely listen to the radio”, says Martin while driving. ”Most of the time, I tend to listen to my own stuff, whatever I happen to be working on at the moment.” What he listens for is details that could be improved. Is the bass too loud? Is the intro too long?

On his phone, Martin plays a demo that world-leading artist X just may record. It’s followed by a song that might be recorded by world leading-artist Y. When Martin asks me what I think, it seems like he’s more interested in what my body language is telling him than in what I actually say. Later on, I’ll find out why.

Mozilla Purchases Pocket

Pocket, the read-it-later service, has been purchased by Mozilla:

Pocket will continue on as a wholly-owned, independent subsidiary of Mozilla Corporation. We’ll be staying in our office, and our name will still be on the wall. Our team isn’t changing and our existing roadmap has been reinforced and is clearer than ever. In fact, we have a few major updates up our sleeves that we are really excited to get into your hands in the coming months.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Has Good Music Taste

Nascar

Dale Earnhardt Jr. likes The Dangerous Summer.

Many consider Junior the poster boy for old-school NASCAR. He’s actually not. He’s far more of a hipster than good old boy. His music taste? There’s Lord Huron, of course, and The Dangerous Summer, a rock band so obscure they broke up in 2014. Then there’s Matthew Good, a Canadian rocker, and Twenty One Pilots, semi-Emo rock band. While he says he’ll listen to any good song, from Taylor Swift to Barry Manilow, one genre is noticeably absent: country music.