December 31st, 2009 9:38am
The Ballad of That Guy From Titus Andronicus
I wrote a story for The Awl’s End of the ’00s series, and you can read it here. I’m very proud of it, but I don’t want to tell you too much before you read it. Let’s just say that you’re in for some serious carnage at the end.
Also, while I’m writing about what I wrote elsewhere: In case you only read this site via RSS, you might want to check out the Fluxblog best videos of 2009 tag on tumblr.
12/31/09 11:35 am
This was incredible!
12/31/09 11:42 am
Hilarious and strangely convincing.
Been enjoying your retrospective entries, too. The Long Blondes post was my entree to their music, and catching them before they broke up.
12/31/09 12:59 pm
Thank you, both of you!
I’m not sure if the Long Blondes are totally broken up so much as they are on what could end up being a permanent hiatus following the guitarist/lyricist Dorian’s stroke. It will probably be some time before he’s well enough to go back to music, it sucks a lot. That band endured a lot of misfortune in their final year, from what i understand, and that was the worst of it.
12/31/09 4:16 pm
Hey, just curious. The story on the Awl WAS hilarious, but were you at all poking fun at their account of what went down at the Vice party?
12/31/09 4:24 pm
Not really. I thought that was an excellent blog post, and it triggered a bunch of ideas that resulted in the story. The story isn’t really intended to be *about* the guys in Titus Andronicus or a comment on their music, but more about this phenomenon of being this internet-acclaimed band that doesn’t make much money. People perceive them as having a high status, and in some ways they do, but I was imagining having to trade on that status in demeaning ways just to get by. Which happens, obviously, but uh…not quite as disastrously as it does for “Titus Andronicus” in the story.
1/2/10 4:55 pm
I am not amused.
1/2/10 10:40 pm
Regarding Dorian from Long Blondes, I met him a few months back at a Wild Beasts show in Brooklyn. Seemed to be doing well enough to be out at a gig enjoying a beer, but it was fairly obvious that the right side of his body wasn’t ok. I really hope he eventually recovers enough to make music again. Such an amazingly talented songwriter, guitarist, and lyricist.
1/3/10 4:30 am
http://titusandronicustheband.blogspot.com/
Latest blog post mentions your article..
1/4/10 10:11 pm
As a titus/longtimefluxblog fan, i felt pretty uncomfortable reading that story. It seemed just a bit too snarky for such a sincere/talented band (Have you ever met or spoken to them? [outside of the context of the vice halloween party] SUCH nice guys.) Then I read your explanation today and it made the story much clearer(+likable, understandable). In hindsight, you might want to tack on the explanation to the story. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I’m sure many people, besides me, took that story the wrong way.
PS. The title is sooooooo much better now that I understand what you are trying to say.