By Peter Debruge, John Lichman, Vadim Rizov, Michael Joshua Rowin, Andrew Schenker, Keith Uhlich, S.T. VanAirsdale, and Lauren Wissot
[Editor's Note: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the commenters, and do not necessarily reflect the official policies, positions, or opinions of The House Next Door. Recorded in conjunction with a research trip by Variety editor Peter Debruge for this article.]
(click to enlarge)INTRODUCTION
What's shaking California?!!
Flim critics are a dying breed, since they're either stuck online, being laid off from print publications or going off to Grad School. Dave Hudson himself gathers the tales of woe—this is clearly not the time to be a Journalist, but a perfect time to start digging ditches and hoping for New Deals.
But before all that comes to pass, have a listen to this impromptu podcast we recorded in early December featuring Variety associate editor Peter Debruge, who wrote up the whole "OMG NYC HAS BLOG WRITER" trend last week and quotes most of the people he met with. Of course, it's also important to mention Peter's invite was forwarded to a good number of us—I got mine through a third party. Don't fret, I'm still not a real critic dear listeners.
In addition to Peter, we've got a decent crowd for this canned chat: Lauren Wissot (Infamous for Various Reasons), Michael Joshua Rowin (The L Magazine, Stop Smiling); House contributor and Cine File Andrew Schenker, S.T. VanAirsdale (The Reeler, Defamer). There's a myriad of topics covered in this episode, ranging from the soul of a critic to why the hell someone would turn down work based on their soul. We cover it all—and it basically boils down to the following: some people subscribe to that nasty "Journalism" concept; others believe being a critic means keeping chaste, pure, and being able to lift their nose up to work that others would gladly take from them.
This has been Episode 12, "Film Critics in Peril on a Cliffhanger!" Join us next time and find out the following:
- Did Vadim make rent for the month? (I think so. But he still needs a roommate.)
- Did I find work at The Onion? (No, they only hire editorial positions internally and I don't feel like working for free again.)
- Really, why are the New York Onion staffers such utter cocks? (We blame their swanky SoHo digs.)
- Are critics fucked? (Sure.)
- What's the difference between a critic and a Journalist? (Who knows! Both are out of work!)
- Will we focus on The Onion as much as we focus on Armond White? (No. Armond is at least a nice guy on occasion. The Onion's New York office staff never answer their e-mail.)
Podcast is embedded below. Any problems, it can also be found here as a downloadable mp3 file. (TRT: 1 hour 04 minutes 55 seconds)
PODCAST
_________________________________________________Peter Debruge is an associate editor at Variety.
John Lichman is a freelance writer in New York who once broke Digg. He will work for your pennies, scraps and list-making needs.
Vadim Rizov is a New York-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, The Onion AV Club and Paste Magazine, among others.
Michael Joshua Rowin's writing has appeared in Reverse Shot, The L Magazine, Film Comment, Cineaste, and Stop Smiling.
Andrew Schenker is a freelance writer based in New York. His work can be accessed at The Cine File.
Keith Uhlich is editor of The House Next Door.
S.T. VanAirsdale is editor of The Reeler and a contributor to Defamer and The Huffington Post.
Brooklyn-based writer Lauren Wissot is the publisher of the blog Beyond the Green Door, the author of the memoir Under My Master's Wings, and a contributor to The Reeler.
Posts
7 comments:
Hilarious, can't wait to listen to this on the train.
For the record, we filled the roommate. Rent's been obtained, but just barely.
Always good to listen to you folks but a couple of tips. One is whoever has got the cellphone please: Shut it the fuck off.
What is it with having it on all the time? Just shut it the fuck off. Notice the use of the term (or the verb if I could have been bothered to pass GCSE English), "fuck", to illustrate the seriousness of how my advice should be taken.
Now another bit of advice, whose responsible for the men's room at that bar? Have you ever explored it? It's disgusting. I mean there's only stall toilet and the thing doesn't even have a fuckin' door on it? I thought you took me to some kind of kinky peep hole broadcast to the net corphaphagic hell hole. I mean what's with that? I'll have you know that I parked my twin cheeks on the same toilet seat as Nicole Kidman and Stanley Kubrick! Now you might think I'm a diva but the current horrendous state of men's bathrooms is the reason why I sneak into the Ladies. That and the fact the clientelle runs out screaming when I come into the room. What the fug is the matter of them? Don't they watch Ally McBeal? Don't they want to be considered Metrosexual totty? I don't know.
And brief update on my film watching, I finally invested in Home HD Cinema by purchasing a HD-DVD Player for my XBox. Yeah, laugh if you want too, scorn my choice of HD and na na naaah na to you too but it was cheap at £20 and films generally retail for nothing as my current shoplifting habits frees up space for more expensive produce like the ten thousand copies of Halo 4 or whatever other videogame shite they want to pile there with an 18 certificate but are really being sold to 11 year old car jacking enthusiasts. My love to all of you and a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
come back Faisal. Come back!
Faisal's comment only makes THE FUTURIST! hunger for more of his presence at the Grassroots.
Best moments of this adventure were when John Lichman bemoaned the throwing away of a $65 payday to fawn with fakeness over a failed oater and Keith Gandhi Uhlich stood up for his principles in not taking the lucre and wasting his precious handball court time with Vigo and Ed.
John Twitter Lichman, you must soil yourself in horror during that scene in BROADWAY DANNY ROSE when those two NJ gangsters tear up $20 bills. Dear Lichman, your anger stems from you not being employed and constantly boiling Ramen Noodles. Allow Keith his idealism.
Keith Uhlich, did you pass up the chance to sit during the WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON junket due to principles? If you did ... well, ... THE FUTURIST! can only shake his head in dismay. Such opportunities come only once in a meaningless lifetime.
As to Vadim's comment:
"For the record, we filled the roommate."
How exactly did you fill him? Sawdust or polyurethane foam? Taxidermy fascinates THE FUTURIST!
Sadly, with a real live boy, which means I cannot blast my speakers at deafening volume as often as I'd like. I must show actual human consideration.
Vadim the Impaler, THE FUTURIST! never never wants you to show actual human consideration again ... it's just not the Rizov THE FUTURIST! hears and loves!!
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