RobertSpuhler.com

Good Reading On The Internet(s)

I'm trying to get work done, and instead there is a bunch of articles on the net today calling to me...

Paul Haggis vs. The Church of Scientology - The New Yorker is pure journalist porn. Who gives a writer 28 pages anymore for a story?

For Car Cassette Decks, Play Time Is Over - New York Times is remarkable for the simple idea that, in the year 2010, a car - a luxury car, no less! - still came off an assembly line with a tape player.

Prince Speaks For Kardashian-Weary Nation: "Get Off The Stage!" - Yahoo is a brilliant palate-cleanser (hat-tip to Jen L.).

Party Earth

Last fall, I spent some time in bars. This is not likely a surprise.

The Week In Me, 1/8/11 - 1/15/11

Less writing (more tutoring) this week means slimmer pickings, but these were the best three pieces I wrote this week:

• Jay-Z Enters Chicken Wing Business (AMP)(best for the Cookie Monster video)
• Duke And The Undefeated Curse (Homage)
• Corinne Bailey Rae Preps Digital EP, Including Prince Cover (WAVE) (less for the story and more for the song)

The Week In Me: 1/1/11-1/7/11

I write, on a weekly basis, somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 or more words. One or two of them, I'm even proud of.

Starting today and continuing on Fridays, I'm going to post a couple of links to writing of mine that I'm happy with from the week before from around the Internet. I'll start with three links per week, and this week I'll start with:

• Hear It For The 'Hawks - HOMAGE
• Muppets 1, Kanye West, 0 - AMP Radio
• Fade In - Twee Films

Where Stories Come From

 
In December I spent, combined, the better part of a day chasing minions around.

Where Am I?

I've been neglecting this corner of my burgeoning online empire, and I'm hoping to get that fixed soon.

In the meantime, I've been keeping busy writing at the following locations:

1) AMPRadio.com - I write about Lindsay Lohan sometimes. But I also get to write about Vegas pool/clubs and take potshots at American Idol.

2) HOMAGE - The Craig's List ad I replied to in order to get this gig was headlined "Hipster Sports Blogger" and I thought, "I'm home." Homage is a vintage sports t-shirt company based out of Ohio. Go for the shirts, stay for me launching into my patented "AU ruined its sports department chasing after the men's basketball tournament" rant.

3) amNew York - I've been contributing to the paper for nearly two years yet, and I still love it. Thanks, Scott. I owe you a beer. Or six.

4) ...not yet. October 1st.

 

The Slow Descent

There were three reasons I applied to attend the University of Colorado so many (SO MANY) moons ago:

• Close to the family
• Safety school
• Dedicated Journalism school, and a fairly well-respected one at that

The last of those is going away, according to news reports; CU is closing its journalism school, looking to integrate its “core classes” into the college’s Alliance for Technology, Learning and Society Institute.

Saturday Morning (but not)

I lie awake in bed, listening to the dissolution of the marriage of the Korean couple in the apartment building next door. It's loud, angry and mostly in a foreign tongue, with the only English spoken being, "You will appreciate me." You lie asleep next to me, your face covered by your hair.

Last Night I Dreamed I Was Joey Santiago

…and I was on stage with the Pixies, performing in some sort of auditorium (it looked like a high school auditorium, but not my high school auditorium). Anyway, we played "Wave of Mutilation," then the others in the band started playing some cover I didn't know, and then they started playing an acoustic set. Only I didn't have an acoustic guitar, so I stood in the back, asking the stage manager when I'd go back on.

Then I woke up, which is a shame, because despite having no guitar skills, I think I could really crush the solo on "Monkey Gone to Heaven."

"Rock me, Joe."

AMNYUncut: Anjulie

By Robert Spuhler 

She's toured with ex-boy bander Jesse McCartney, rapper Shwayze and is currently on the road with R&B maestro Raphael Saadiq. Her first single, “Boom,” hit the top of the Billboard Dance charts, but her album was released on Hear Music, the Starbucks-owned label most famous for releasing Paul McCartney's latest record. 

Canadian-born singer-songwriter Anjulie makes music hard to categorize.