The Diplo Debacle

Last week I was listening to NPR and had an eargasm. Audie Cornish interviewed Diplo on "All Things Considered. They kept playing clips from songs, and it took all my power to not jump out of my chair and dance. BTW, if you have a FitBit, jumping out of your chair and dancing counts as 25 steps, and your flower gets to the halfway point. Here's the interview: Diplo: Building A Bridge From The Underground To The Mainstream. You listen to it, then come back to read my pointless tirade. I'll wait...


...Dope, right? So I was going to write a comment about how my ear sockets are filled with audio love and how it is going to be a goody day, but I saw a number of angry comments, like this:

"The staff of NPR seems mostly like sane adults. Why can't they use some taste when choosing this stuff? Could anyone really like this 'music' without being on amphetamines at a rave? I like lots of techno and wild music, but at least it has a melody and some sense of arrangement besides noise. Odd, the artist himself sounds like a nice enough man, and somewhat logical."

Also this:

"I'm glad you never called him a musician. Calling a DJ a musician is like calling a house painter an artist."

...And my favourite:

"Really surprised and disappointed to hear this on NPR. I suspect you're trying to appeal to new audiences, but you're going to drive away the loyal audience you already have."

There were a few more comments that I assume came from the fabled tome "You Kids Get Off My Lawn!" & Other Clichés for People over 65. So instead of regaling the awesomeness of the interview. I said this:

"I find it hilarious that you people are tuning into a show called "All Things Considered" and getting upset at the fact that they are considering all things. 

You complain that NPR wasted your time, but then waste even more time by e-whining about how NPR wasted your time. If you don't like it, move on to the next story. 

ME: I wonder what the next article is. 

NPR: Next on NPR: Keith Urban. 

ME: ...On second thought, perhaps I'll make a sandwich. 

See how easy that is?"

 I thought that would have been the end of it, until the next day, I got a text from a good friend in Buffalo who asked if I was the Chris Thompson in Rochester who commented on the Diplo article, to which I said, "Wha?" But sure enough: Letters: 'Music Curator' Diplo. Around minute 1:40 if you don't want to read the transcript.


...I know, right! How cool is that? People from the west coast were texting me and calling me to see if it was me! It was going to be a good day.


I don't really think I have a point to this entry, except that I was on the radio, and you weren't. >:-p