Mike Barthel

Ha, I knew I was getting it from somewhere!

As per @otherdavemoore.com ‘s “pop impersonators” idea, one way to describe the current cohort is “sounding like what everyone thought Avril Lavigne would sound like.”

This is great! Give it a read!

She’s made the very smart decision to make a soundtrack album for the character people already associate with her via Mean Girls and Sex Lives of College Girls.

The Renee Rapp album is an instant top-5 for me, fantastic bangers, and even if there are more ballads than I’d prefer, they’re at least interesting, like “I Can’t Have You Around Me Anymore” which is just a duet between vocals and a bass guitar passed through a bitcrusher (??).

It is with great excitement that I add Renee Rapp’s “Leave Me Alone” to the Girl Pop Stomp Clap Sing-Rap playlist. open.spotify.com/playlist/0vo...

YouTube video by Movieclips I Am a Golden God! - Almost Famous (7/9) Movie CLIP (2000) HD

youtu.be/VCfFCFkVSss?...

I Responded to One of the Spam Texts From a “Recruiter”—Then Took the Job. It Got Weirder Than I Could Have Imagined. The story of “Cathy,” my scammer.

You know those spam text messages you get, saying it's a recruiter with a job for you?

what ... how does the scam work?

@alexsammon.bsky.social took one of the jobs, and the story is *fascinating*

Go check it out: slate.com/technology/2...

I’ll read the full piece at lunch but then I have a section of the Miley book to send you.

The way you all feel about AI email assists is how I feel about a consumer rating website with bizarre standards telling me which pants to wear. I get that people struggle with buying clothes, but spreadsheets are not the answer!

Haha yes “impersonation pop” works very well here!

I’m so happy someone finally wrote this!

While I’m saying things no one else will agree with, I’ll also just say, based on the direction of the last three singles, that I’m bummed C. Roan is moving away from Scissor Sister bangers and toward songs that will get her cited approvingly on a podcast about Steely Dan.

This is going to sound like an insult but what I love about S. Carpenter’s whole project is that it’s like a series of Weird Al originals loosely parodying the songs of her contemporaries.

YouTube video by julia jacklin Julia Jacklin - Love, Try Not To Let Go (Official Video)

Put on this 2022 Julia Jacklin album yesterday, and it’s weird hearing the sound that Sabrina Carpenter et al are working but with far different lyrical preoccupations (more sincere, less witty). youtu.be/r1ZU9q42mgY?...

YouTube video by Nintendo of America Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition - Launch Trailer - Nintendo Switch

kentucky route zero is on sale at a pretty nice discount on switch right now. if you've never played it, well, it's a masterpiece. A better world is possible. Keep on dreaming, and I'll keep on driving.

youtu.be/JxcUZU0vtLE?...

An illustrated book page of the feel o meter, a thermometer running from green / 0 / smiling to red / 10/ very unhappy.

My mom bought the kids a book on how to cope with loud noises—thanks mom, nothing passive aggressive about that—but it’s too boring for the intended reader, and unbothered Boy Twin keeps reading it and telling us how he’s totally fine. “I’m green! I’m a one!” Spectacular buddy.

A slate floor. It’s lit only in a globular oval in the middle of the frame, while the rest is in shadow.

Shout out to boy twin for taking this picture of our floor that makes it look like a Silent Hill level.

An ad for: Jessica Alba presents Baby of the year.

Bart Harley Jarvis from the I Think You Should Leave Baby of the Year sketch.

Cmon now, we know who’s gonna win!!

The cover of The Phantom Tollbooth, with a child face-to-face with a watch-dog, which is a dog with a stopwatch embedded in it. The illustration style is scratchy and loose.

The Criterion collection cover for CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, which is the inages of Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Candace Bergen, and Ann-Margaret

Jules Pfeiffer, the man who illustrated THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, also wrote CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. That's range.

Museum Piece - The Offing Fiction - The Offing Magazine

This one jumps around a lot: theoffingmag.com/fiction/muse...

I've devised a way for Twitch chat to send MIDI notes to my DAW. When I first made this last week you could only send 1 note at a time, but I refactored it to allow sending multiple notes in one command.

My essay on how the dark side of Hulk Hogan’s legacy includes his connection to toxic media worlds like reality TV and shock jock radio: https://loom.ly/Q7664a4

Scowling jigglypuff

Jesus Christ Nats it’s 12-1 in the 7th here.

Stats for bearded white guy Zach Brzykcy #66

Was unaware the Nats had a reliever without vowels.

I appreciate Jacob Young’s use of “Forever Young” as a reference to the best 30 Rock joke, but it really does kill the energy.

He struck out chasing an absurdly low pitch, but still.

Not only does Daylen Lile use Mariah’s “Fantasy” remix as his walk-on music, the organist will play the riff a few times between pitches.