I hope this offers a unique slant on the Pick Three theme, I want to do something focused on the media outlet itself as opposed to a particular song or video. Here’s my go at it…
1. Turntable.fm
Do you like boiling your own blood over twits in chat rooms? Got a band that you and only you have known about first? Enjoy Turntable.fm! Okeedoke, I am absolutely and hopelessly addicted to this site.
For those unfamiliar (gosh, you didn’t know about this?), Turntable is a site where users log on as avatars and join genre or theme specific rooms which host up to 5 virtual DJ spots on a showcased stage. Each DJ gets to rock one selection per round which is either uploaded from the users personal drive or selected by the site’s rich database. I believe the database draws from anything registered digitally (ya know, stuff that appears on iTunes and eMusic and stuff like that). If a user chooses not to DJ, or all the slots are taken in the room of choice, one may interact as a spectator on the floor where one may comment on the on screen chat board as well as “awesome” or “lame” a DJs selection. Sound brutal to you so far? Points are awarded to a DJ each time they obtain an “awesome”, but “laming” only lowers the needle toward “Lame” on the Awesome/Lame meter prominently displayed bottom center screen.
To add to the fun, the moderator of a room may remove unwanted DJs from the stage or even give one the ol’ boot from the room entirely. For example: if one is in a room described as “post punk” (or what have you), and the previous selections played have been by bands such as Drive Like Jehu, Jawbox, and Sonic Youth and then someone plays Linkin Park, you bet the said DJ will either get murdered on chat if not bumped off stage. I believe the law of the land these days is “laming is lame”, whereas the etiquette is “courtesy awesome” any DJ in the round who has “awesomed” your selection previously. Oh, when you “awesome” a song your avatar’s head is displayed as an animated bopping, so when you do no not “awesome” a song your static avatar sends a very clear message to the DJ currently spinning their pick (its fair to say that sometimes people are away from their computers as a song starts playing, so that would be an unintentionally missed opportunity for “awesome-ing”).
I have met people from all over the country while playing on this website, some of which have become my friends in real life. As vicious as on line chats generally get, I have entered some pretty eclectic rooms where the chats have been absolutely enlightening. Its kind of the the same vibe as connecting with someone in a record store if you can fathom that. Turntable is a great free way to share music as you can add any song being currently played to your own queue or even to your Spotify account. If your life has not yet been sucked into the Turntable.fm vortex, oh, it will be…it will be. Lord have mercy. There is no way out.
2. The Best Show on WFMU with Tom Sharpling-
Heard on Jersey City, NJ’s listener supported freeform station of the nation WFMU every Tuesday from 9PM-Midnight EST, host Tom Sharpling offers a talk/call-in show based significantly around indie culture (both in music and screen), and entirely based on pure comedy.
Around the year 2001 or so Tom made the decision to take his weekly broadcast away from playing records in order to focus on the talk show format that is heard today. He now simply spotlights an effective set of only around five songs to launch the program each week. Since the shift from music Tom has been joined by writing partner and character caller Jon Wurster (Superchunk/Mountain Goats/Stereolaughs) and the program has successfully morphed with ease into full on funny biz. If they make it past call screener AP Mike, brave callers from around the world wait on hold longing for their glorious on-air moment of “is this me?.” Sharpling is ever ready with his rapid-fire-shooting-gallery-style defense of “GOMPs” (Get of My Phone) directed toward callers who otherwise suck, and those who do not receive the “Heave Ho” are left to fend for their own devices.
Aside from the multitude of regular callers who have survived long enough to have garnered on-air fame, the short list of the many celebrity guests that the show has hosted include: Ted Leo, Patton Oswalt, Martin Short, Chris Elliot, Aimee Mann, Marc Maron, Horatio Sanz, Fred Armisen, Tim and Eric, Zach Galifianakis, Neil Hamburger, Todd Barry, Paul F. Tompkins, Jim Gaffigan, John Oliver, Aziz Ansari, Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt (The Mighty Boosh), Ben Gibbard, Jon Auer, Andrew W.K., Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Boss Hog, Kurt Vile, Carl Newman, Kevin Smith, Michael Azerrad, John Hodgman, and Matt Fraction. Hear for yourselves and bring the Best Show Gems podcast on the road!
This is the best short format comic that I have seen in a long time. Here L.A. cartoonist Tom Neely perfectly illustrates the existential implosion of my favorite character ever. See it with your own eyes.
Brian Musikoff designs comics and animation for some of the world’s most funny people. Brian plays bass in a rock band called Stuyvesant. Brian has tinnitus. Brian is a fan of justice and punishment for those proven guilty in a court of law. Brian’s favorite ice cream is Neapolitan with pistachio instead of vanilla. Brian was mocked for wearing “skips” in a 1979 Queens schoolyard. Brian still talks crazy cat talk despite the fact that his cat is long gone. Brian has as come to grips with the fact that the music only sounds good in his own head. Brian still buys and plays with toys, but only sci-fi related ones really. Brian is not ashamed to admit that he was inspired by Peyo before he was inspired by Al Capp. Brian dances shamelessly and does not trust one who does not.
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